Show us your gear!

[Soundfield]

OK Here is my collection of stuff....

Stewart

Very impressive Stewart - a quartet of Psvane KT88 valves alone is no small investment - I hope the Citation treats them gently!

 

[Sal1950]

going naked. full frontal and my rear

Wow, what a clean install! I highly envy you that beautiful listening room!.

OK Here is my collection of stuff, If I die they probably will be given as boat anchors! OMG, I need more stuff, DUH... Be Safe and Enjoy the Music!
Stewart

Now this is getting ridiculous. There ought to be a law against one guy owning that much classic gear. Love all the H/K Citation amps!
There's so many awesome collections being shown off here. Since I retired and moved to a very small place in FL I had to get rid of everything I used to have and started over with a new rig better suited to my digs here. I'll put up a photo of my current system and some oldies but goodies from my youth.

Current rig still under construction with the just acquired JBL's
Speakers: New JBL HDI 3600's in 4 corners & 4500 center. Klipsch HT 500 ceiling mounted Atmos. 2 HSU STF-2 subwoofers.
Marantz AV7703 Pre/Pro, 2 Adcom GFA-545 II's, 1 Adcom GFA-5400, 2 Adcom GFA-535 II amplifiers
Sony XBR 75X-940D TV, with Xfinity DVR, Samsung UBD-K8500 BD, Home build computer music server for most all music.

CA 1974,
AR-XB table, Marantz 2270 reciever with Marantz 2440 Quad adapter. Micro-Acoustic Speakers

CA 1980 System show driving Klipsch La Scala's

CA VTL Compact Tube Monoblocks, JVC 1050Z CD, Mitsubishi DF-20 FM, ModSquad Passive PreAmp and my La Scala's

All this time there was a Adcom electronics, Paradigm speakered 5.2 system at the other end of this room with the TV on the
opposite wall. Both rigs switchable for using 2 HSU 7' tall subs, one seen on the left behind La Scala above.

 

[slshearer]

Very impressive Stewart - a quartet of Psvane KT88 valves alone is no small investment - I hope the Citation treats them gently!

Hi

When I got this amp it came with these, I have a different set which I use which are Matched set of 4 Tung-sol 6550 Made in the USA, They hold up well to the heat, They are my preferred tube for the HK Citation 2, they do get hot but they seem to be able to take it, I am currently having one upgraded and we are filtering the 117 to 120 Volt AC down to the 110Volts that was the voltage when these amps were originally designed, That does make them run a little cooler.

Stay safe and if you see Boris at Trafalgar say Howdy for me!

Stewart

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Hi

When I got this amp it came with these, I have a different set which I use which are Matched set of 4 Tung-sol 6550 Made in the USA, They hold up well to the heat, They are my preferred tube for the HK Citation 2, they do get hot but they seem to be able to take it, I am currently having one upgraded and we are filtering the 117 to 120 Volt AC down to the 110Volts that was the voltage when these amps were originally designed, That does make them run a little cooler.

Stay safe and if you see Boris at Trafalgar say Howdy for me!

Stewart

Are those NOS tubes Stewart, I didn't think the USA had made tubes for a long time now (not profitable for the labor costs here?)

 

[slshearer]

Wow, what a clean install! I highly envy you that beautiful listening room!.

Now this is getting ridiculous. There ought to be a law against one guy owning that much classic gear. Love all the H/K Citation amps!
There's so many awesome collections being shown off here. Since I retired and moved to a very small place in FL I had to get rid of everything I used to have and started over with a new rig better suited to my digs here. I'll put up a photo of my current system and some oldies but goodies from my youth.

Current rig still under construction with the just acquired JBL's
Speakers: New JBL HDI 3600's in 4 corners & 4500 center. Klipsch HT 500 ceiling mounted Atmos. 2 HSU STF-2 subwoofers.
Marantz AV7703 Pre/Pro, 2 Adcom GFA-545 II's, 1 Adcom GFA-5400, 2 Adcom GFA-535 II amplifiers
Sony XBR 75X-940D TV, with Xfinity DVR, Samsung UBD-K8500 BD, Home build computer music server for most all music.

View attachment 54210View attachment 54211

CA 1974,
AR-XB table, Marantz 2270 reciever with Marantz 2440 Quad adapter. Micro-Acoustic Speakers

View attachment 54212
CA 1980 System show driving Klipsch La Scala's

View attachment 54213

CA VTL Compact Tube Monoblocks, JVC 1050Z CD, Mitsubishi DF-20 FM, ModSquad Passive PreAmp and my La Scala's
View attachment 54214
All this time there was a Adcom electronics, Paradigm speakered 5.2 system at the other end of this room with the TV on the
opposite wall. Both rigs switchable for using 2 HSU 7' tall subs, one seen on the left behind La Scala above.

Yeah I hate to sell anything I have bought r traded over the years, The HK Citations are my favourites for sure as well as some of my quad receivers and turntables

Stay Safe!
Stewart

Are those NOS tubes Stewart, I didn't think the USA had made tubes for a long time now (not profitable for the labor costs here?)

Yes, I found a set about 1 year ago, I wasn't even looking for them they just kind of showed up and I had just bought some 4 JJ KT88, so I bought them, the dealer I buy my tubes from checked them out and he said the Tung-Sols were NOS and they were a matched set! OMG, Its got to be a God thing for sure, Just very happy to have them, they are great sounding tubes, Now I need to try and find 4 more, I have 2 HK Citation 2 Amplifiers and considering buying a SQ decoder so I can play them on my 4 Big Speakers in my Theatre room, I had to hook up a serious amount of Niles SAS! to do all the switching to separate my Sound Surround system speaker connections and I am happy it works great, as far as the visual of the wiring that's a whole different conversation!

Take Care Be Safe!
Stewart

 

[slshearer]

Wow, what a clean install! I highly envy you that beautiful listening room!.

Now this is getting ridiculous. There ought to be a law against one guy owning that much classic gear. Love all the H/K Citation amps!
There's so many awesome collections being shown off here. Since I retired and moved to a very small place in FL I had to get rid of everything I used to have and started over with a new rig better suited to my digs here. I'll put up a photo of my current system and some oldies but goodies from my youth.

Current rig still under construction with the just acquired JBL's
Speakers: New JBL HDI 3600's in 4 corners & 4500 center. Klipsch HT 500 ceiling mounted Atmos. 2 HSU STF-2 subwoofers.
Marantz AV7703 Pre/Pro, 2 Adcom GFA-545 II's, 1 Adcom GFA-5400, 2 Adcom GFA-535 II amplifiers
Sony XBR 75X-940D TV, with Xfinity DVR, Samsung UBD-K8500 BD, Home build computer music server for most all music.

View attachment 54210View attachment 54211

CA 1974,
AR-XB table, Marantz 2270 reciever with Marantz 2440 Quad adapter. Micro-Acoustic Speakers

View attachment 54212
CA 1980 System show driving Klipsch La Scala's

View attachment 54213

CA VTL Compact Tube Monoblocks, JVC 1050Z CD, Mitsubishi DF-20 FM, ModSquad Passive PreAmp and my La Scala's
View attachment 54214
All this time there was a Adcom electronics, Paradigm speakered 5.2 system at the other end of this room with the TV on the
opposite wall. Both rigs switchable for using 2 HSU 7' tall subs, one seen on the left behind La Scala above.

Wow, you got a lot of power in that room, bet it sounds great! Lots of big amps and speakers...

Rock on!
Stewart

 

[slshearer]

Are those NOS tubes Stewart, I didn't think the USA had made tubes for a long time now (not profitable for the labor costs here?)

Well, that's what's wrong with America, we like China Junk cause it is cheap and we gave up our middle class! Hopefully with some automation and good old fashion hard work America can lead in the recreation of what made the US great! and be the leader in all the new fields that this century will bring us, wit Hard Work, Honesty, Integrity and some Good luck the USA will lead again and maybe we won't allow the leaders to sell us out as they have!

Be Safe!
Stewart

 

[Soundfield]

Yes, I found a set about 1 year ago, I wasn't even looking for them they just kind of showed up and I had just bought some 4 JJ KT88, so I bought them, the dealer I buy my tubes from checked them out and he said they were NOS and they were a matched set!

Actually Stewart the Psvane KT88 valves are not NOS - the Chinese PSVANE brand was only introduced recently ( it is said they deliberately chose the name so that it didn't sound Chinese, I guess that worked as no one seems to know how to pronounce it!) and these are in current production in China. They are however very expensive - Psvane KT88 so hope you got a good deal!

 

[slshearer]

Actually Stewart the Psvane KT88 valves are not NOS - the Chinese PSVANE brand was only introduced recently ( it is said they deliberately chose the name so that it didn't sound Chinese, I guess that worked as no one seems to know how to pronounce it!) and these are in current production in China. They are however very expensive - Psvane KT88 so hope you got a good deal!

Hi

Actually it was the Tung-Sol 6550 that were NOS, I bought these for a Citation 2 I bought these PSVANE KT88 for a Citation 2 and after I found the Tungsols I put the KT88 back in their box. They are good sounding tubes but I think the sound from the Tung-Sols' are more lively!

Stay Safe!
Stewart

 

[Soundfield]

Hi

Actually it was the Tung-Sol 6550 that were NOS, I bought these for a Citation 2 I bought these PSVANE KT88 for a Citation 2 and after I found the Tungsols I put the KT88 back in their box. They are good sounding tubes but I think the sound from the Tung-Sols' are more lively!

Stay Safe!
Stewart

Ah; that makes sense!
My favourite KT88 by a long way is the current production Genalex Gold Lion-

Although I'm just about to take delivery of a new amp and so am taking the opportunity of upgrading to the powerful new Tung-Sol KT120 about which I've heard great things. Should be fun!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Man you guys are making me wish I'd gotten into tube amps decades ago (not an audiophile, not an audiophile )

Anybody know if these McIntosh tube amps are a decent value?
McIntosh Mono, Stereo & Multi-Channel Amplifiers for Home Audio & Home Theater

 

[Sal1950]

Anybody know if these McIntosh tube amps are a decent value?
McIntosh Mono, Stereo & Multi-Channel Amplifiers for Home Audio & Home Theater

Ouch, depends on you perspective
As a SQ per dollar spent, they are way down on the value list. Expensive as all get-out and ultimate SQ is not so hot when you compare performance measurements against solid state amps that cost a half to 1/4 as much. One of the best measureing amps on earth is the Benchmark AHB2 for $3k
OTOH, I don't think there's a audio product out there that holds its value over time better than Mac. Look at what used gear is pulling!
So what do you want?

 

[Soundfield]

Man you guys are making me wish I'd gotten into tube amps decades ago (not an audiophile, not an audiophile )

Anybody know if these McIntosh tube amps are a decent value?
McIntosh Mono, Stereo & Multi-Channel Amplifiers for Home Audio & Home Theater

I've owned Mc valve stuff (from new) in the past - I really wasn't impressed and regretted spending as much as I did on it. We have an expression in the UK - "all mouth and no trousers"!!

 

[slshearer]

Ouch, depends on you perspective
As a SQ per dollar spent, they are way down on the value list. Expensive as all get-out and ultimate SQ is not so hot when you compare performance measurements against solid state amps that cost a half to 1/4 as much. One of the best measureing amps on earth is the Benchmark AHB2 for $3k
OTOH, I don't think there's a audio product out there that holds its value over time better than Mac. Look at what used gear is pulling!
So what do you want?

A lot of old Tube stuff is in demand, if its been upgraded and playing analog it is hard to beat the sound, Tubes from different manufacture's sound can have a huge difference in the quality of the sound you hear, also there is a burn-in time to hear the sound, Brands that are appreciating and commanding lot of $$$ are Audio Research, Counterpoint, McIntosh, Marantz, Harman Kardon, Luxman, Pioneer, and quite a few more. Rarity demands more money but doesn't mean better sound, a lot of Vintage Audio whether Tube or Solidstate and Digital require technicians who know what they are doing and using the correct parts and not modifying them from their original design.

Be Safe!
Stewart

 

[DaveLaPorte53]

Too true. Now, in the days of SACD and DVD Audio, I don’t know that I want to delve back into the realm of R2R. The notion of buying and reconditioning a R2R and also building up a quad tape library from scratch would be economically prohibitive in 2020. And then Dutton Vocalion would end up releasing some of the same recordings in SACD LOL! I know, first world problems! Anyway, though I’m admittedly jealous of your incredible system, with my digital library I certainly have nothing to complain it.

My master plan is to put modern versions of Quad media. on R2R, probably run directly from 5.1, 7.1 out puts directly into the tape deck ( at greatly reduced levels).

 

[Sal1950]

A lot of old Tube stuff is in demand, if its been upgraded and playing analog it is hard to beat the sound,

Your right on with everything you said in that post except for the bold part.
Playing back analog or digital, if your goal is to hear what is on the source, modern SS gear will wipe the floor with it for a small percentage of the cost. If your interested in smoothing the source over with things like harmonic distortion, noise, frequency response variations and more, tubes are fun to play with. Tube swapping is much akin to playing with variations of all those failings to find a combination of distortions that pleases your ear. Not in any way close to a recreation of the source, but fun none the less.

 

[soesbeout]

Pretty basic setup bought it in the navy overseas and it still works.

 

[DaveLaPorte53]

Your right on with everything you said in that post except for the bold part.
Playing back analog or digital, if your goal is to hear what is on the source, modern SS gear will wipe the floor with it for a small percentage of the cost. If your interested in smoothing the source over with things like harmonic distortion, noise, frequency response variations and more, tubes are fun to play with. Tube swapping is much akin to playing with variations of all those failings to find a combination of distortions that pleases your ear. Not in any way close to a recreation of the source, but fun none the less.

The best sounding Guitar amps are tube type, so if you want the most realistic sound from music is from tubes, at least for rock music. Just my opinion, it is all good if you like your sound.

 

[Sal1950]

The best sounding Guitar amps are tube type, so if you want the most realistic sound from music is from tubes, at least for rock music. Just my opinion, it is all good if you like your sound.

Guitar amps are designed to create music, they all sound radically different and are designed to do so, just as a Strat was designed to sound different than a Tele.
HiFi amps are only supposed to REcreate whats on the recording, (be transparent), not to sound different from one another. When they do introduce a sound of their own they are a poor design for HiFi, and it's very hard to build a tube amp that is close to transparent and doesn't have a sound of it's own. Tubes are fun but they became obsolete for High Fidelity use back around 1965 or 70.

 

[Soundfield]

The truth is of course that valves do not of themselves inherently sound bad any more than transistors of themselves inherently sound good. However, there were, and continue to be, good and bad sounding amplifiers built with both technologies. Lots of vintage valve amps were terrible things, badly designed and poorly built with cheap components. But there were a legion of ghastly sounding and shoddily made solid state amps as well. Neither technology holds any magic. Successful achievement of fidelity is wholly a matter of proper engineering. You can build fantastic sounding, high performance amplifiers with either technology if you design and engineer them properly. Although of course there are fewer people around with the knowledge and capabilities to do so in the thermionic domain these days.