Forums - Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO

HiFi Bri

Senior Member

Posts: 53

Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
04/12/23 at 23:14:22

I recently purchased a used SE84UFO UFO Zen amp that was originally purchased from Decware earlier this year.

I haven't received it yet but the seller told me the included tubes are what were shipped with the amp, *except* the included EL84s. No mention of the original 6015P-EVs, which seem to be hard to find now.

Assuming I will want to swap out those nameless EL84s, any recommendations on tubes to try?

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CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 1648	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #1 - 04/12/23 at 23:30:16 The easy recommendation is to get the power tubes from Decware. Before the war I bought a bunch of (cheap) 6P15P type tubes from the motherland and my personal favorite is the -ER version. My experience with EL84 types is somewhat limited and not positive.
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HiFi Bri Senior Member Posts: 53	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #2 - 04/12/23 at 23:32:50 Thanks, I was thinking the same thing....though it appears they're not currently available from Decware.
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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23459	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #3 - 04/12/23 at 23:40:59 Perhaps that was just a typo, but you should look for 6P15P, and they aren't that hard to find on eBay.
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Rivieraranch Seasoned Member Posts: 2126	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #4 - 04/12/23 at 23:57:29 Forget the EL84s. The amp is not designed for them. And they sound weak as hell in that circuit. Replacement tubes are available from DECWARE which you will never have a problem with them
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CAJames

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"I've run every
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Posts: 1648

Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #5 - 04/13/23 at 00:01:16

Quote:

Posted by: filthnoise Posted on: Today at 15:32:50

....though it appears they're not currently available from Decware.

Bummer, I did not realize that. As Lon says they are plentiful on ebay, my suggestion would be to buy several, not just a pair because the quality of the tubes is wildly variable in my experience. Depending on how adventurous you are you can try all 3 versions, plain 6P15P and the -EV and -ER. The later two are rated for longer life and extra ruggedness.

Note also the the EL83 is often advertised as being compatible with the 6P15P/SV83 but it is not.

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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23459	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #6 - 04/13/23 at 00:05:17 Jim, the tubes have NOT been available via Decware for about a year. . . maybe more. Which is too bad, that's my favorite source. Cryotone sells them. . . abut three to four times the cost.
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JOMAN

Seasoned Member

Posts: 763

Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #7 - 04/13/23 at 00:46:45

Jim,

If you want 6P15P-EV I have two pair. Not using these in my UFO25 anymore.

One pair is a NOS pair that I bought when I had my SE84UFO2. It's from Russia and was a back up, never used.

The other is the red tip pair that came with my UFO25. I'm keeping these to try when I get my UFO25 back from being processed. I want to see what difference processing the amp makes and then they'll be up for grabs.

If you're interested send me a PM. No point in having these collect dust.

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HiFi Bri

Senior Member

Posts: 53

Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #8 - 04/13/23 at 16:51:44

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'm on the waitlist for a 25th Anniversary Zen amp, but I've never heard a Decware amp before so my plan is to try out a SE84UFO and see what I think. If i love it in my system, I'll feel better about shelling out $3500 on an amp I've never heard....and I know I can easily sell the SE84UFO.

I purchased a cheap pair of 6P15P-EVs on eBay. I'm considering spending $200 on a pair of Cryotone 6P15P-EVs. Any advice on if you think this would be a worthy purchase for this amp?

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CAJames

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Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #9 - 04/13/23 at 17:46:46

Quote:

Posted by: filthnoise Posted on: Today at 08:51:44
Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'm on the waitlist for a 25th Anniversary Zen amp, but I've never heard a Decware amp before so my plan is to try out a SE84UFO and see what I think. If i love it in my system, I'll feel better about shelling out $3500 on an amp I've never heard....

At the risk of going wildly off topic I bought a pair of UFO amps sight-unheard a few years ago and, long story short, I loved them so much I got back on the waiting list for a pair of UFO25s. I'm pretty sure you'll love it, but you're right, in the (unlikely) event you don't you shouldn't have any trouble selling it.

Quote:

I purchased a cheap pair of 6P15P-EVs on eBay. I'm considering spending $200 on a pair of Cryotone 6P15P-EVs. Any advice on if you think this would be a worthy purchase for this amp?

There are several threads about the Cryotone tubes, I think it would be time well spent to read them but the TL;DR is a lot of people like them, a few don't. Whether they are worth the $$$ for you is really your call. For me personally, I'm not keen to spend that kind of money (I'd need 4) when my system sounds as good as it does. I've tried a lot of power tubes including EL83s with custom adapters and EL82[1|2]s with adapters and while they make a difference they don't make as big a difference to the sound as the input tube or esp. the rectifier. JMO/FWIW/YMMV and all that.

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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

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HiFi Bri Senior Member Posts: 53	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #10 - 04/13/23 at 18:02:45 Thanks Jim, that's super helpful! I'll hold for now and see what I think of the tubes I've already purchased. It sounds like if I was to splurge on expensive tubes, the rectifier would be a better place to start.
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JOMAN

Seasoned Member

Posts: 763

Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #11 - 04/13/23 at 18:57:04

Quote:

Any advice on if you think this would be a worthy purchase for this amp?

Absolutely! and this is not just about tubes, it's about how transparent this amp is. The UFO25 is an incredibly transparent amp. Tubes, cables, source components, etc. will either limit, in some cases handicap the transparency or get out of the way and let you hear what transparency really means.

Unfortunately there's no free lunch, so to speak. The source that I am budgeting for now is many times the cost of the UFO25. My experience tells me that the UFO25 is worthy of it.

But that's just me. It's an addiction...🥺.

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Lon

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Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO
Reply #12 - 04/13/23 at 19:01:20

I have a pair of the Wathen/Cryotone 6P15P output tubes.

There is a difference between these and the previous pairs I bought from Steve. A slightly less etched portion of the soundscape. But. . .a little tweaking of gain and the ZROCK2 can make either pair of tubes sound so similar as to be very hard to tell apart.

The real proof is in the longevity due to the price difference. If I can get three to four times the amount of hours use out of the Cryotone pair (something that seems hard to fathom) then they will have been worth the three to four times the cost. . . . The jury is still more than two years out on that factor.

And I agree with John above . .the amp will show you every improvement you will make. When I got into Decware amplification . . .it sent me on a decade plus search for the best source possible. One that I will probably always be on incrementally going forward.

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HR-1,ZTPRE,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod,Taboo MkIV;Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD,P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls,Reference spkrcbls;Mapleshade SamsonV3;VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones:Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

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HiFi Bri Senior Member Posts: 53	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #13 - 04/13/23 at 19:14:32 Thanks Lon! I should have mentioned, I'm also on the list for a ZROCK2 and hopefully only a few months away from getting it.
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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23459	Re: Help Choosing Tubes for SE84UFO Reply #14 - 04/13/23 at 19:17:07 Oh boy. You're going to be having a lot of audio fun.
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