[SteveFord]

I encountered a strange one last night:
I'm trying to tailor the sound of the LRS system which is using a deHavilland Ultraverve 3 preamp SO decided to stick in an older Sylvania clear top 6SN7 tube from the secret stash.
This is not a new tube but for the first hour or so it had that annoying new tube sound to it.  What the hell?
I guess from decades of sitting in a box it just lost whatever it is that gives it that broken in tube sound.

Has anyone else encountered this?

[Tyson]

I encountered a strange one last night:
I'm trying to tailor the sound of the LRS system which is using a deHavilland Ultraverve 3 preamp SO decided to stick in an older Sylvania clear top 6SN7 tube from the secret stash.
This is not a new tube but for the first hour or so it had that annoying new tube sound to it.  What the hell?
I guess from decades of sitting in a box it just lost whatever it is that gives it that broken in tube sound.

Has anyone else encountered this?

Oh yeah.  Sometimes it lasts up to 20 hours for me. 

[FullRangeMan]

It would be useful to ask the seller if he had activated the getter of this tube for your peace of mind, since this tube may have years on the shelve.

[SteveFord]

I've had these tubes in boxes for at least a decade, there's boxes of them all over the place.
Who knows where they came from at this point.

It still sounds a little "off" but not as bad as last night.

[JakeJ]

Patience, young tube paduan.  If a tube has been sitting unused it like many things in audio must be broken in again.  Usually happens faster than a brand new tube.  I'd give it some time.

[SteveFord]

Nertz to that tube.
Found exactly what I like in that preamp (deHavilland UltraVerve 3):



Same tube, just two different photos.

[carusoracer]

Very nice cream of the crop and ultra rare tube. The label looks to be in NOS condition!

I have rolled close 30 different tubes in my UltraVerve. It never ceases to amaze me.  I have not had the pleasure of hearing that beauty. 

Have you tried rolling rectifiers?  I found a substantial gain and then an even more lively 6SN7 experience. 

What’s under the hood that’s special of the UltraVerve 3?

[SteveFord]

I've tried different rectifier tubes and have had best results with CBS/Hytron and Sylvania.
There's a Sylvania rectifier tube in there right now.

The only thing different is .047 Mundorf coupling caps.
They roll it off .2 db at 100 hz, 1 db at 50 hz and 2 db and 30 hz.
Small room so it's really easy to get way too much bass in there so I'll probably go to lower values.

I've been trying to integrate a sub in there, I may have to give up on that idea altogether!

[FullRangeMan]

Very nice cream of the crop and ultra rare tube. The label looks to be in NOS condition!

I have rolled close 30 different tubes in my UltraVerve. It never ceases to amaze me.  I have not had the pleasure of hearing that beauty. 

Have you tried rolling rectifiers?  I found a substantial gain and then an even more lively 6SN7 experience. 

What’s under the hood that’s special of the UltraVerve 3?

After all these rolling what are your favorite 6SN7 and rectifiers ?

[SteveFord]

I just recently learned that deHavilland is no more.
That's a shame, they made some great stuff.
The closure wasn't due to lack of business, it was a personal decision on the part of the owner.
Maybe they'll reopen at some point down the road.

[Scott_W]

Bummer about deHavilland, great gear.

[JakeJ]

I happen to be acquainted with Kara Chaffee.  She has retired.

[SteveFord]

I've been trying to lure her back in.
I remember a member here (Emil ?) buying a deHavilland Mercury and his comment that it was a step up from the UltraVerve3 he had.
I like the conrad-johnson preamps well enough but really like the deHavilland sound.

[Photon46]

That Sylvania tube is about my favorite one to use in my Dehavilland UltraVerve. It helps address the high frequency reproduction reticence that is about the only notable negative I hear from the UltraVerve. As an aside, I'd generally found the UltraVerve to be less revealing of power cable differences than most the other components I own. However, I recently tried the Tellurium Q Black and was surprised to find it opened up high frequency reproduction (without any additional "glare") to about the same degree that the WGTA Sylvania does.