[Drew769]

Hello fellow SWL 9.0 anniversary edition preamplifier owners!

I have been enjoying my preamplifier straight as it came out of the box, and it really sounds wonderful as delivered. I would like to have a back up set of tubes, however, and so I have been researching tubes that fit this amplifier.  The tube is the 5687/7119/7044/6900 family of tube.

 From everything I’ve read, it sounds like the Bendix 6900 tube is the holy Grail, however it is next to impossible to find them and they are also quite expensive.   In the 5687 variety, there are new old stock Tung-Sols, as well as a variety of other brands available.

 I have read some threads on two rolling for the predecessor version of this amplifier which included a tube rectifier, but I believe the sound of this amplifier without the tube rectifier is probably very different, and therefore needed a new tube rolling thread.    Anyone do any tube rolling on this model yet?   Anyone have any success with any new production tubes for this model?

[Yomaha]

HI Drew,

I recently got an SWL 9.0 AE and I got the tube rectifier upgrade.  I've really enjoyed it so far.  I put my metal base Mullard GZ34 in along with these Phillips 7119's I got from Upscale Audio.  I've had good luck with tubes from them.  I haven't really rolled other tubes thru there yet so I don't have much to compare to, but the current sound is smooth and open, with plenty of detail.  I've noticed new cymbal accents in songs that I've heard for 20 years.  IDK how much of that I can attribute to the 7199's or rather the 9.0 in general. 

I've been watching the Bendix as well, but can't bring myself to spend the money.  What have you rolled thru yours?

https://www.upscaleaudio.com/collections/vacuum-tubes/products/philips-holland-e182cc

[Drew769]

I haven’t rolled anything beyond stock in the SWL.  I was thinking about contacting Upscale Audio to get some ideas.  I’m looking for perhaps a little more bloom to the sound.  Mullard’s are usually the ticket.  The Bendix solution sounds like the greatest tube that no one has ever heard!  😂

[Yomaha]

Drew769,

Good idea to ask Upscale.  They have always been helpful and had quality stuff.  Andy at http://vintagetubeservices.com/ is also a good resource.  Another great resource is the tube-o-phile section of this message board.  I typically got more feedback there than in the Modwright specific circles. 

Happy hunting!

[Vedder323]

Keep us updated! I just finished my review of the preamp and love it. I am a big fan of tube rolling so ill be curious where this goes...

Thanks!

Ron
New Record Day

[Drew769]

Hey Ron!  Nice review on the SWL 9.0 Anniversary and the PH 9.0 phono.  I think you nailed it!

So as an update on the tube rolling, i spoke with a tube guru that a friend of mine highly recommended - Andy from Vintage Tube Services in Michigan.  He said that there was lots of room for improvement from the stock Jan Phillips 5687s.  His recomendation was to try a set of 1950’s vintage NOS Tung Sol D-Getters.  He had some of them branded Tung Sol, and some rebranded (same exact tubes) as Raytheons for $10 less a tube.  Two 1950’s “Raytheon” Tung-Sols, fully tested and rated at his top grade for MC Phono preamps, were $102 shipped.  (These tubes are a lot less than the 12AX7/12AU7 family!)  They arrived today, I installed them, and I’m breaking them in as I type this.  I’ll give them a listen for a while before trying to develop any opinions.  I can say that, right out of the box, they seem better than the stock tubes.  They are quiet, and seem to give a bit more shape and texture.  So far, so good!