Hot tip for Tube rolling in the Candela

golfugh · « **Reply #120 on:** 7 Dec 2008, 06:38 am »

I have tried a few tubes over the last year,

JJ's
Amperex Bugle Boys
Telefunken
CBS Hytrons
RCA Black Plates
La Radiotechniques

The best performers so far are the Amperex followed by the Telefunken.
Mark

bunky · « **Reply #121 on:** 7 Dec 2008, 02:38 pm »

The Amperex ECC186/7316 D-getter PQs are my favorite 12AU7 varient .I prefered them in the Candela and i have heard them in other 12AU7 preamp circuits and to my ears they are #1

adamaley · « **Reply #122 on:** 9 May 2009, 02:02 pm »

Guys, Bunky, what are your current preferred sources for the CBS Hytrons and Amperex bugle boys? I have the Candela with the RCA cleartops and love the sound. I have a feeling they are are about to expire pretty soon and would like to have a new and improved replacement before their demise. Kindly advise, people.

Thanks in advance,
Etor

golfugh · « **Reply #123 on:** 9 May 2009, 04:48 pm »

I've used several but my favorite is Andy at Vintage Tube Services.

http://vintagetubeservices.com/

anodyne · « **Reply #124 on:** 22 May 2009, 07:23 pm »

Has anyone used Herbie's vacuum tube dampers on the Candela? Also has anyone compared the UltraSonic RX vs the UltraSonic?

Thanks in advance...

adamaley · « **Reply #125 on:** 7 Jun 2009, 08:22 pm »

Can't answer that question anodyne. Just popping in to say that I have had some 1956 JHY CBS Hytrons 5814 WA s in my system for the past week and it is a significant improvement over the RCA Cleartops. I finally understand the hype about the Candela.

martinr · « **Reply #126 on:** 11 Jun 2009, 01:46 am »

I've had the CBS Hytrons in now for over a year and they are great...I would like to try the The Amperex ECC186/7316 D-getter, but they are expensive- around $150 ea. I believe! .... May be my next upgrade in the future.

Love the Candela, stratos monos combo!

- Martin

martinr · « **Reply #127 on:** 25 Jun 2009, 02:45 pm »

Takin the plunge!

Gonna see what these sound like compared to the Hytrons -
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accstube&1249356650&/Amperex-Pq-7316-ecc186-12au7/e

aa

martinr · « **Reply #128 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 09:37 pm »

The 1961 Amperex ECC186/7316 made in Holland with the D getters sound excellent. I think it was well worth the $$ to get this leap in sound quality. I am always amazed at the system, especially the Lorelies each time I upgrade..the tubes are holographic, nice overall tube feel to the music, extended bass, sweet highs and mids...if I crank it it sounds fantastic, band is in the room....I put on Little Feat Waiting for Columbus re-mastered, Rock and Roll Doctor the other night and by god if I didn't find myself dancing in the middle of the floor!

aa aa

- Martin

adamaley · « **Reply #129 on:** 21 Jul 2009, 07:29 am »

That sounds great. Nice to know there is still more improvement to be eked out of the Candela with even better tubes.

aaron.luebke · « **Reply #130 on:** 2 Oct 2009, 05:47 pm »

Quote from: martinr on 25 Jun 2009, 02:45 pm

Takin the plunge!

Gonna see what these sound like compared to the Hytrons -
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accstube&1249356650&/Amperex-Pq-7316-ecc186-12au7/e

aa

After having both of these for awhile now would you say the 7316's are better than the Hytrons?? Really worth the extra $$?

Thanks!
Aaron

hpc · « **Reply #131 on:** 2 Oct 2009, 09:05 pm »

Quote from: golfugh on 9 May 2009, 04:48 pm

I've used several but my favorite is Andy at Vintage Tube Services.

http://vintagetubeservices.com/

Agreed! Andy is the man when it comes to Tubes! His prices are slightly
higher, but his tubes continue to rock without incident - after years!

martinr · « **Reply #132 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 04:20 pm »

Quote from: aaron.luebke on 2 Oct 2009, 05:47 pm

Quote from: martinr on 25 Jun 2009, 02:45 pm
Takin the plunge!

Gonna see what these sound like compared to the Hytrons -
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accstube&1249356650&/Amperex-Pq-7316-ecc186-12au7/e

aa

After having both of these for awhile now would you say the 7316's are better than the Hytrons?? Really worth the extra $$?

Thanks!
Aaron

Aaron -
Yes the tubes were well worth the $$ IMO. I wanted to get the most out of the Candela and I believe the tube upgrade was well worth it. As I understand it some people prefer RCA clear tops. (I tried a fairly inexpensive pair early a few years ago) but for me these Amperex bring out the best of the pre-amp. The most noticeable changes are more detail and a deeper soundstage with these tubes compared to the Hytrons.

- Martin

- Martin

Christof · « **Reply #133 on:** 7 Oct 2009, 12:02 am »

Anyone have a pair of Clear tops or Hytrons they would like to sell? My Candela still has stock tubes after 2yrs.

martinr · « **Reply #134 on:** 7 Oct 2009, 01:18 am »

Quote from: Christof on 7 Oct 2009, 12:02 am

Anyone have a pair of Clear tops or Hytrons they would like to sell? My Candela still has stock tubes after 2yrs.

PM sent

limniscate · « **Reply #135 on:** 3 Jun 2015, 05:29 am »

I just ordered this pair of RCA Clear Tops:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/391045950608

AlTran · « **Reply #136 on:** 3 Jun 2015, 11:36 pm »

I've tried several pairs of vintages including CV4003, RCA Clear top, CBS 5814WA, JJ, Gold Lion reissue, Amperex PQ 7316 small O getter, & PSVANE MK II. Amongst all of those, Amperex has the best midrange with Odyssey Kismet monoblocks & great result with Psvane as well. The Psvane is better when mate with my Cary monoblocks. The Psvane is punchy, fast, details (I mean very clean clean micro details, more movements on the midrange as well). I know & I know, psvane is MIC.

limniscate · « **Reply #137 on:** 11 Jul 2015, 09:07 pm »

I just got the Psvane 12AU7 T-Mark II as suggested by AlTran... wow! These are much better than my RCA Cleartops. They're very quiet. It's as if the noise floor dropped by ~15-20db. The top-end is very black. I haven't even broken them in yet and am excited to see how they improve.

brad1138 · « **Reply #138 on:** 30 Sep 2021, 07:37 pm »

Reviving a very old thread. There is not a lot on tube rolling the Candela online, but this is by far the biggest thread on it, even if it hasn't been posted to in 6 years.

Is the Candela still made the same as it was 15 years ago? Just want to make sure all these replies are still relevant.

I think I asked Klaus about it, and he said don't, or that he wouldn't. That said, I would like to try it. I don't want to break the bank, looking for under $100 each, maybe a bit more. Any recommendations would be great. I am now going to read back through all the posts...

Also, The tube noise with my stock tubes isn't bad, just barley audible from the listening position. Is that common/normal with stock tubes in the Candela?

Chewbacca · « **Reply #139 on:** 30 Sep 2021, 08:03 pm »

Hey Brad,

I owned a Candela for about 5 or so years in my system, and rolled quite a few tubes over the years. I wrote this quick review to the new owner on some of the tubes I've had in the preamp:

Tubes are extremely subjective. A lot of it comes down to opinion, the quality of the tube gotten, your personal system and if it’s already warm, cold, bass heavy, etc. You can really balance out your system based on the tube you pick. What I’ve tried:

RCA Cleartop: great highs, and high end shimmer. I found them a little low and miss bass light. Didn’t have the punch I wanted. Just sounded unengaging to me. BORING.

Brimar: these are very similar to Mullards, except generally less expensive. Classic British tube! Great mids! Really punch where the cleartops don’t. But I think they’re missing the sub-sonic bass region. Top end is there, but they don’t extend as far as the RCAs. Perfect for rock music!

Amperex: My favorite tubes. They are very good all around. Probably the best for imaging. They have very good bass. May be lacking in mid details possibly? Very good for electronic music! I have a pair of 1960 USA Amperex's in my Dodd currently, with no plans to change.

CBS Hytrons: these guys are amazing! I had three pairs. BUT, I never had any that were in good condition. These are basically extinct, and if you can find a pair, I’d HIGHLY suggest it!

Telefunken: the most expensive tubes I had (in the Candela). Definitely one of the best. Possibly the most balanced of all the tubes. If they excel in anything I’d say micro detail, and a really balanced feel to them. They just do everything very well.

Maybe that's a little bit of a start for you! Again... YMMV, and my opinion may be the exact opposite of the next persons!

Also - I have no clue if they've changed the Candela over the years. If so, I believe it would be very minor updates. BUT I can nearly guarantee that the sound signature is almost identical.

Klaus said he doesn't suggest rolling tubes??... that doesn't sound like him

Yes, personally I always experience a little bit of tubes noise. I know some of it comes from the two radio stations close by... ones literally across the street from me, and ones a couple blocks away... Never would have thought to look for that when buying a house

Sucks when playing guitar too.. sometimes I can literally jam along to the radio through my amp..