[betula]

MJ3 and Caldera is a match made in heaven. It’s extremely snappy and visceral you wont be disappointed.

Do you have any tube recs for HA-3A for a warmer sound?

If you browse/search the thread, there are tons of recommendations. For example Mullard and Brimar are good tubes on the warmer side. There are other members in this thread with far more tube rolling experience than what I have. You might find this post useful.

 

[mrdbristol]

So I switched the stock 12au7 to brimar cv4003 and 6v6 to mullard holland tubes today but now I'm getting noise on my left driver. Which of side on the amp would the noisy tubes be on? (is the the left 2 with the VU meters facing me?) and any suggestions on how I would go cleaning the tube pins? Also I turned the amp on and off twice now and am sort of debating whether to keep turning it on and off again to test for tube noise.

Left as you face the amp is your left driver, so the left tubes ( 12au7 and 6v6 )=left ear.

Its not uncommon to have noisey tubes sadly, its the nature of using vintage tubes. You can try re-fitting them, it sometimes works, but a noisey tube is not going to fix itself.

Cleaning the pins with Isopropyl alcohol wont do any harm, abd certainly worth trying but i doubt very much it will remove the noise from the tube.

 

[aravaioli]

I owned an HA3A in the past, foolishly sold to the poster above . I thought it sounded brighter than my Audio GD R28 (9W capable solid state amplifier and R2R DAC) I have and actually I still do as my second unit isn't different. Nevertheless it is a very thrilling, exciting and wide presentation with exceptional mids. For a gooey tubey sound to tame your brightest cans, look elsewhere.

I am using stock rectifier valve, Reflektor 6V6GT power tubes and experimenting with driver tubes. I got today the highly praised E80CC 6085 (Tungsram) and was personally very disappointed. These make it sound possibly more detailed, but also far brighter and harsher. My R28 becomes a relaxed listening in comparison. I can see why some may like these tubes but for me they defeat my purpose for acquiring a tube amplifier. It reminded me a Flux Labs FA10 I bought in the past, which was a truly relentless listening.

Back to the Sylvania JAN 6189W, the warmest (and noisiest) in my collection of few 12AU7 valves.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

I owned an HA3A in the past, foolishly sold to the poster above . I thought it sounded brighter than my Audio GD R28 (9W capable solid state amplifier and R2R DAC) I have and actually I still do as my second unit isn't different. Nevertheless it is a very thrilling, exciting and wide presentation with exceptional mids. For a gooey tubey sound to tame your brightest cans, look elsewhere.

I am using stock rectifier valve, Reflektor 6V6GT power tubes and experimenting with driver tubes. I got today the highly praised E80CC 6085 (Tungsram) and was personally very disappointed. These make it sound possibly more detailed, but also far brighter and harsher. My R28 becomes a relaxed listening in comparison. I can see why some may like these tubes but for me they defeat my purpose for acquiring a tube amplifier. It reminded me a Flux Labs FA10 I bought in the past, which was a truly relentless listening.

Back to the Sylvania JAN 6189W, the warmest (and noisiest) in my collection of few 12AU7 valves.

If you like the Sylvania 6189 I would recommend you try the Sylavania 5814A also.

I'm also running the Reflektor 6V6GT but with the Telefunken ECC82. For me the Telefunken offers the most detail in the sound which translates to also a more natural presentation and better, cleaner instrumental timbre. Going back to the Sylvania you can hear that warmer but more coloured sound when it comes to instruments which aren't as natural.

 

[aravaioli]

If you like the Sylvania 6189 I would recommend you try the Sylavania 5814A also.

I'm also running the Reflektor 6V6GT but with the Telefunken ECC82. For me the Telefunken offers the most detail in the sound which translates to also a more natural presentation and better, cleaner instrumental timbre. Going back to the Sylvania you can hear that warmer but more coloured sound when it comes to instruments which aren't as natural.

Thanks for the advice.
I do have a pair of SYLVANIA 5814A Triple Mica grey plates and they are very good, possibly with a larger soundstage an less coloured than the 6189: unfortunately that is not what I was looking for with this amplifier. And it could be my fault, as this amplifier is probably not designed to sound warm coloured. I also have a pair of Mullard ECC82 and also those take a step back vs the 6189 when a warm sound is the objective at the expense of ultimate detail (I have the R28 for that). I think I am done with experimenting with driver tubes.
By the way, I just noticed that the E80CC match better with the stock JJ 6V6S and that combination is very acceptable to me. I will need to compare it more to the alternative Reflektors + Sylvanias 6189.

 

[betula]

Thanks for the advice.
I do have a pair of SYLVANIA 5814A Triple Mica grey plates and they are very good, possibly with a larger soundstage an less coloured than the 6189: unfortunately that is not what I was looking for with this amplifier. And it could be my fault, as this amplifier is probably not designed to sound warm coloured. I also have a pair of Mullard ECC82 and also those take a step back vs the 6189 when a warm sound is the objective at the expense of ultimate detail (I have the R28 for that). I think I am done with experimenting with driver tubes.
By the way, I just noticed that the E80CC match better with the stock JJ 6V6S.

I think the 3A can sound pretty warm and smooth, but of course it depends on what we compare it to. IMO power tubes can give more warmth than driver tubes if you want to experiment further, but to me it seems you are after the really thick and really warm sound of OTL tube amps. Transformer coupled tube amps (OTC) like the 3A are more versatile as you can use low impedance planar headphones with them, but they tend to sound a bit more neutral compared to OTL amps. If you want real warmth, you will need an OTL tube amp, but your headphone options will slightly be limited to high impedance dynamic cans.
It is personal choice and taste, but I love planar headphones, so if I want tubes, I need to stick with OTC amps. For me they offer plenty of warmth while still sounding clear and they certainly have the smooth and natural sound only tubes can provide. Good luck on your journey!

 

[fullbass]

probably not designed to sound warm coloured

It sounds like you don't want a warm sound, but a dark sound, or very dark. brightness is not related to warmth, it's related to darkness

 

[aravaioli]

I think the 3A can sound pretty warm and smooth, but of course it depends on what we compare it to. IMO power tubes can give more warmth than driver tubes if you want to experiment further, but to me it seems you are after the really thick and really warm sound of OTL tube amps. Transformer coupled tube amps (OTC) like the 3A are more versatile as you can use low impedance planar headphones with them, but they tend to sound a bit more neutral compared to OTL amps. If you want real warmth, you will need an OTL tube amp, but your headphone options will slightly be limited to high impedance dynamic cans.
It is personal choice and taste, but I love planar headphones, so if I want tubes, I need to stick with OTC amps. For me they offer plenty of warmth while still sounding clear and they certainly have the smooth and natural sound only tubes can provide. Good luck on your journey!

Agreed on all you said in regard to OTC and OTLs.

Since I have a very clear preference for planar headphones, OTL amplifiers (which I have owned, although in a far lower price tier) are too limited in usage for me, basically ZMF Auteur HD650 and DT1990.

It is indeed a close call when it comes to OTCs and some solid state amplifiers and sometimes I perceive little or no difference in the sound of my HA-3A and my AudioGD R28, exactly why I sold the previous unit. I dare to say the Aune S17 Pro sounds warmer and smoother than the HA3A in most tube configurations fed by the same DAC.

But, yes, there is some "liveliness" in the sound delivery of the HA-3A that I could not remove from my mind and pushed me to reacquire it.
That liveliness must be managed though, as it gets easily into fatiguing territory.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Agreed on all you said in regard to OTC and OTLs.

Since I have a very clear preference for planar headphones, OTL amplifiers (which I have owned, although in a far lower price tier) are too limited in usage for me, basically ZMF Auteur HD650 and DT1990.

It is indeed a close call when it comes to OTCs and some solid state amplifiers and sometimes I perceive little or no difference in the sound of my HA-3A and my AudioGD R28, exactly why I sold the previous unit. I dare to say the Aune S17 Pro sounds warmer and smoother than the HA3A in most tube configurations fed by the same DAC.

But, yes, there is some "liveliness" in the sound delivery of the HA-3A that I could not remove from my mind and pushed me to reacquire it.
That liveliness must be managed though, as it gets easily into fatiguing territory.

Is there any perceivable differences in terms of speed between the HA-3A & Aune S17 Pro? I would assume the Aune S17 Pro has the advantage in that department.

 

[aravaioli]

Is there any perceivable differences in terms of speed between the HA-3A & Aune S17 Pro? I would assume the Aune S17 Pro has the advantage in that department.

It is hard for me to say as I listen slow acoustic music. In general the concept of "speed" in an amplifier is something I don't get. What I can say is that the HA-3A sounds more lively to me.

 

[Hickory Deadglove]

I get my new HA-3A yesterday. I plugged the amp into the AC outlet via shielded cable and flux-50 knock-off. Plug my idsdpro DAC via balanced cables with the volume control active and set halfway. My ZMF VC plugged via XLR and impedence set to Low. With everything active, the amp is dead silent until about 2:30. My confort zone is around 10:00 and can be fine tuned via the DAC volume control. I do not have the chance to check other connections yet (RCA 4,4). A very good first evening with my new amp
I ordered a few NOS tubes and i hope to received them next week for the real fun to begin

 

[Amarquis]

Hi ! I bought the H3A from a fellow who got it new. He estimates to 80 hours his use of the amp. It came with the original tubes plus two sets of extra tubes, both 12au7 and 6v6. I don't know how many hours he spent with the extra tubes. The 25 ax...rectifier is the same RCA original one. All extra tubes were bought new. So basically, the whole package isn't burned in yet.

I'm fairly experienced with tube preamps. So I have some knowledge how long could last preamp tubes. But I'm totally ignorant in regards with the power tubes durability. NOS preamp tubes can last 5k to 10k hours. Especially the military ones. I know power tubes will last way less. What are your experiences in this matter ?

Regards !

 

[Revolution1]

NOS preamp tubes can last 5k to 10k hours. Especially the military ones. I know power tubes will last way less.

Rectifier Tubes may even last longer, last link.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cay...dphone-amplifier.918779/page-56#post-16555883

 

[borkenarrou]

Any comparison of the Woo Audio WA6-SE (2nd gen) with HA-3A ? they are both OTC and about smilar price range, but I don't see much comparsion of these two.

 

[DrDen]

Did anyone try Psvane Art series 12au7? Two hours after installing they sound pretty well balanced and spacious with Reflektor 6v6.