Does anyone know how much wattage the Dynagrid Jr. consumes?

Thank you Lon. I expected it to be a lot higher for some reason.

Lon, it will be interesting to hear whether or not your new Linlai tubes make any sonic difference. Please keep us posted.

Whoa! Pricey is right. I'm not in that zone of spending and won't be likely for a while.

I still feel what I lack is the sound that the carbon lining may bring. I'm probably ten days or so away from receiving the tubes I ordered.

Thanks for sharing your experiences as the DG jr breaks in and blends into your existing system, Lon. You share so much about your listening experience that I feel like I can hear what you’re hearing, and understand how it has impacted the music you play.

Similarly, I’d love to hear from other Dynagrid owners. Everyone else has been silent.

I've been using my DGR nearly every day since I received it. In my system I can't say that it changed the sound in terms of warmth or bass or some of the other nuanced tonal shifts that tube rolling can offer. Instead, it has brought more depth, texture, presence, and richness. My music seems more enveloping. One perhaps helpful (perhaps not) comparison would be to a cup of weak or strong tea. I thought my system sounded great before, but now, its just a bit stronger and more flavorful (without being bitter).

I am currently listening to "Citadel" by Muslimgauze, the soundstage is all around and the instrumentation is rich and extremely spatial. I listen to a lot of experimental/drone/ambient and the textures on string instruments and distortion is noteworthy.

The DGR is a keeper. I am now working to get a new 5U4 power supply for my preamp to see how it works one step up in the chain. If it gives the same results I will be able shift back to monoblock UFOs. If not, I will be ordering another DGR.

I'm almost certain my room is not ideal for soundstage either, and my speaker placement could use some tweaking, but I also have some limitations on that front. I think that is why the soundstage dimensions seemed noteworthy.

I'll also note that the rectifier that came out of my UFO was a Sophia Aqua III 274B, which I felt was detailed and tonally neutral. Maybe that's why there hasn't been much tonal shift.

If I am honest, Lon, I hope the new tubes don't bring much sonic difference. It's a can of worm I would prefer not to open as 845 tubes can get expensive very quickly. But I commend your bravery.

I was actually sort of shocked that Steve suggested (as I recall anyway) there would be little sound change with different 845s. I too can't quite figure out how the Dynagrid sound would not change with different tubes. Though I am prepared to be surprised to have that corroborated in other very resolving system/rooms, in my system, so tuned up for refined resolution, speeds and balances of balances... literally everything, down to solder, wire gauge and materials, resistors... changing things between good parts, tubes, etc, pretty much always presents a meaningful choice.

I have used a number of 845s in one of my amps, and different, but in that setting, 845s most definitely make substantive differences, each tube obviously itself and having different sonic natures. It has been a long time since that amp has been in, having to track down some intermittent static in one channel, and having other good choices that reduce the priority. So this is sonic memory... but it came with carbon lined 845s labelled "Old Chen," guessing Psvane, and the tube Linlai later expanded on. Finding them quite nice in general, they tended a little slow, dark and thick lower down. So I ordered some Linlai versions of the tube that were clear glass as an experiment, thinking that might open and speed things up, especially mids down, where, all else balanced, extra energy in the slower/lower waves can be more obvious than mids up.

Well they messed up the order, and I got newer Linlais with carbon lining, which sounded like the others I had, very similar spectral and speed tendencies, though with a more powerful/bigger sound throughout. I could get pretty beautiful sound from them with gain and tube adjustments. But finally, in this setting, the black lining seeming to sort of amplify/intensify most things, including lower colorations and associated slowing, I was always trying to work around that... So I looked for tubes with more flexibility.

I have not used the clear version of this tube, but found the improved speed, inner clarity and space of Linlai DGs to solve things pretty nicely for me. They are in a different "class" though, with hanging filaments and other attempts at improved sound balances. And I did hear more refined space, complexity of fine detail, lower end immediacy, and I think a similar spectral balance, but less smearing, especially lower down.

Anyway, since the several carbon lined tubes I have tried shared a tendency for coloring the sound bigger with nice detail, while tending darker and slower below... as we have found, tubes that are good here, but a little intense, either in balancing toward bass, or overall, tend to work better for you Lon. So I am agreeing with your thoughts, imagining those black coated tubes could possibly help with your hopes. They were pretty long on burnin as I recall, but I look forward to what you hear.