Forums - VA 350B sounds pretty good

grinnell

Seasoned Member

Posts: 112

VA 350B sounds pretty good
03/30/13 at 21:30:34

So I did some overtime and sprung for a pair of the Valve Art 350B tubes for $40.00.

Sound pretty darn good. Very big presence/soundstage, airy maybe less bass then the 40's RCA 6v6G St i had in there.

My reference LP is Zappa's Apostrophe

The pins do seem thicker than the other power tubes like Reflektor and the RCA's. Hope it doesn't cause any loose sockets.

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Rivieraranch Seasoned Member Posts: 2132	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #1 - 04/01/13 at 02:13:26 I recall buying some Chinese adapters that had that 8 pin socket. The pins on those adapters were fat and I also wondered whether they would cause undue wear. Maybe the VA 350B will be good for acoustic material where you need that big sound-stage. Then a good 6L6 will expand the sound-stage measurably.
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grinnell Seasoned Member Posts: 112	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #2 - 04/06/13 at 03:38:27 Well after a few days of the VA 350B i missed the punch the RCA 6v6g st's from the 40's have. swapped back out. So..... keep an eye on the classifieds i might send them on. They sounded nice but lacked that punch in the bass. Very airy open sound but.....
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Les Lammers Seasoned Member Posts: 146	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #3 - 01/18/15 at 12:22:54 IMHO, you need to get them fully burned in before deciding to sell them. A few days use is not enough.
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grinnell Seasoned Member Posts: 112	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #4 - 01/20/15 at 14:25:18 still have them for about 43.00$ cheap enough to hold on to and try again but the RCA 6v6g ST still rock
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P K

Seasoned Member

Posts: 219

Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good
Reply #5 - 01/20/15 at 14:42:13

I have used both the VA 350B (still have them and will sell for $25.00/pair) and the 1940's RCA 6V6 ST.

After a lot more tube rolling, the Mazda 6v6 GT was the clear winner (a Brent Jessee recommendation)

The VA 350B is very good and a bargain (the VA 350B is far superior to the stock Tung-Sol 6v6 GT).

The Mazda 6V6GT tubes are Organic, Smooth, Lifelike and provide the most Detail (with a very light touch, not harsh at all, but the amount of new detail is amazing).

From Brent Jessee's website:

6V6GT Mazda France made greyglass, military boxes, 1957 dated
New Old Stock original box.

A very nice 6V6GT, not often found in the USA. Blackplate and greyglass, Mazda label all with 1957 date codes. These Mazda made tubes are similar to Pope, Amperex and other premium brands.

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Fireblade

Seasoned Member

Knowledge comes, but
wisdom lingers.
A.L.Tennyson

Posts: 1046

Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good
Reply #6 - 05/19/15 at 20:46:32

I keep preferring my G ST (1940's) RCA 6V6's in my Mini Torii. These, coupled with the right 12AT7 (i.e., Brimar) makes for a great synergistic match.

Having said that, I'm still looking for better options ... Currently Mazda's are out of stock, so I'm still on the look-out for alternatives. Same with the preamp tubes. My last 12AU7 black plate RCA's did not make it. Not even close to the Brimar (12AT7's). Same with the 6414's.

I believe unless it is a super special preamp tube, the 12AU7 doesn't cut it in my system, too dark, mellow and warm ... I prefer the kick out of a good 12AT7 or anything close to that spec. Need to find them both (6V6 and 12AT7 alternatives) though ...

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Fireblade

Seasoned Member

Knowledge comes, but
wisdom lingers.
A.L.Tennyson

Posts: 1046

Re: Infinite Feedback Adjustment Mod
Reply #7 - 05/29/15 at 12:59:25

Can anybody comment on the feedback adjustment in version 2 of the Mini Torii? I believe it is not a mod for me, since I assume the stock feedback was the best compromise for sound quality in that design. But, I may be wrong.

Since I'll be sending the Mini for UFO and Beeswax, plus attenuators, I'm wondering if I should also include this feedback adjustment mod. If you guys with first-hand experience provide positive 'feedback' (pun intended) on this mod, I'll consider it. I'm just afraid it may affect the floor noise or something may have to give when you reduce feedback (otherwise the original design would have omitted any feedback to aim for a true SEP configuration). While the tradeoff may have to do with dynamics vs distortion (THD), I assume Steve's original design went for the optimal compromise, so why would one want the negative feedback adjustment for?

Thanks for any information guys.

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Fireblade Seasoned Member Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. A.L.Tennyson Posts: 1046	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #8 - 06/02/15 at 12:48:13 Any clues yet?
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FarmBoss

Senior Member

Posts: 59

Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good
Reply #9 - 06/03/15 at 13:02:24

Fireblade,

I have the feedback adjustment mod. My disclaimer is that I use the Mini Torrie exclusively with my LCD2 headphones.

I had the feedback mod added when I had to send my Mini Torrie in for a bad transformer. Also got the upgraded caps.

So my take on the feedback adjustment mod is that it gives you a much wider range of adjustments. In my opinion this is really a tone control which either dulls the sound or makes it bright. I have a hard time adjusting it because it also makes the headphones louder or softer in volume which makes it difficult to compare settings.

If I were to do it over I would pass on it as the stock sound was just right. Now I fiddle with the adjustments too much.

That is my opinion and it is only with my headphones. If you are using speakers it may be a different answer.

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Fireblade

Seasoned Member

Knowledge comes, but
wisdom lingers.
A.L.Tennyson

Posts: 1046

Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good
Reply #10 - 06/04/15 at 12:46:13

FarmBoss,

Thanks for your thoughts. This is precisely what I wanted to learn about this mod. Even though Steve suggested it to me, as part of my quest to beef up the Mini Torii for improved resolution and transparency, I'm hesitant to apply this mod because it may actually compromise the fidelity obtained through the original design.

As you put it, there may be some tradeoffs showing up in tone variations, which may be useful for some recordings, but I believe it will not bring a net sound improvement, but another way to adjust its output at the cost of some tradeoffs. Even considering your experience is exclusively through headphones, I would think this condition would not change using speakers.

I'll just wait by to see if I can get some more feedback from other users before I make my decision, but so far this corroborates my concerns. BTW, how did the Caps upgrade went with your sound in the Mini Torii? Thanks again!

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FarmBoss

Senior Member

Posts: 59

Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good
Reply #11 - 06/04/15 at 16:25:35

I think caps are worth doing but you can probably get more bang for the buck by finding good tubes. If your tubes have been replaced with NOS and are already good to great then get the caps.

In regards to the feedback mod. - you do get many more ways to tune but in the end none of them sounded any better than the stock tune to my ears. But it is hard to judge as I could not A/B test and have to rely on my memory.

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Fireblade Seasoned Member Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. A.L.Tennyson Posts: 1046	Re: VA 350B sounds pretty good Reply #12 - 06/04/15 at 20:40:17 Got it, thanks! My tubes are NOS, and I think my RCA 6V6 G ST's are very good. I combine them with Brimar 12AT7's and this is my best complement so far. I may eventually want to venture into some 6V6 Mazda's or some other good 12AU7/12AT7 to combine it with, when I find them. We'll see. Any other tube suggestions?
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