Tube Lab

Another great option for the Freya are our rebased Loctals, all made by Sylvania.
Link to Freya Heater Compatibility Chart: valvesnmore.com/wp-content/up...
Link to our online store: valvesnmore.com/
Link to Mellow Tone Kits: valvesnmore.com/?page_id=13253
Link to Mellow Tone Kits KZbin Channel: • Stepped Attenuator Pro...

[@jonathanthomas4722]

I'm running a Lyr+ with my Vidar 2 for KLH Model 5 speakers. I swap out with a 1960s RCA GTB and a new Apos Ray Reserve tube. Will probably get a Frey+ at some point, so these videos are very helpful! Thanks!

[@insurrectionindustries1706]

I put the Freya plus on an audio precision with 4 different sets of tubes and got remarkably different measurements. Really interesting data that was rather shocking. The difference in distortion and noise was an order of magnitude between sets.

[@cobar5342]

Great video guys

[@vinayarora5918]

Thanks!!

[@sopasadena1499]

Nice and informative video. I have a Freya N and have been tube rolling. How can you tell from listening if you have a noisy or distorted tube without measuring. Is there a higher percentage ogmf good noval tubes in circulation than octal? Thanks for your assistance. P s. I found some of the stock 6n1p tubes supplied to be quite harmonic. Switched to philips ecc88 and rca clear top 6cg7

[@tubelab194]

If a specific tube is noisy, just turn your system on as per normal, set the listening volume to regular, PAUSE your music and place your ear close to your tweeter (Caution! Make sure no one will touch play or change the volume). If the tube is noisy, you'll hear it clearly above your normal noise floor. We have a custom built preamp and headphone amp that we use to listen to all of our preamp tubes that we sell. Listening on headphones is the best, you hear everything! All tubes introduce a tiny amount of distortion, but excessive distortion will be readily heard when you are playing a good clean reference recording (something you are familiar with). I would note excessive distortion is very rare in tubes and noise is very common, particularly with used tubes.

[@tubelab194]

Note that often when a tube is harmonic in circuit it is often the circuit that's to blame - a lot of really badly designed tube amps have been hitting the market in the last year or so. Now all tubes are harmonic, but excessive ringing is not normal and sometimes it's just a badly made or a damaged tube that just needs to be chucked.

[@sopasadena1499]

@@tubelab194I have had several 6n1p tubes supplied by the manufacturer where ticking is heard through the speakers when the volume is turned up. As you know the Freya has a resistive ladder volume. Switching European USA or Japanese tubes resolved this issue

[@tubelab194]

@@sopasadena1499 Normally the 6N1P isn't a microphonic tube, and IMO is one of the great undiscovered preamp tubes still available for reasonable money. We have a project in development that will make use of it. Now I'm talking about the mil spec version, which has an "ev" attached to it's tube number, which indicates it's a vibration resistant tube. The standard version sounds great, but isn't built nearly as well as the EV version. And of course what you're hearing are microphonics, which may be the tube or the circuit causing the tube to become microphonic.

[@badd99]

With the freya + I have found 6f8g to be FAR FAR better sounding than anything. The only 6sn7 esq that can even come close is the true 1578 melz hole plate tubes. I tried all the best and mostly use only 6f8g these days (Ken rad and Sylvania being the best)

[@DG-rc6rr]

Can you name the brand of the 6GU7 tube at 23:30? Is that GE? Thx

[@tubelab194]

Its a GE manufactured 6GU7. The defining features are the side holes on tall grey ladder plates and a top filament bridge. Great sounding tubes!