Modwright SWL9.0 SE Tube Rolling

The following has been cut and pasted from another thread:

01-19-06: 1markr
Sure Grant, you asked for tubes that are tonally warmer than the T-Sols, so here they are, imho, of course.

I have the T-Sol 5687s, and they are very good tubes, but they are bit too edgy and SS-like for my tastes, and I always find myself rolling them out.

The GE JAN 7044s have most of the qualities of the T-Sols, with the addition of a truly wonderful midrange, less graininess. These are very cheap (~$20/pr.) and some consider them the poor man's Bendix 6900s.

The Sylvania GB65687s work very well in the Modwright preamp. They are "tubier" sounding than the T-Sols or the 7044s, and have that nice tube bloom, but I wouldn't call them overly euphonic either. Again, midrange on these is warmer and more to my liking than the T-Sols. There may be a slight (and I mean slight) sacrifice at the bass extreme (tubier bass, perhaps) but to me it is worth it.

Hope this helps...ultimately your preferences and system will dictate what sounds best to you, but both tubes above are worth a listen. The nice thing about the 5687 family of tubes is that they are really good sounding tubes, and relatively cheap in the NOS world (well, except for the 6900s).

So, does anyone know if Dan is cool with us using any of the 5687 variants, like 7119, or E182CC? What about the 5687WB or other versions of the 5687?

I have the T-Sol 5687s, and they are very good tubes, but they are bit too edgy and SS-like for my tastes, and I always find myself rolling them out. But I've heard these work very well in other systems, however. Go figure!

The GE JAN 7044s have most of the qualities of the T-Sols, with the addition of a truly wonderful midrange, less graininess. These are very cheap (~$20/pr.) and some consider them the poor man's Bendix 6900s.

The Sylvania GB65687s work very well in the Modwright preamp. They are "tubier" sounding than the T-Sols or the 7044s, and have that nice tube bloom, but I wouldn't call them overly euphonic either. Again, midrange on these is warmer and more to my liking than the T-Sols. There may be a slight (and I mean slight) sacrifice at the bass extreme (tubier bass, perhaps) but to me it is worth it.

Hope this helps...ultimately your preferences and system will dictate what sounds best to you, but both tubes above are worth a listen. The nice thing about the 5687 family of tubes is that they are really good sounding tubes, and relatively cheap in the NOS world (well, except for the 6900s).

I'd be curious if these tube variants give a warmer presentation in Dan's tubed CDP's that also come with the JAN 5687?

There is a list of recommended and non-recommended tubes in the Modwright owner's manual.