[Honeypot]

I have finally went for a two pairs of inexpensive Tungsram and Amperex bugle boy ecc88.
Didn't break the bank and will see how they behave until I get the envy.

By the way, for anyone to get into tube rolling, hoooly there is a lot to learn out there.
Thanks to everyone who helped.
Specially to @Mau10 for it's patience and meticulously crafted pms and posts. Also thanks @PrismJTN

Will post when they arrive and they burn in a bit to appreciate differences.

Have a good one everybody

 

[Honeypot]

First pair of tubes are here:

Amperex Bugle boy ecc88 used but in great shape.
They have been turned on for 3 hours and work well.
A bit early for impressions but, they are warm, sweet and textured. Voices have good presence. Bass is impactful and deep. Treable is sweet but not losing detail and the holographic scene have improved a lot over stock 6dj8.

 

[Honeypot]

Thinking of provisioning with bugles.

What you think of these:

Amperex matched pair bugle boy 120-130€

Tube 1
Section 1: IP: 15 mA GM 13 mA
Section 2: IP: 14.8 mA GM 13 mA

Tube 2
Section 1: IP: 15 mA GM 13.1 mA
Section 2: IP: 14.7 mA GM 13 mA

Winner!
Amperex matched pair bugle boy 140€

Tube 1
17.0 + 18.0

Tube 2
17.0 + 16.0mA

I know I already got a pair. But I love these. The once I got are on 12.7+-mA were used and half the price. Just want to have newer if it makes sense.


Thanks!

Edit. Got a nice offer for the 2nd pair. So closing the question

 

[bencha]

I have finally went for a two pairs of inexpensive Tungsram and Amperex bugle boy ecc88.
Didn't break the bank and will see how they behave until I get the envy.

By the way, for anyone to get into tube rolling, hoooly there is a lot to learn out there.
Thanks to everyone who helped.
Specially to @Mau10 for it's patience and meticulously crafted pms and posts. Also thanks @PrismJTN

Will post when they arrive and they burn in a bit to appreciate differences.

Have a good one everybody

Looking forward your analysis and compsrisoon between buggle boy and Tunsgram!

 

[Honeypot]

For now just got the bugle. And it's wonderful. As soon as the other arrives will begin the fight

 

[JohanE]

Any recommendations for a pair of "budget" closed backs for the Echo?
Would a pair of Denon AH-D5200 work with it? I remember Focal Elegia worked very well but I have never heard any Denon.

 

[oldmankensey]

I want to say ZMF Bokeh, but they’re currently sold out.

 

[Honeypot]

Let the fight begin:
Amperex Bugle boy, Mullard cv2492 and Tungsram E88CC. The last its a foton 6n6p.
And it's not really a fight. It's more like a challenge for my ear love.
For now just listened the bugle and it's wonderful. The Mullard for no more than 30min. Kids..... When I get some conclusions I'll get back to you!

I want to say ZMF Bokeh, but they’re currently sold out.

I am also in search for a dynamic headphones for the echo. Was thinking of atrium open. But it's a hit on my wallet at the moment and kinda looking forward the envy. I'm looking for something different than the caldera, the LCD-X and the between 1990pro. Will see how it goes

 

[ProLoL]

Let the fight begin:
Amperex Bugle boy, Mullard cv2492 and Tungsram E88CC. The last its a foton 6n6p.
And it's not really a fight. It's more like a challenge for my ear love.
For now just listened the bugle and it's wonderful. The Mullard for no more than 30min. Kids..... When I get some conclusions I'll get back to you!






I am also in search for a dynamic headphones for the echo. Was thinking of atrium open. But it's a hit on my wallet at the moment and kinda looking forward the envy. I'm looking for something different than the caldera, the LCD-X and the between 1990pro. Will see how it goes

Is that a D getter bungle boy?

 

[Honeypot]

Ok, early impressions about these:
I had like 8-10h of listening with each one. So take this with a grain of salt..

Tungsram E88CC: Biggest soundstage, holographic experience of the three.
Sparkly top end, a bit recessed mids, specially noticiable in voices. Deep and extended low end. For the price of these, they offer an exceptional experience.

Amperex bugle boy: These are warmer, low end is deep and voices a bit more forward. The soundstage and holographic experience it's a bit smaller. The top end is sweet but not muffled. They are pure joy.

Mullard cv2492: These are the most lineal across the spectrum from the three. They are still punchy, but mids and highs are very present. They do not lack on any department. In fact, these are the most similar to a SS amp. But with a tad of extra low end.
They are in the same boat with the Amperex in terms of soundstage and holographic experience.
I would say they are the best quality sound. But they are also the most expensive.

For classical, jazz music, I have enjoyed a lot the tungsram. The separation between instruments, the cymbals and the lows from the tom floors made me smile.
For hip hop, trip hop, and electronic music, the Amperex Bugle boy for sure made me feel deep lows and felt it like a glove.
Also, the more creamy top end made it very enjoyable.
For rock, metal and very dynamic music, with tons of instruments, the Mullards seems where they shine. The ability to reproduce every freq of the spectrum with ease, among with the extra punch, makes them particularly good with these genres.

I tried zmf caldera, Audeze LCD-X and beyerdynamic dt1990pro.

They didn't change too much my thoughts.
The 6n6p foton, is an improvement in terms of quality, with stock power tubes, the amp is not so vively.

I'll keep swapping and testing.

 

[Honeypot]

Is that a D getter bungle boy?

O getter.

But some Delta are in the way.. the o getter were in nice condition, nice measuring but used. The deltas are nos with very good measurements..

I will probably stop buying tubes for a while. I don't want to burn more money, but I had to try.

Next are some 12a7 with adapters, so I can use in envy once I make the cash.

 

[JohanE]

I'm very happy with this gem of an amp. Sounds sublime with my Focal Clear OG tonight.

 

[Honeypot]

If the amp surprised you, wait to roll some tubes. The echo goes far beyond it's price tag

 

[Mau10]

I've been spending more time listening to the Echo in the last couple of days, driven by a series of very interesting discussions with my friend @Honeypot. Just for fun, I tried out a couple of playlists using the originally included Voskhods 6n1p tubes. The sound was pretty decent and enjoyable; however, as soon as I plugged back in the Sylvanias 6922, one of my regular drivers for the Echo, it was like lifting a veil between my ears and the music. This resulted in a bigger soundstage, deeper bass, and provided much more detail and separation.

I mention the Sylvanias in this conversation since they serve as a very inexpensive starting point to experience improvements when using better drivers in the Echo. If there are still any Echo users who haven't tried upgrading their drivers, I highly recommend doing so.

 

[JohanE]

So I have been looking through this thread regarding tube upgrades. A lot of different tips and recommendations which make me unsure what to buy. Which would you ultimately recommend me to try?