Thread: Balanced GG - Running It Single-Ended; Tube Matching?

I'm considering a Balanced Golden Gate.

It appears that the balanced GG has RCA inputs as well as XLR’s - correct?

Another thread talked about removing the front tube pair to run in SE mode. With this configuration, one could audition a tube pair (type), before buying 4. Is this possible? Does it make sense?

If, one ran the GG singled ended, should/could just 2-tubes be used? Or would the SQ be better single ended, with all 4 tubes?

With the Balanced GG, how important is tube matching? Assuming it’s important to use matched DHT’s, should they be matched in quads, or is ok to match pairs, or …?

I seem to recall reading that one balanced Lampi owner, actually used different pairs of tubes from different manufacturers. Is that prudent? If so, talk about tube rolling combinations!

Originally Posted by MusicMan

I'm considering a Balanced Golden Gate.

It appears that the balanced GG has RCA inputs as well as XLR’s - correct?

Another thread talked about removing the front tube pair to run in SE mode. With this configuration, one could audition a tube pair (type), before buying 4. Is this possible? Does it make sense?

If, one ran the GG singled ended, should/could just 2-tubes be used? Or would the SQ be better single ended, with all 4 tubes?

With the Balanced GG, how important is tube matching? Assuming it’s important to use matched DHT’s, should they be matched in quads, or is ok to match pairs, or …?

I seem to recall reading that one balanced Lampi owner, actually used different pairs of tubes from different manufacturers. Is that prudent? If so, talk about tube rolling combinations!

Hi MM, the way to audition is first to buy single ended, tube roll, then upgrade to balanced.

Alternatively, many of us have done tube shootouts, and the ones consistently being favoured for balanced are the special Lampi EML Global Mesh Anniversary 45s (this was anyway a limited stock, and is sold out so that takes the matter out of your hands unless you find them used which I doubt), followed by the KR audio PX4 (PX25 does not work on balanced). 242 from KR Audio is usually the best if the gain matches in your system, and if it does, then it is the way to go.

So suggest when you order your GG you order it with PX4 and KR 242, and sell off one or keep both.

You need a balanced GG only if your system is balanced. You can easily get matched quads from KR audio directly.

You can get RCA outputs as well if required.

Oh yes, sorry Mike, I forgot

Thanks for the welcoming Joeinid, and the advice Bonzo and Mike! I’ve enjoyed and learned a lot from each of your many posts in the Lampi forum!

I failed to mention that I presently own a SE Big 7 with V/C.

However, I'm moving from CAT JL-3 SE monoblocks to Atma-Sphere OTL balanced monoblocks. Ralph Karsten of Atma-Sphere is a proponent of a “true” balanced topography and manufactures all his equipment balanced. So, he doesn’t install RCA’s. One must use shorting pins to run his amps SE which I’m presently doing with an audition pair of MA-1’s. The B7 and OTL’s are making beautiful music, so I can’t imagine what a GG, especially balanced, would sound like!?

I've read everything I could find on this forum and others re. LampizatOr SE vs. Balanced. Because of the cost differences and the inability to roll as many different tubes, I've been struggling with the SE vs. Balanced decision. However, did I just read a post about being able to use 300b’s in a balanced GG? If so, what tubes remain, that can’t be used in a balanced GG?

Ultimately, I will be running the GG direct to the Atma-Sphere MA-1 amps, so regardless of the initial cost and tube replacement cost, a balanced GG would seem to be the way to go.

Previous comments pretty much swayed my decision to go balanced. One post (from Mike I believe) mentioned that balanced removed switching noise and was a great fit SQ wise with Pass amps which, if I recall correctly, are specifically designed to perform their best running balanced.

With that said, I don’t believe my following questions were addressed. I would appreciate it, if someone would chime-in with the answers:

Another thread talked about removing the front tube pair to run in SE mode. With this configuration, one could audition a tube pair (type), before buying 4. Is this possible? Does it make sense?


If, one ran the GG singled ended, should/could just 2-tubes be used? Or would the SQ be better single ended, with all 4 tubes?


With the Balanced GG, how important is tube matching? Is it: 1) necessary; or 2) just recommended? Assuming it’s important to use matched DHT’s, should they be matched in quads, or is ok to just match them in pairs, or …?

Originally Posted by Mike

MusicMan - if your system is all balanced, go with the balanced Lampi. If you have SE options, I would be inclined to go in this direction. I have no issues running my SE Lampi's with balanced preamps (provided they have RCA inputs).

The downside to balanced is you essentially have double to tube cost and rolling becomes not only more limited, but more expensive.

Bonzo - here in the U.S., I handle KR Audio tubes. People can't buy direct.

Mike

I agree with these comments. (I own a balanced Golden Gate.)

With tubes (and especially KR Tubes) buy the seller above all else. I have purchased perhaps a half dozen pairs of KR tubes and found that a few pairs repeatedly failed. The dealer I purchased them from, Tube Depot, fortunately stood by me and replaced them with new pairs until I got pairs that just work as they should. No doubt Mike would do the same.


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With tubes (and especially KR Tubes) buy the seller above all else. I have purchased perhaps a half dozen pairs of KR tubes and found that a few pairs repeatedly failed. The dealer I purchased them from, Tube Depot, fortunately stood by me and replaced them with new pairs until I got pairs that just work as they should. No doubt Mike would do the same.

Wow, a few failed pairs out of a 1/2 dozen pairs!? And I thought it was painful having a pair of Psvane WE Replica fail after less than a few 100’s! Most of the KR's are quite a bit more expensive and for a Balanced GG, we're talking 4 vs 2 tubes.

Regarding the failures, have you noticed a specific KR tube type failing more than another? It sounds like they failed fairly early and under warranty. At least that was good. However, that makes me concerned with buying a couple different types and not use one quad very much? Although the tubes are not being used, they're warranty clock is counting down to zero. Under those circumstances, we could easily own a quad over 12-months, but have only a very few hours on them before their failure and we’re SOL.

My tube experience with power tubes (e.g. SED 6550's, KT88’s and KT120’s) and mini tubes (e.g. 6922, 12AU7’s etc.), both NOS and new, has been superb, nothing like 20% to 40% failures. And I have a preamp and monoblocks that contain 43 tubes!

Thus, either the Lampi is harder on tubes than previously mentioned in other posts (which I find hard to believe) or some of today’s new DHT’s are problematic. If they were ~$50 rather than ~$300+ each, that’s perhaps palatable. But when we’re paying over $1,200 to $1,500 for a quad, 12-months or even 24-months of life expectancy should give us pause.

I’ve seen comments that the full power on/off cycle shortens a tube’s life. That may be, but when seeing a +$1,000 quad burning brightly or worse yet, a WE NOS quad or even a WE NOS rectifier lite up and NOT playing, those instances do affect my sensibilities.

Perhaps, along with posting the SQ of tube types, we Lampi owners should be documenting our new tube MTBF (mean time between failure) rates.

Originally Posted by MusicMan

Wow, a few failed pairs out of a 1/2 dozen pairs!? And I thought it was painful having a pair of Psvane WE Replica fail after less than a few 100’s! Most of the KR's are quite a bit more expensive and for a Balanced GG, we're talking 4 vs 2 tubes.

Regarding the failures, have you noticed a specific KR tube type failing more than another? It sounds like they failed fairly early and under warranty. At least that was good. However, that makes me concerned with buying a couple different types and not use one quad very much? Although the tubes are not being used, they're warranty clock is counting down to zero. Under those circumstances, we could easily own a quad over 12-months, but have only a very few hours on them before their failure and we’re SOL.

My tube experience with power tubes (e.g. SED 6550's, KT88’s and KT120’s) and mini tubes (e.g. 6922, 12AU7’s etc.), both NOS and new, has been superb, nothing like 20% to 40% failures. And I have a preamp and monoblocks that contain 43 tubes!

Thus, either the Lampi is harder on tubes than previously mentioned in other posts (which I find hard to believe) or some of today’s new DHT’s are problematic. If they were ~$50 rather than ~$300+ each, that’s perhaps palatable. But when we’re paying over $1,200 to $1,500 for a quad, 12-months or even 24-months of life expectancy should give us pause.

I’ve seen comments that the full power on/off cycle shortens a tube’s life. That may be, but when seeing a +$1,000 quad burning brightly or worse yet, a WE NOS quad or even a WE NOS rectifier lite up and NOT playing, those instances do affect my sensibilities.

Perhaps, along with posting the SQ of tube types, we Lampi owners should be documenting our new tube MTBF (mean time between failure) rates.

I had 2 quads of KR 300B Balloon fail twice. I'm not sure KR stood by them but the dealer did - thankfully.

These sell for $995/pair or $2K per quad. I have had great experience with the KR 5U4G tube and others. Best wishes...


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