This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
 |
In the system below, the TJ SE was the tonally most saturated colorful tube but neither as treble extended as the Shuguang Black Treasure and Synergy Hifi nor as dynamically robust and ballsy in the bass as the tall EML and EAT. For typical vocal show-off tracks and Jan Garbarek-style instrumental hymns, the TJ offered the most come-hither intimacy. With LF-endowed ambient stuff, the modern variants had drier firmer bass and better overall articulation where the TJ was strong in bass amplitude but overall bloomier/looser in texture and softer on transients. For someone wanting the Western Electric sound, the Special Edition Full Music is the new king.
|
 |
How about a different amp with 6SN7 instead of C3m drivers and twin rectifiers?
|
|
|
|
|
For lack of a hard engineering term, had Yamamoto's advanced German telephony NOS driver more drive over the 300B? Regardless, it better controlled the romantic aspects of the TJ power triode. In the Woo audio amp below, TJ's own 6SN7 driving its stable-mate power triode drifted the sound towards a compound classic + classic = vintage squared milieu. Continuousness, flow and softness ruled but articulation and grippiness slid farther down the food chain.
|
 |
To confirm this 'math', I first tried the opposing polarity of all Synergy glass. Then I 'cross-coupled' to attempt hybrids - Synergy drivers with TJ outputs, TJ drivers with Synergy outputs.
|
 |
The all-Synergy combo definitely produced a leaner, faster, more energetic and lit-up sound. Deep triode fanciers would call it more transistory. Solid-state lovers would call it more resolved and linear. With my Tango speakers, I thought of it as close enough in the middle. With the Voxativ Ampeggio no longer at hand, this particularly voicing might have been counter productive. That widebander is inherently leaner and microdynamically super responsive. It could have favored a slightly mellower preceding voicing. As always, it's seasoning to taste. Marja & Henk on staff refer to their tube stash as the sonic spice rack for good reason.
|
 |
Mixing TJ with Synergy confirmed a long-standing suspicion. Driver tubes routinely get short shrift for their importance in the play on final sonics. In this experiment, the drivers dominated the character shifts. With both Synergy types of 6SN7 and 300B being more modern than the vintage Full Musics, modern driver + classic power tube made for the more modern sound than the vintage driver + modern power tube. Without wishing to start a new audiophile myth, I'm beginning to think of driver tubes as having their hand firmly on the steering wheel which determines in which direction the power tube runs.
|
 |
From an actual designer's perspective, this was reinforced by email exchanges with Sasa Cokic during my custom Kaivalya project. The Trafomatic engineer reported on the need for balancing the THD interaction between driver and power tubes as being a very critical decision in tube amplifier design. Considering the ECC99, 6N30 and ECC81 as drivers, he eventually ended up with one ECC82 to front four pentode-connected EL84s through an interstage transformer. That's different of course from rolling tubes that per force must remain with the same tube type. Still, it points at a very clutched relationship between the usually far cheaper small-signal tubes which are used as drivers and the far costlier attraction getters of the big shiny output tubes. Those wishing to experiment might want to first focus on their driver tubes. It could go farther and protect their wallets.
|
|
|
If it still hasn't hit home with a vengeance on just how personal all of this is, I next switched to headphones using my two top pairs of
ALO-rewired beyerdynamic T1 and Sennheiser HD800. Lo and behold, I fancied going TJ all the way best. The straight-to-brain connection of headphones eliminates the softening effect of the reflective ambient field during regular speaker listening. Particularly with the already lit-up Sennheisers, the sharpening/quickening action of the moderns wasn't as pleasing as the softer, richer and more opulent way of the TJs. Headphones of course also present far lighter loads and consume milli volts of power compared to loudspeakers. This parks our tubes in the sweet spot of most linear operation. Perhaps this gets us closest to hearing what they can really do when they're divorced from heavy lifting? I suspect so.
|
|
In conclusion, stalwart TJ/Full Music and newcomer Synergy Hifi/Create Audio are two current-production tube brands from China which quite transcend preconceptions of cheap prices, sloppy build and middling performance. These are top options on par with the very best European and US competition. Full Music caters more to vintage fanciers, Synergy Hifi more to a modern 'hi-rez' audience. They're both excellent and welcome additions to current production premium valves. Despite plenty of naysayers, vinyl refuses to die. So apparently do tube amps which some regard as "antiquated non-linear distortion generators". The motto remains, live and let live. With these particular tube specimens, living large is rather more to the point. Very impressive! |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
