ModWright Transporter Tube Rolling Thread.....!

zybar · « **Reply #1300 on:** 23 Dec 2009, 03:26 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 20 Dec 2009, 08:37 pm

Guys:

I know you aren't suppose to make too many changes at one time but I think I have struck upon a magical tube combination in my system. I have the EML Mesh 5U4G Rectifier and the Black Treasures in the Transporter and the Tung-Sol 6SN7 Round Plates in the Mapletree Preamp (along with a new Umbilical Cord made by Chris Hoff). Others have told me that I will know when I get it right and this is definitely the best I have heard my system sound.

System is as follows:

Source: ModWright Transporter
PreAmp: Mapletree 2A-SE
Amps: Odyssey Mono SEs
Speakers: Usher Dancer Mini II's
ICs: JPS - Superconductor 3's
SCs: JPS - Superconductor 3's with JPS Jumpers
PCs: Black Sand Silver MK -V's
Dedicated 20 AMP Circuits with JPS Outlets
Room has a substantial amount of wall treatments.

Sweet!

For months and months I haven't changed my tube combo from the EML + Tung-Sol 6SN7 Round Plates. Maybe one day I will get a chance to hear the Black Treasures.

Happy Holidays.

George

tdangelo · « **Reply #1301 on:** 23 Dec 2009, 03:44 pm »

In case you guys didn't already know - you can get a VIP Gold membership at Grant Fidelity and get 25% off on the Grade A tubes. The membership is $2.99 IIRC and the total shipped cost for the tubes is $260 a pair. I'm gonna order some soon - they are supposed to be in early January.

Tony

Shredder · « **Reply #1302 on:** 23 Dec 2009, 03:57 pm »

Great tip on the VIP card tdangelo. I too plan on ordering some BTs in January and 25% is a pretty nice saving. Thanks and take care.

tdangelo · « **Reply #1303 on:** 23 Dec 2009, 04:00 pm »

btw: the VIP membership offer expires 12/31/09

Philistine · « **Reply #1304 on:** 27 Dec 2009, 05:03 pm »

I've had my Shuguang Black Treasures in just over a month now and here is an update:

Presentation:
After receiving NOS wrapped in old newspaper and bubble wrap it's a nice change to receive tubes in a foam lined presentation box - a good start....

Here are the Treasures with the EML rectifier tube:

The Black Treasures have been compared against a variety of 6SN7's (including the TSRP's), 7N7's and 6F8G's and are significantly better than any other signal tube I've tried. They are more linear across the entire frequency spectrum, more musical, have more detail and a more three dimensional soundstage presentation. If I had a choice between giving up these or the EML, then the EML would go....they are that good!

I plan to do a more detailed comparison with the TSRP 6SN7's later, in the interim these tubes are a definite recommendation in the Transporter.

Audioclyde · « **Reply #1305 on:** 27 Dec 2009, 05:30 pm »

Philistine, I'm really enjoying my Treasure CV-181's also; you're assessment of these tubes reminds me of how I felt about the Treasure 6CA7's----I like them better than almost all the NOS output tubes I've tried. And I will admit that I went into it pretty skeptical and not really happy about paying the Treasure prices for a 'non NOS, Chinese' tube....

Randy

modwright · « **Reply #1306 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 06:14 pm »

I just wanted to add my $0.02! They are an EXCEPTIONAL driver tube and DO measure 100% compatible with the ModWright Transporter.

Thanks!

Dan W.

zybar · « **Reply #1307 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 06:46 pm »

Ok, between the positive posts and Boxing Week discount, I ordered a pair of the Shuguang Black Treasures and will have them in the middle to end of January.

I will be directly comparing them to the Tung-Sol 6SN7 Round Plates.

If the Shuguang Black Treasures turn out to be equal or better, I can simply use the Tung-Sol's in my MA-1's.

George

Bigfish · « **Reply #1308 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 07:25 pm »

Quote

If the Shuguang Black Treasures turn out to be equal or better, I can simply use the Tung-Sol's in my MA-1's.

George:

My Tung-Sol's are residing in my Mapletree Preamp! You will not be disappointed with the Black Treasures.

Ken

AB · « **Reply #1309 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 09:34 pm »

" Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

Bigfish · « **Reply #1310 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 09:58 pm »

Quote from: AB on 28 Dec 2009, 09:34 pm

" Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

I felt the same way when Philistine sent me a PM about the Black Treasures. It was futile for me to try to resist the temptation.

I would like to add that Phil was reserved in posting his initial thoughts about the Treasures. He did not want you guys to go out and buy these tubes until he was darn confident that they are the real deal! As soon as I rolled them into my Transporter it was "oh wow, these tubes are really good." You see, I did not share Phil's reservations about pulling you guys into rolling more high-end tubes and immediately posted my impressions.

Ken

NickS · « **Reply #1311 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 10:34 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 28 Dec 2009, 09:58 pm

Quote from: AB on 28 Dec 2009, 09:34 pm
" Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

I felt the same way when Philistine sent me a PM about the Black Treasures. It was futile for me to try to resist the temptation. I would like to add that Phil was reserved in posting his initial thoughts about the Treasures. He did not want you guys to go out and buy these tubes until he was darn confident that they are the real deal! As soon as I rolled them into my Transporter it was "oh wow, these tubes are really good." You see, I did not share Phil's reservations about pulling you guys into rolling more high-end tubes and immediately posted my impressions.

Ken

It worked... ordered mine today. aa

Thanks Ken and Phil for blazing the trail!

Philistine · « **Reply #1312 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 10:42 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 28 Dec 2009, 09:58 pm

Quote from: AB on 28 Dec 2009, 09:34 pm
" Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

I felt the same way when Philistine sent me a PM about the Black Treasures. It was futile for me to try to resist the temptation. I would like to add that Phil was reserved in posting his initial thoughts about the Treasures. He did not want you guys to go out and buy these tubes until he was darn confident that they are the real deal! As soon as I rolled them into my Transporter it was "oh wow, these tubes are really good." You see, I did not share Phil's reservations about pulling you guys into rolling more high-end tubes and immediately posted my impressions.

Ken

I know what a tough crowd you guys are - no second chance if I got this wrong

My expectations for the Black Treasures was to find a tube that was close to the best of the NOS 6SN7's, to find a new tube that is potentially better is a major bonus.

George over at Tubes USA believes the design, modern metallurgy, glass and vacuum technology all combine to make the EML 5U4G's a winner. It looks like the same ideas can be applied to the Treasures......?

I need to burn in my second KWA and decide on cables, then I can do a more critical AB with the Treasures and TSRP's in order to specifically define the differences.

Have a great tube rolling new year everyone!

Audioclyde · « **Reply #1313 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 11:41 pm »

Heck, I now revisiting some of the gymnastics various of you have long since been thru--I've moved my EML 5u4g mesh to my 300B SET integrated amp, and have just plugged in a metal base Amperex gz34 (I had never gone the gz34 route, having basically went from NOS 5u4gb's in my MW Transporter to the big EML). I swapped the EML to the amp because its much more limited in types of rectifiers I can use, and none of my stash of vintage 5u4g's or gb's sound nearly as good to me in it as the big EML.

So I have Treasure cv-181 & the Amp metal base gz34 in the Transporter, feeding the 300B (with the EML rectifier, Treasure 300B output and 6CA7 drivers, along with NOS Genelex A2900 pre tubes in the integrated) and the sound is really, really nice. Thanks to the great AC'ers that answered my plea for primo rectifier options, today I also received a High Wycombe cv378 that I'm going to roll into the Transporter soon (I'm not confident that the cv378 will work in my integrated, although I have used a Chemler u52/cv1071 in the amp.

iGrant · « **Reply #1314 on:** 29 Dec 2009, 10:30 pm »

Aha, I have found the source of the increase in orders

No matter how big of a run Shuguang does on these, or how many we order, at most we only get about 30 to 40 Grade A pairs per run that can be closely matched on both sections for critical audiophile use, some of which go to boutique manufacturers and into our own amps. The CV181-Z's are typically sold out prior to their arrival at GF. If ordering please let us know you are using them for your Transporter, if you have ordered and didn't mention it please do by email or however you ordered. Then I can send out similar tested to those that went to Dan and Phillip.

Thank you Phil for your efforts on this and thanks to those that had taken the plunge on the Treasures earlier and have reported at AC. Always appreciated and remembered.

Guess who doesn't have a pair!, Rachel always ends up selling mine to complete an order or for some hard luck story. Only once have I heard them with more than 200 hours on them. They sound very good out of the box but quite forward and the midrange is a mixed up, after about 8 hours the midrange clears up a bit, at about 2 points during the first 150 hours, they lose it for a few hours, just sounding a bit weird, as in thin, between 100 and 150 hours the bass kicks in, kind of like where did that octave come from. After 150 hours they become stable and are about at 98% of the sound you will hear from them, again I have only heard them at 200 hours, but the audiophiles in China that did the initial development testing all agreed 300 hours. We don't know how long they will last in service, certain materials that made NOS last so long just aren't allowed to be used anymore, but we have zero reports of failures on them since we got our AT-1000 and could sort out the grading and reject the 'too far from spec' ones. We expect more than 5,000 hours, time will tell.

Thanks,
Ian

Audioclyde · « **Reply #1315 on:** 2 Jan 2010, 04:28 pm »

Arrgh

!!! Fumble fingers me; my EML 5U4G mesh took a short tumble and now refuses to light up!!!

George told me a couple of weeks ago that it would be a while before he has more in stock, so now I don't have the EML big boy for the Transporter or amp for a while!!!

Lesson learned--leave well enough alone!!!! I was very happy with the sound with the EML in the amp and either the metal base gz34 or High Wycombe in the Transporter..... had to move all the equipment around a check pins, etc.....and fumbled the EML!!!

Bigfish · « **Reply #1316 on:** 2 Jan 2010, 05:59 pm »

Quote

Arrgh !!! Fumble fingers me; my EML 5U4G mesh took a short tumble and now refuses to light up!!!

I really feel for you! Good luck on getting a replacement soon!

Ken

Audioclyde · « **Reply #1317 on:** 2 Jan 2010, 11:13 pm »

Thanks Ken! Fortunately I have 2 great options for the MW, and a few alternatives for the amp (just none of them as special as the EML)!

Randy

granosalis · « **Reply #1318 on:** 3 Jan 2010, 08:36 am »

Dear All,
I don't have the transporter (yet) but I have LS/PS combo. I friend of mine told me that JJ Tesla GZ34 Cryo are as good as Mullard. Nobody try the JJ?

Regards,
Giuseppe

dminches · « **Reply #1319 on:** 3 Jan 2010, 07:49 pm »

Nooby tube question. The MW transporter uses 2 tubes from the 6cG7/6FQ7/6BG7/6BQ7/6N1P/6h30 family. How does one know that the Shuguang Treasure Black Bottle CV-181Z is compatible? In general, how does one know which tubes will work with each component? There seem to be so many variations of tubes, like for 5AR4 rectifiers.