Tube Possibilities (yes, that's right)

[prepress]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Have "Heart" on both CD & vinyl and the CD is bright by comparison. Rolling tubes to tame a "hot" CD could be an expensive and time consuming pursuit.

I'd agree with both of these points. I'm now looking for the best overall setup without going into tube chasing. I don't want to strip the screws on the C2300's top by frequent tube rolls, either.

The JJs are my base reference. I'd say the GLs and Mullards are both more open than the JJs, but so far haven't given me the consistent bottom end the JJs do. The experiment continues.

[prepress]

Originally Posted by Wasatch

Yeah, 100 hrs. on tubes is a very good place to start. Keep us posted. Interesting thread.

The stereo is on right now (NPR) and the opening theme to All Things Considered still didn't have the same level of thump as with the JJs. The TED Radio Hour just came on. I'll switch to something else or catch the end of the Mets game on TV instead. The GLs are past 50 hours now.

[Wasatch]

Originally Posted by prepress

The stereo is on right now (NPR) and the opening theme to All Things Considered still didn't have the same level of thump as with the JJs. The TED Radio Hour just came on. I'll switch to something else or catch the end of the Mets game on TV instead. The GLs are past 50 hours now.

The bass could just be tighter.

[prepress]

Originally Posted by Wasatch

The bass could just be tighter.

Quite possible, but it's also not as loud. It's as if the low frequencies were turned or mixed down relative to the others. I did notice an improvement in impact last night, though. Still not to what the JJs are, but more satisfying than before. Fanfare for the Common Man's big drums showed up a bit more last night. I hope that trend continues.

And maybe I'll try paying attention to the tightness of the bass. Friday night, Tal Wilkenfeld's bass solo on "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" from Jeff Beck's Live at Ronnie Scott's seemed more tuneful than I remember; I also made out a note or two more than before.

[jdandy]

Charles.......Have you ever considered that the JJ's warm sound, as you described it, compared to the Gold Lion's might be due to a softer rolled off top end on the JJ's? That would naturally make the JJ's bass sound more prominent in relationship to the upper frequencies, thus making the JJ's sound as though they have more bass. It may simply be that the Gold Lions have a wider frequency response without the rolled off top end, so you think the bass is not as fat as the JJ's, but in actuality the bass is true to the tube's full range frequency response. Just sayin'.....

[Wasatch]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Charles.......Have you ever considered that the JJ's warm sound, as you described it, compared to the Gold Lion's might be due to a softer rolled off top end on the JJ's? That would naturally make the JJ's bass sound more prominent in relationship to the upper frequencies, thus making the JJ's sound as though they have more bass. It may simply be that the Gold Lions have a wider frequency response without the rolled off top end, so you think the bass is not as fat as the JJ's, but in actuality the bass is true to the tube's full range frequency response. Just sayin'.....

Sounds good to me.

[prepress]

I will share some observations from my last listening session. It occurred to me that what I'm hearing from the Gold Lions is a greater and more balanced dynamic range than with the JJs. That (along with being less warm) accounts for the crisper upper-end sound I hear. It may also explain why some recordings have seemed brighter on top than with the JJs.

The JJs are weightier in the bass and the mids as well, since their range is tilted that way, thus they sound fuller and more impactful on bottom. It also explains why they're smoother on top with those bright-sounding (with the GLs and Mullards) recordings mentioned above. The bottom end is also more forward, enhancing the sense of greater weight.

This is coming from a borderline audiophile who still doesn't characterize himself as a tube person. But, it lines up somewhat with Dan's suggestion regarding a rolled-off top end with the JJs; their range is limited in that way. Two different presentations, each with its own merits. The GLs (and Mullards, when they were in the 2300) tend to sound a bit more "live" at times than the JJs; the JJs may play better with video in some ways because of that bottom end. I want to give the GLs their 100 hours before making any real decisions, though.

[Wasatch]

For what it's worth, at least you are hearing differences with the different tubes, and that is what is most important, you have something to go by. Lot's of people do not hear these things. Enjoy!

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by prepress

I want to give the GLs their 100 hours before making any real decisions, though.

Charles.......Well, hopefully by Christmas you'll have at least 80 hours on the Gold Lions.

[krustycat]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Charles.......Well, hopefully by Christmas you'll have at least 80 hours on the Gold Lions.