The Headcase Stax thread

[thrice]

Thanks for the clarification hirsch

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by cclragnarok

Is it really that messed up?

It's a very sick amp. With most of the channel replaced it still won't behave and some of the parts are impossible to find.

Originally Posted by The Monkey

Guys, can I improve upon the Electro-Harmonix 6CG7s in my 007tII?

I'm with Hirsch on this one as the 60's Toshiba tubes are the best you can find... if you can find them. These were used in the SRA-3S back in 1968 and my stock was intended as replacements. They aren't for sale so don't ask...

Later models are virtually identical though and well worth it to track down. The signature short plates and often a bent top of the tip make them easy to find even if unmarked.

The US made tubes are good as well with Stax often shipping the amps with GE's installed.

[Anders]

I have those rebranded Raytheons and they are very good tubes with good dynamics and smooth and elegant sound. Much better than the GEs that came with the 007t. They are very smooth and warm from the upper midrange and up. Excellent tubes if you like that sound. I was also very pleased with for a time but the problem is that they tend to smooth out the music in a romantic way that not always comply wiht the essence of the music.

My EH gold pin tubes are probably not fully burned-in (about 50 hours with music) and I don't know yet if I like them better or less than the Rayteons. They are more extended in the top and probably also a little in the bottom (the latter is not easy because I simultanously installed tube dampers). They need much burn in and sound very harsh and unforgiving during a phase. EH are more nutral than Raytheon but still a little to the bright side. If they calm down a little more I think I prefer them to the Raytheon.

Tested with 007t, SR-404 and HE60.

[EdipisReks]

Originally Posted by Anders

My EH gold pin tubes are probably not fully burned-in (about 50 hours with music)

!

[guzziguy]

Originally Posted by Anders

My EH gold pin tubes are probably not fully burned-in

Originally Posted by EdipisReks

!

Anders, I think that you may have the wrong headphone forum. The "burn-in" forum is over there ->. Really, most tubes settle in 5 hours or so. Then they slowly get worse over time.

[Anders]

You are probably right that this is the wrong forum for me, but for quite other reasons than you state!

[guzziguy]

Definitely not everyone fits in here. But it's a great forum and worth the effort to try. As other people have pointed out, effort is the key word. I hope that you decide to make it.

[Anders]

Becoming rude and bashing "wrong" opinions is not what I strive for.

[JBLoudG20]

Originally Posted by Anders

Becoming rude and bashing "wrong" opinions is not what I strive for.

Bye.

[guzziguy]

And yet, you just managed to do it. Congratulations!

[dvse]

It is worth keeping in mind that while you can state an opinion, so can anyone else who disagrees with you.

Just because it is generally believed that 'free speech' is important, this doesn't somehow make it all equally valid - questionable claims should require proof etc.

[Duggeh]

Originally Posted by Anders

Becoming rude and bashing "wrong" opinions is not what I strive for.

It is my opinion that you do strive for rudeness and thus your opinion is wrong.

[Anders]

I just wanted to share my personal experience of the tubes, based on rather much listening with varying types of music, and not on a meet or something like that. Very shortly, that EH tubes are quite good and Raytheon lack in some aspects, in my experience and my system. In the beginning I was more positive to Raytheon, but still think it is very good.

dvse, you want proof! I have never seen any proof on Head-Case but tons of opinions.

Duggeh, you tweak it in quite another way. You say I am rude and therefore wrong. Next time I will be meek as a lamb and you have to accept the truth!

[ilikebananafudge]

Originally Posted by Anders

dvse, you want proof! I have never seen any proof...

lol.

[cclragnarok]

Originally Posted by spritzer

It's a very sick amp. With most of the channel replaced it still won't behave and some of the parts are impossible to find.

I hope the board isn't fried somehow.

[hirsch]

Originally Posted by guzziguy

Anders, I think that you may have the wrong headphone forum. The "burn-in" forum is over there ->. Really, most tubes settle in 5 hours or so. Then they slowly get worse over time.

Huh?

Way back when on the other forum I posted impressions of a bunch of 12AT7 types for the MicroZOTL. I was moving as fast as I could to get a bunch of impressions up, but did wait on each tube set until I felt the sound had "stabilized" and I couldn't hear differences in brief listening sessions separated by at least an hour. None of the tubes had settled at five hours. Some started settling at 8-12 hours, and some took a day or two. It would not shock me if subtle changes occurred over longer periods, but that was not what I was listening for. I'm only citing periods where changes in sound were obvious and unmistakable.

When did the absence of tube burn-in become some sort of orthodoxy?

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by cclragnarok

I hope the board isn't fried somehow.

Could very well be but Stax in their infinite wisdom had to make it black... There are still quite a few parts that haven't been replaced and I haven't gone to the next step of swapping parts between channels as I don't want to mess with the good one. Who needs stereo anyways... Still the amp works with a -180v offset in one channel.

Originally Posted by hirsch

When did the absence of tube burn-in become some sort of orthodoxy?

New tubes drift like crazy so they need some time to settle and they will change. It's not the drastic transformation needed to make an RSA amp any good but it's there and varies from tube to tube.

[EdipisReks]

Originally Posted by hirsch

None of the tubes had settled at five hours. Some started settling at 8-12 hours, and some took a day or two.

i would love to see that DBT'ed, though it would be an expensive test, i'm sure, as multiple identical amps would be required.

[JBLoudG20]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks

i would love to see that DBT'ed, though it would be an expensive test, i'm sure, as multiple identical amps would be required.

Not if they were cheap amps.

[Aliacha]

Originally Posted by hirsch

The best I found were Japanese tubes with a short "box" style plate. They are easily recognizable, as the plates only seem to fill half of the bottle. Some of these were rebranded by Raytheon, but not manufactured by them. I think the actual manufacturer was Toshiba, but it's possible that Toshiba also rebranded them from someone else.

US-made Raytheons have a full-size plate, and are sonically uninspired, IMO.

88x Tube 6FQ7 6CG7 RAYTHEON JAPAN NIB $5.8 Each Tube - eBay (item 5873841025 end time Jun-26-06 09:22:33 PDT)

Were they those ones? Suprising the page is still there.