Jump to content

Crack;Bottlehead OTL


ironbut

Recommended Posts

1x 6AS7G, 2x 5998, 2x 12AU7 - all middle-range NOS, nothing fancy yet. Takes me to a total to five of each tube, with a mix of NOS and new production.

That's what I started off with, basically. Let me know what you think of the 5998's :)

you wont be damning me when you listen to them. :) the ones from ebay?

Yea, but I think it's a different seller than the one you got yours from.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just picked up a mullard 12au7 b6h made at the blackburn plant with the original box. was helping one of my moms friends clean out their garage and found a stash of tubes. only thing that didnt look busted/useless was this mullard b code 12au7 and a rca 12au7 which has no sound in the right channel. nice score nonetheless for a mornings worth of work. letting the tubes warm up now but upon an initial listen the mullard + 421a = pretty fucking nice. the acoustic guitar sounds WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY nicer than with the bugle boy 12au7 but the mullard takes a smidgen off of the top end i think. first pair of 12au7s i have been able to tell a marked difference between. maybe its just that i have been listening to the bugle boy for the past week straight and now switching tubes makes the differences more apparent. nonetheless, very very nice tube.

you guys are making me want to go ahead with the crazy build now =/ are there any teflon tube sockets that go into the holes of the stock top plate without any modifications?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have a few 5998s now...the 2399 is one i havent heard of. any thoughts on how it racks up against the 421a nate (or posty)? i havent really used anything other than the 421a as the 5998 and the 6as7g dont seem to do anything better than the 421a to my ears. perhaps i am just trying to justify their cost but i really do like the sound out of the 421a better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tempting, but with a 6080, 2x 6AS7G and 2x 5998A, I can't possibly need more tubes....... can I? :palm:

you can never have enough tubes. :) dew eet. 5998a is the suck. purchased one just to see how it would stack up against the others and it did suck just like nate said it would. standing alone it isnt bad but once you hear an actual tung sol 5998 then you cant really go back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every 5998A that I've seen is simply a 6080/6AS7, not bad but not a real 5998 either. Also, FWIW all 5998s were made by TS, there are just many rebrands out there so no need to pay for the TS name if someone is trying to get a premium. Also, the 421A is just a 5998, but tests and listening seem to indicate that they are the lowest noise versions. Still, I wouldn't pay a super premium for a 421A either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only 5998A datasheet I can find claims that they are exactly the same as the 5998, except for the glass envelope and base.

I've also read claims that the 5998A was only ever made by GE but the Tung Sol datasheet above disputes that. I also have Sylvania and GE 5998A's right here in front of me that are clearly quite different from each other.

Heater draw on the 5998(A) is 2.4A compared to the 6080 and 6AS7 at 2.5A, so they can't be exactly the same.

I'm going to go and drink, heavily, until this all makes sense......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.