Hey you are not supposed to reveal the secret cheap source of those output tubes!

I use these in my Torii to good effect, especially with the ZROCK2 to help tailor the sound. . . . Interesting tubes.

LOL! You'll enjoy them Jeff.

I bought 2 or 3 quads from and ebay seller (Svetlana or something) with very good luck.  They may have been slightly more than the cryo'd - which came later.

But on second thought, you probably wouldn't like them.  

I thought I might mention that although I have several quads of these tubes, I don't think I've worn any out yet since they all bias very closely when swapping.  Low price and long life.

Stone, I hope you like them.  I'd like to try the KT88s but the prices might be out of my league.  

Edit:  Although, I just checked Cryoset and the Gold Lions are $230/quad.  Not out of reach but still a bit of a risk.  The Shuguang quads on ebay are really cheap.  I wonder if any hidden diamonds are out there?

......"don't miss any of it." Well, my Decware yes: CSP3 & SE84CS, of the four other pieces I had. However, they were sitting and the mighty ZMA RULES the Listening Room now. But, I should have kept those two pieces anyway.

So my stock Tungsol KT66's have gotten a bit noisy these days.  Love the sound of these power tubes. I'm using these with triple mica 6N23P-EV's. Also very happy with my CSP3+ preamp with it's  tube compliment.  

Plan on ordering a new quad of Tungsol KT66's from Cryoset. Have these cryo'd tubes proven reliable and quiet for those who have ordered a set?  Thanks.

HK

HockessinKid wrote on 12/22/17 at 23:34:40:

I've been very happy with the quality and longevity of the KT66 tubes I've gotten from cryoset. I bought from there at first to replace the Tung-Sol that were supplied with the amp, those have an "edge" to the sound I didn't like. I have bought Genalex and TAD from cryoset and they've been long lasting and great sounding.

I personally like the TAD just a hair more than the Genalex, though it's been some time since I tried those and so much has changed in my system. I might try Genelax again myself next time I order KT66. . . . May be soon. Right now my favorite tube in the Torii Mk III is the JJ 6CA7 but they can be unreliable . . . .

One of my original Tung-Sol KT-66's died yesterday After 18 months and I replaced the quad with a quad of Reflector 6P3S-E (thanks Lon!). Absolutely awesome.  The highs are cleaner and crispier but not harsh, the piano and vocals are stunning and the bass is full. It will be interesting to see how they settle in. I have Ediswan CV2492's in the inputs and Telefunken E88CC's in the inverters.  I'm in heaven. Now I have to listen to all my favorites all over again!

My ZTPre is running Amperex 7308's which are awesome.

Glad to hear those tubes are sounding great Norm! It's so fortunate we can use so many different tube types in these amps! So much variety of textures and flavors!

Quote:


That's great to hear!  I like what they sound like on my system but it's always nice to have a reality check.  



Stone,

Yes, I ordered the ZROCK2 with the silver RCAs and the Type II caps.  I just now got a couple of Pangea 14 gauge power cords, one for the ZROCK2 and one for my TT.  What a deal these are.  I didn't think it necessary to break the bank for my TT and ZROCK2 cords and these are quite the bargain while beautifully built.

I started with 50. I'm not sure how much I will deviate from that.  I'd love to hear what others are doing.

Hey Stone, I almost forgot to tell you the best part of the 6P3S-Es, They are blue!  

Hey Guys!

So, Ive been silent on the topic of these tubes as they required some attention to detail when evaluating them.  I didn't want to pop off prematurely until I was sure what I was hearing.  I am off to a post-Christmas gathering with family I wasn't able see yesterday but will come back later this evening with some comments.  

For clarity, I am referring to the Reflektor 6PS3-E tubes from Cryoset.  I will say that of the few pairs of tubes I have rolled through the ZMA, these were the most stable tubes, bias-wise, that I have experienced so far.  I set them at 50ma after a short 30 min warm up and they sat incredibly steady right out of the gate.  After a about 3 days, they settled in nice and tight and simply don't move. Impressive.

More to come....

Mine aren't blue either. But maybe some are.

I must have the blue light specials!  All of mine have a strong blue glow on the inner sides of the glass.  I need the room lights off to see it though.

Cool!

Yup, 6 pins.  Lon may know, but these might take advantage of the Hazen Grid Mod.  I think this was discussed once but I don't remember the conclusion.

I thought they might take advantage of the Hazen Grid mod, they sound as if they do in some ways. They don't.

They're interesting tubes. Ultimately if I can keep finding JJ 6CA7s that are reliable (my latest quad have been) those are my favorites. . . .but I do like these.

Well, there are some 6CA7 that will use the Mod, according to Steve. IIRC the JJ do, and they sure sound as if they do, they sound different than the other tubes I use in that regard. It's too bad their reliability is so so . . still I use them the most if I can, most micro detail, best native tonal balance, great dynamics. I haven't used EL34s for some time.

The JJ 6CA7s have been unreliable. These however have been completely reliable.

Stone,

I'm glad you're liking them so far.  I don't have a problem with the high end but it could be that my hearing is shot up there or my system is tuned hotter than some.  I don't use any resistor on my HR1s to tame the high end, for instance.

I really like these tubes...  a lot!  Of all of the tubes I have run through my ZMA, these have the most incredible mid-range purity I have yet to experience.  It is lush, and captivating.  

I am fine with the bass, both volume and quality, but it could be that my Hegeman Model 1's are to credit for this.  The cabinet design reduces resonance through the use of quarter wave tubes and the mid-bass all the way down to low bass is incredible.  When 2-channel listening, I have not engaged my bass drivers since I put these speakers in play.  If they are fed a half-way decent bass signal, I am usually pretty pleased with the bass sound out of these speakers.  Regardless of why, the bass is sufficient and of quality.    

I am also not running direct to my ZMA.  Everything is run through my Ultra pre-amp.  I am not sure if this is in fact the case, but I am finding that these 6P3S-E's are very complimentary to my '75 Reflektor "Holy Grail" input tubes (In both my Ultra and ZMA).  There seems to be a special synergy between these input tubes and the 6P3S-E output tubes.  

I find the treble clarity and detail to be quite nice.  I feel my Full Music KT88's have an edge in that department, but the difference is not profound.  The balance of high's, mid's, an low's is what I feel these tubes thrive at. I have thrown a few genres at them and they have not balked.  I have listened hours on hours with them, and they have not fatigued.  They seem to be hitting on all 8 cylinders and not leaving me feeling deprived in any department.  I am not yet ready to crown them the King of all output tubes as I still love my KT88's, but they sound awesome - especially for the price.

But as mentioned earlier, the mid's are simply dreamy! That is the difference maker with these tubes in my opinion.  If you are running a ZMA and still have not quite reached the mid-range heaven that you lust over, you must give these tubes a try.  And at $60 for a matched quad, it makes no sense not to try them out.  Like with everything else, allied system components matter, but I am really pleased with what I am hearing with these tubes in my ZMA.

The ZROCK2 has me very intrigued.

I have plenty/specific Recordings in mind for this, I bet, wonderful piece from Steve.

However, if it is not for me?  Someone, receives a nice piece potentially, for their System, without any wait come late Spring/early Summer.

I'm betting on the side....I won't be parting with it.

Thanks Stone.  Yeah, this is a great "bang for the buck" tube and if the synergy is there in the system, they sound really nice.  I have them biased right at 50ma.  They are really stable.  I keep checking my meters since technically, these tubes are still probably burning in, but the needles just stay put.  I guess I am not too surprised as that Reflektor plant has put out some pretty solid tubes historically.  

I am inching closer on the build list for my ZROCK2.  I am eager to witness its effect in my system.  I was able to hear it at Decfect this year, which prompted my purchase, but still need to hear it.  Regardless of what the tag says, you won't know if the shoes fit until you try them on.