Tony
Seasoned Member
  

"Life without ..music is inconceivable" A.Einsteln
Posts: 746
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I was going to place this comment elsewhere, but if I can piggyback on JOMAN's point, it seems to fit here.
This year was one for tube rolling and experimentation for me. I have discovered favorites and a few others that could have been more remarkable. I liked the CryoTones in my system best when all was said and done. Others I found comparable were Genalex Gold Lion KT77 power tubes and 75C1 voltage regulator.
It took me some months to get here with this current set of tubes, but with the help of the folks at Wathen, I feel settled in for now. I went slow so I could ensure I could hear improvements with each tube pair purchased. I was encouraged by Don's offer that should I not hear an improvement; I could return that tube pair. The 5AR4-WC were the last two tubes added. As with the other CryoTone tubes that preceded them, they improved perceived sound quality and listening enjoyment.
I did have one unfortunate event while tube rolling; I blew out one of the 5AR4s. I was curious about what happened, attributing it to user error. I mentioned this to Don, and in the absence of any identifiable cause on my part, he offered to replace the tube free of charge. Since I needed a matched pair, I bought one, and he added the second. The surviving single 5AR4 went to the preamp. I didn't expect that, but I certainly appreciated it.
So here at year's end, if I had to make CryoTone tube purchases over again with what I know now, I would do it - only faster.
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