Blue Hawaii Special Edition

[shellylh]

Ok, gotcha.  

 

Get the SED's, don't get the SED's...

 

Get the JJ's, don't get the JJs...

 

By the way, are people talking about the JJ Tesla Blue Glass or something else?

Also, Brent Jesse carries some of the SED's that are have been "burned in."  Do you think this would be better to get to avoid bad tubes or is this a gimmick?  

 

EL34/6CA7 Winged C SED, new current production, Pre-burned in.MATCHED PAIR

New production tubes! Very cool, very sweet sounding SED tubes from St. Petersburg, Russia that have been burned in for maximum stability and best tone! These tubes are smoother than most current production tubes, at a cost sure to please. You would pay much more for hand selected, custom pre-aged tubes like these if you could even find them! Carefully matched into pairs or quads.

Edited March 22, 2014 by shellylh

[Voltron]

xf2. Nuf said

[shellylh]

^I knew you would say that.

[Voltron]

It's the right thing to do. Not inordinately expensive for the amp and so, so good.

[shellylh]

I just don't like spending $600+ on a quad of tubes that could go bad at any point.

[HeadphoneAddict]

I just don't like spending $600+ on a quad of tubes that could go bad at any point.

Well, my used ones are still running after a year (came with amp).

[Torpedo]

Shelly, I'm talking about the normal JJ E34L tubes. Never tried the blue glass ones, though I've been told they're not any better internally. Not completely sure about this.

[complin]

Have you tried the Mullard re-issues that are now Russian made? I have heard whilst they sound quite good they are not as robust or long lasting as the originals.

Personally I prefer european EL34's. If not original British Mullard/Brimar then the Philips from the Netherlands. Philips acquired Mullard so some of their EL34's are basically Mullards but with Philips branding.

East or west germany RFT or Siemens/Telefunken can be good too, but they can be a little brighter than the Mullard/Philips so fine with a 007 Mk1 but might be too much of a good thing with the 009's.

Edited March 22, 2014 by complin

[spritzer]

The amp ships with the new Mullard's and they are dependable even though they "sing" way too much for my tastes.  One of my other Blue Hawaii's that's been on loan for well over a year has the new Mullard's and with zero issues despite heavy use. 

 

As for the XF2's, any tube can prematurely fail but the set in my BHSE has been in some Blue Hawaii here for almost 10 years and I bought it slightly used.  These are pretty much bullet proof... 

 

Shelly, I'm talking about the normal JJ E34L tubes. Never tried the blue glass ones, though I've been told they're not any better internally. Not completely sure about this.

 

I'm talking about the bog standard EL34 from JJ too.  The blue (and red glass) version is supposed to be identical. 

[shellylh]

So I started thinking about whether to get a quad of XF2.   If they are more reliable that the SEDs and new release Mullards (and sound better too) then I probably should get a pair because I probably will in the long run.  I wouldn't like the idea of a bad tube messing up BHSE.  
 
I've bought from Brent Jesse before and he seems pretty honest to me.  He has two options for Mullard XF2 NOS.  
 
1)  I am wondering if there is any reason to go with the $500/pair or are they just going to be "prettier." 
2)  Should I buy from someone else?  Could have better/bigger supply for better matching and better testing equipment?
3)  I am not sure that I can get matched quads but matched pairs should be ok.... should I try to search for a matched quad? 
 
Here is what Brent Jesse says about matching (I have no idea what this means):  

NEW! CURVE TRACER MATCHING AVAILABLE! We can match most small signal preamp tubes and we now match all of our power output tubes on a Tektronix 576 curve tracer. This runs the tube at full rated plate and screen voltage, and plots the curves at 10 different grid bias levels. The most accurate method to test tubes, the curve plots can actually be compared to the printed examples for each tube type that appear in the manufacturer technical data sheets and books. This matching is provided at no extra charge for any EL34/6CA7 type of power tubes!
 

 

http://www.audiotubes.com/el34.htm

 

The other option is that I use the new release Mullard for a while and see how I like the BHSE with them. 

Edited April 17, 2014 by shellylh

[Dusty Chalk]

Don't know about shopping for tubes, I haven't in ages, and don't need to (I'm pretty much set for life for the amps I have).  So I can't speak to him as a vendor or shopping in general.

 

But I can speak to the matching:  if he does the pair-matching at no extra charge, you may want to just ask him, he'd probably do quad matching no problem.  I don't know how he matches curve traces other than by eye-balling it -- when you have numbers, you just pick the numbers that are closest together.

[Voltron]

Shelly, I am a big proponent of xf2 in the BHSE but I never paid $1000 for a quad, and $600 even sounds high but I don't really recall.  I think I bought both of my quads from audiogon but I don't see any on there now.  You could wait and see if you find them for a better price while deciding if there is any need to switch...

[purk]

Shelly, I am a big proponent of xf2 in the BHSE but I never paid $1000 for a quad, and $600 even sounds high but I don't really recall.  I think I bought both of my quads from audiogon but I don't see any on there now.  You could wait and see if you find them for a better price while deciding if there is any need to switch...

 

I agree with you Al.  Shelly, you can start out collecting a match pair instead of a match quad.  The BHSE will tolerate a two set of match pair as long as the tested values are not too far apart.  I was able to pick up a match Quad of XF4 & XF3 for around $200 shipped.  I can't detect any sonic difference between them either.

Edited April 17, 2014 by purk

[HeadphoneAddict]

As far as I can tell, the only difference in the $500 pair is the original boxes.

[shellylh]

Ok, I'll wait around and start watching prices.  I am assuming that even with the new release Mullards, the BHSE is going to kick the shit out of the KGSS with the SR-007.  

[Voltron]

Yes, yes it will.  

[mikeymad]

Shelly, I am a big proponent of xf2 in the BHSE but I never paid $1000 for a quad, and $600 even sounds high but I don't really recall.  I think I bought both of my quads from audiogon but I don't see any on there now.  You could wait and see if you find them for a better price while deciding if there is any need to switch...

 

 

^^ this.

 

I got my Quad ef2's off Ebay in France (for the ES1), did not have the best numbers, but they were close to the same specs. I think it was just under $200 at the time. My only point is that maybe look around the world as long as you can trust the source. 

[luvdunhill]

Ok, I'll wait around and start watching prices. I am assuming that even with the new release Mullards, the BHSE is going to kick the shit out of the KGSS with the SR-007.

I think the BH does exceptionally better in the low end. I feel like the upper end is nicer with the KGSS though.

[shellylh]

I'll be keeping the KGSS for at least a short* while so I guess I'll have the best of all worlds.  

 

*I probably won't feel comfortable selling anything until the bbs have been gone for at least a year. 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I think the BH does exceptionally better in the low end. I feel like the upper end is nicer with the KGSS though.

 

Is it that way with all KGSS vs KGBH or just the ones that you built?  I know my KGSS is brighter than my KGBH, but I'm not sure I would describe it as better rather than just different.  The KGBH is definitely a little more refined sounding, and not as forward and aggressive, with noticeably stronger bass.

 

I'll be keeping the KGSS for at least a short* while so I guess I'll have the best of all worlds.  

 

*I probably won't feel comfortable selling anything until the bbs have been gone for at least a year. 

 

I was only going to keep the KGSS for a "short while" and ended up still having it a year later.

[spritzer]

The BHSE hits the last bastion of good audio press:

 

 

There is a good article in there too about headband resonance in headphones. 

[luvdunhill]

I think all of them I have heard can be described that way. Perhaps better isn't the right word then, I would say more extension and detail for the KGSS and smooth and rolled-off for the BH.

[Ali-Pacha]

Maybe I'll nuke my wallet beginning of may with an order. Maybe.

 

Ali

[DefQon]

Maybe I'll nuke my wallet beginning of may with an order. Maybe.

 

Ali

 

It's not so much about your wallet, it's more about the wait times (which I completely understand the accountable factors in lead and wait times).

 

I was 90% close to ordering one but my local dealer wants nearly $9k of smackaroos for the RK50 pot iteration and if I ordered through Head-amp I save big $$ (including shipping costs) but the wait times a downer for me as I have no patience to wait for things.

 

That said is the Mullard XF2's still the best of the EL34's equiv's for the BHSE? I've read reports that a good quad of 6CA7's give a bit more detail and that the Groove Tube EL34's are mimicked to be alike the XF2's...

[spritzer]

Many tubes have claimed to equal the XF2's over the years but it's never even close to being true.  Large part of why the XF2's are so good is the build quality, very thick plates which are welded by hand.  Nobody can match that...