[Oz_Audio]

Hi all.  Once again I have been absent from these pages for a number of months.  Work, fishing, kids basketbell etc has taken all my time.

Anyway, earlier this year, Hugh told me about Siemens Gold Pin 7308 valves for the GK1.  He suggested they are the best valve for the GK1 but they are a rare as Rocking Horse Droppings!

At the time I searched the internet for the valves, but none to be found.  Everyone had them in their listings, but none available.

After months of looking, I finally came accros a pair in Canada.  After a number of emails and parting with a small fortune they have arrived.

After 1 day in the GK1 I am very impressed, money well spent.

All aspects of the GK1 are the same, same tone, timbre etc.  What has improved is focas, clarity, depth and the human voice.  Singers come into perfect focas and are literally in the room with the band around them.  Even when watching digital TV, everyone is in the room with a wide and deep sound stage.

Now back to listening nirvana!!!

[Lost81]

There is a pair on Audiogon for US$200.


-Lost81

[Luigi]

Hi Oz_Audio

I too have tried tube rolling with my GK-1 and have had impressive results with Telefunken and Mullards but these don't cost the earth. Hard to tell whether improvements are as marked as yours, but I get the impression that the gains you get with tube rolling are nice little upgrades rather than "stop the presses" stuff.

In my experience, these improvements are minor compared with getting rid of the original Cermet pot and replacing it with a DACT stepped attenuator. Now that's what I call a monumental upgrade. Like the lifting (as opposed to the dance) of seven veils.

Luigi

[DSK]

FWIW I did both about a year ago ...added a TKD stepped attenuator (with mods) and Siemens 7308 gold pin NOS tubes.

I found similar improvements from the 7308's as those listed by Oz_Audio. However, one aspect that actually stunned me was that the soundstage became dramatically wider. Some slight congestion around the speakers was gone and the soundstaging and imaging became completely natural and even. It was most unexpected. The music also became more open and naturally rounded and flowed more easily.

The improvements from the modded TKD were different in nature but similar in scale. Greater transparency, dynamics, clarity, smoothness, resolution.

Both mods were relatively expensive, but both were very worthwhile IMHO.