Sunfire Vacuum Tube Pre-amp question

[post2338]

I am currently in the process of getting a used Sunfire 300W x 2 channel amp that I am pairing with a used Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube Pre-amp. The pre-amp does not come with the optional phono stage, so from what I understand, it just has the 3 line board vacuum tubes. I am new to tubes and would like to experiment a little; the 3 tubes that are needed are all 6DJ8 or 6922 types; the owners manual recommends the 6922 over the 6DJ8. Does anyone with knowledge of this pre-amp have any recommendations on tubes? I have just been on some tube web sites reading up and there are a significant amount of choices ranging typically from $10 to $100 per tube. I recognize that tubes are subjective just like any other piece of audio equipment, but just looking for some recommendations.

Thanks!

 

[wire]

I am currently in the process of getting a used Sunfire 300W x 2 channel amp that I am pairing with a used Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube Pre-amp. The pre-amp does not come with the optional phono stage, so from what I understand, it just has the 3 line board vacuum tubes. I am new to tubes and would like to experiment a little; the 3 tubes that are needed are all 6DJ8 or 6922 types; the owners manual recommends the 6922 over the 6DJ8. Does anyone with knowledge of this pre-amp have any recommendations on tubes? I have just been on some tube web sites reading up and there are a significant amount of choices ranging typically from $10 to $100 per tube. I recognize that tubes are subjective just like any other piece of audio equipment, but just looking for some recommendations.

Thanks!

Nice choice . SB a great combo . From what i here from that forum is mixing Tube with SS works really well , I added a C-9(sonic holigram) to my Tube setup and worked out unbelievable .
I recommend going to the Carveraudio.com forum . There are a few guys whom can help you out better and know and own the Tube pre amps made by Bob . Not to many Tube fans here on this forum , mostly Lowend to Midfi reciever HT stuff .
I own a Tube amp but have no knowledge in Tube rolling yet .

 

[highfihoney]

If you are looking to experiment with different sound quality tubes are a fun way to go about it,you should also be able to use tubes branded as ECC88 as well as the 6DJ8's & the 6922's,preamp tubes have a very long life span ranging into multi thousand hours.

Golden Dragon has become my favorite manufacturer for preamp tubes within the last few years & seem to exibit alot of the same characteristics as telefunken tubes without breaking the bank,Golden dragons have also been very reliable tubes in my preamps.

Some good preamp tube choices can be found from manufacturers like Telefunken,Mullard,Seimens,Amperex,Sovtec,Jan-Phillips,Golden Dragon,you can also go into some of the more exotic( NOS )tubes but it is going to cost you plenty.

The more exotic NOS tubes can be bought here at upscale audio as well as most manufacturers of current production tubes.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/

The owner of upscale audio can be a bit of a pain to work with(ask for kevin) but he is honest & really knows tubes & does do a damm fine job of putting together matched sets of tubes with very high scores on the tube testers,he also does a good job of weeding out tubes that display microphonics.

Most tubes for all applications can be bought here at the tube shop.

http://www.tube-shop.com/usa/home.asp

When you do decide on what tube your going to run try to buy more than one lower priced set from different manufacturers so you can try out different tubes & get a feel for what different tubes will sound like in your system.

 

[Ampdog]

Not to many Tube fans here on this forum , mostly Lowend to Midfi reciever HT stuff .
.

Wire!

Shame on you!
I am (also) a tube fan, and NOT lowend/midi etc! But perhaps you are correct; not much such activity here. I will hope to be classed under the "not many"!

I am not familiar with the pre-amp quoted, but what I did want to say, Post 2338, is that you must be careful about this so-called "tube sound". (Oh-oh... I better quickly define my place in the trench: EE and started over 50 years ago, so do know how to spell tube.) This, like many other matters, can be quite subjective. I do not mean that there are not things like some being more microphonic than others, noise, etc. Especially where original r.f. tubes are used for audio pre-amps. They were not manufactured with e.g. lowest microphony in mind. Thus the 6922 may well have some superiority over the ordinary 6DJ8.

But folks are quite free with tube rolling, sometimes swopping types with just about the only common thing the pin-out. The circuit values are optimised for a certain tube! But I would be sceptical when too much is made of this brand being "sonically superior in the mid-range, having tighter bass, sounding warmer" and the like. Not that the commentators intend to be devious, but hearing is subjective. The same number tube should have the same characteristics with any half-decent manufacturer, and no properly designed circuit should exhibit purported "dramatic differences" in sound between makes, etc.

I cannot give you specific advice, only the benefit of experience. Be careful to pay 10x as much just because a certain brand-name sounded better to someone out there.

 

[wire]

Wire!

hope to be classed under the "not many"!

Yes ampdog , your under the not many , there are a few here that know .
I see Post2338 , has posted on the Carver forum , i know a few are tube fans on there and some own the older Carver C-19 tube pre . Hopefully they can help abit over there also to find your answer , if ot hasnt been answered here already .