What characteristics that you sought have you found?

Go out, get on the tube sites, get on eBay, wherever, Now! and buy a quad of Philips EL34 metal base!

You mean like these? quad Philips EL34 metal base Siemens Halske labeled SYO - eBay (item 330375396486 end time Nov-15-09 13:00:16 PST)

I don't really need another set of tubes for my BHSE but if you say they're good....

Hey, thanks for the link, I'm high bidder now.

Don't worry, I'm not bidding very high, I'm supposedly stopping tube acquisition operations. I believe that most of the metal base-type tubes are either made by Philips or Telefunken. The TF are even rarer, I don't have any.

I think that these metal base are better than the Mullard xf2 with the O2mk1 and O2mk2, though the difference isn't very large. The xf2 will do nicely, definitely. But the metal base have that extra refinement, clarity, etc. They do everything very well, bass quality, bass quantity, treble extension, treble clarity, midrange body and smoothness, blah blah blah.

There are no weaknesses. Just think of perfect, and that's the O2mk1 + BHSE with Philips EL34 metal base!

I hear the Philips Brown Base are close in sound to the metal base ones? Would they be between the Metal base and Mullard xf2's? A quad of philips brown base seem a lot more common and cheaper than the metal base. A set from Hong Kong just went for $856 but I tend to think anything from that place is suspicious so I didn't even try to bid (plus the pics didn't show the pins or the getter).

Is metal base worth investing $1200+ vs a set of philips brown base for half the price? Are they supposed to last appreciably longer than a normal set? And how do they compare to the GEC KT77?

You also may want to consider that those tubes match well with the Esoteric as source. I'm pretty sure that you don't want to extrapolate to other sources as the esoteric units I have heard have a definite "house sound".

Sure, everything I'm saying is based on my current source. I'm using:

PC for audio > Win7 > foobar SOX Resampler 176.4 > RME HDSPe AES > Dual AES > 2x Oyaide AR-910 cables > Esoteric D-05 (both RME card and DAC slaved to G-03x clock)

The price for EL34 metal base is steep, I agree. Market prices for the xf2 or the DD-getter brown base are also high but lower, and these are already great tubes for the BHSE.

This is one of those "if budget permits" extra steps. I think they're worth the cost, but then I also think the BHSE would be worth it at twice the price. Please don't tell Justin! Yeah, I could just send him more money and I would be just as happy with the amp, or maybe even happier according to the "pay more and enjoy it more" conjecture.

Don't forget ol' KG too. In fact, I could send KG and Justin all the other audio junk and just keep the O2mk1, BHSE and Philips EL34 metal base, and nothing changes! I'm just as happy. La la la, la de la la, happy happy happy.

Is metal base worth investing $1200+ vs a set of philips brown base for half the price? Are they supposed to last appreciably longer than a normal set? And how do they compare to the GEC KT77?

Go for either the Mullard xf2 or Philips DD-getter brown base first. Then, if budget permits or you're just too curious, you can try the metal base or old stock GEC KT77.

Would an EL60 be a 'drop in replacement' for an EL34 as long as a suitable tube adapter was provided? Seems it was a precursor to the EL34, but with a loctal rather than an octal socket.

Spec sheet: http://tubedata.milbert.com/sheets/030/e/EL60.pdf

I believe it should work, but check with Justin to be safe.

I have a quad of Philips 4699 metal base tubes, which are also supposed to be early versions with a different type of base. I don't have any adapters though, so I'm just keeping them in storage.

Link

I read about those - I believe they have a smaller anode and so cannot handle as much power as the EL34 (18W max). However I don't know how hard the BHSE runs them.

I believe the EL60 is supposed to be electrically identical to the EL34 - I just wondered how hard the BHSE runs the tubes. I hear 25W is the max these tubes should be run at and even then they might start to drift.

Part of the reason why I like the EL60 is they seem to be better constructed (round plate, supporting rods and ceramic spacers) than EL34 types. Also apparently some of the earliest EL34 were just EL60 with an octal plug soldered onto the end of the loctal base.

Justin would have to confirm it but the BH design calls for the tubes to be run at 20W each.

Let's refer to our trusty guide, ah, here it is.

Hey, there are four fuses in the BHSE!

Two 2.0A at the IEC inlet and two 0.2A in the round holders.

Two and on the AC and the smaller ones are for the HV PSU

Let's refer to our trusty guide, ah, here it is.

So where is this from? Looks like a useful reference.

It's from a Guide to EL34/6CA7 I bought off eBay, it's a PDF file.

It's my secret weapon in the eternal struggle against fellow BH and other EL34 amp owners. Yes, that's right, fellow BH owners are the enemy in regards to tube acquisition operations.

Two and on the AC and the smaller ones are for the HV PSU

Ya, doesn't this mean that replacing all four will lead to more improvements than replacing the single fuse in other amps?

It's from a Guide to EL34/6CA7 I bought off eBay, it's a PDF file.

It's my secret weapon in the eternal struggle against fellow BH and other EL34 amp owners. Yes, that's right, fellow BH owners are the enemy in regards to tube acquisition operations.

Ya, doesn't this mean that replacing all four will lead to more improvements than replacing the single fuse in other amps?

Lokks like a great Stocking Stuffer for all your Audiophile friends.

Season's Greetings!

Ya, doesn't this mean that replacing all four will lead to more improvements than replacing the single fuse in other amps?

Yes it is; elephas has "restless tuberoller syndrome".

Well, I don't know if the BHSE is the ultimate amp. I think it's great, and it's the best sound I've heard with all my electrostatic headphones. I don't even feel like using dynamics with the Zana Deux much anymore. Kind of sad.

Hey, I don't have no restless tuberoller syndrome. I was using the DD-getter for more than two weeks, and I've had the metal base in there for another two weeks now. They should stay there for a long time.

If I have a syndrome, it is lack of improving musical tastes syndrome. I admit it's kind of embarrassing how much a person my age is enjoying pop/R&B music, I thought I would be well into boring old classical by now, zzzzzz.

Leona Lewis - Echo is really good!

The Blue Hawaii is the ultimate amp for most people. It may not be the end all amp it would take a lot of money to make something noticeably better. What I'd like to see is just how far we can push SS amps since the BH and T2 take good care of the tube side.

Find me some good high voltage (>=900V) transistors, or fets.

Especially p channel or pnp. I have lots of new designs waiting

on solid state devices. Just don't want to go the stacked devices

route.

Shame you can't use the 1200V 30A 273W Semisouth N-channel JFET's that NP is using in the J2 amp.

I keep looking though.

I admit it's kind of embarrassing how much a person my age is enjoying pop/R&B music, I thought I would be well into boring old classical by now, zzzzzz.

Leona Lewis - Echo is really good!

lol, how the heck do you already have the Echo album? As far as I know its not going to release until tomrrow, and thats in the UK where shes actually from. I'm going out to buy it for my gf(she loves Leona Lewis) on the 17th but I will take a quick listen when she opens it.

Toshiba has some cool N-channels (2SC5563 for instance which goes in the upgraded KGSS) but no P channels to match.