WTB EML or KR Audio tubes

I bought my Taka 300B and 274B one year back. It was slow at that time. It seemed that Taka is under limited production. And pricejapan bought from their distributor at Japan first (that distributor won't accept paypal though). That is probably why the delay.

Anyhow, I use Psvane 101D replica and Brimar 5z4gy for background music. And for serious listening, I use Taka 274B. I have yet to find another output tube pair that could compare to Elrog but then again my two Elrog pairs (early production) failed. I am using 10Y(VT-25) now. Still miss Elrog very much.
 
KR px4, px25, 242, 5u4g Elrog 300 b, KR 274b, EML mesh 5u4g,

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Bonzo is that your system or was it a Lampi shootout at the Bonzo corral? Would love to hear your impressions on those Lampizator amps, are they the GM70?
 
Narayan said:
Bonzo is that your system or was it a Lampi shootout at the Bonzo corral? Would love to hear your impressions on those Lampizator amps, are they the GM70?
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Hi not my system, but my Lampi is in there. The speakers are hoRNS fp15. If you want to read more about the hORNS, read associated links on this thread My hORNS Universum review

These hORNS fp15 are like Audio Note AN-E speakers, but much better IMO.

I am no expert on the Lampi amps, yes the are GM70. I first heard them at the UK distro, and compared them to some 14w amps on his DIY horns, the Lampis were better. Then we compared them to 35k Ming Da amps on the hORNs Universum, where the Lampi amps sounded a bit laid back for that system, but I understand that can be changed by using different tubes. On this system, they were excellent. This is a very good system for smaller rooms, the music just flows.

I understand the 211 amps are really something, but I haven't heard them yet.
 
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All, I would say the following.

When Rob picked me up at the station, on the way back he mentioned that he had preferred the px4 to the px25. I was skeptical because wasn't px25 supposed to be just like the px4 on steroids?

But no, they are indeed quite different. We started with the px25 and the EML mesh 5u4g recti. I did not think that was dynamic enough, so changed the recti to KR 5u4g. Yet the system did not take off. We then added the Elrog 300b. Immediately, their was a big jump in tone. There was a sparkle around the Oboe, the chorals were projecting out more and decaying better, and the sound was embracing us. As later on we switched rectis, we found that the Solid plate of the 5u4g made it more dynamic, but the mesh plate of the EML 5u4g gave it more air. The air supplemented the air of Elrogs and made them sound better on the vocals. The Elrogs lost nothing on dynamics.

From Elrogs, we moved to the px4. Surprisingly the px4 sounded nothing like the px25. The tone on px4 for excellent. In fact, on the Bach Cello recording from Mike Valentine's Chasing the Dragon CD, the px4 just shot over all the others. It was incredible how much details and variations on the cello were being heard, and how realistic it sounded. It was also the best tube on rock. The later Robert Plant's husky voice from the NO Quarter album (a collaboration between Page and Plant in the 90s), showed that Px4 were doing the huskiness, full bodiness, and the details of the hurdy gurdy and the drums better than all other valves.

Px4 to me sounded best with KR 5u4g, but others preferred it with the EML mesh 5u4g. This is quite a preference thing. I think Elrog should be part of every arsenal if one can afford it, to add the sparkle on some classical pieces, it makes some instruments like oboe, violin, and flute, stand out, but I don't see Elrog as a stock valve. I think, and this seemed unanimous, that px4 was the best valve, apart from being an all rounder.

The 242s did not stand out on the GG like they had done on the Big 7 and at Bill's so I think it is more of a gain play. We will repeat this at Bill's. Funnily enough, at Bill's the KR 5u4g was a better match for 242s than the 274b, here it was the opposite.

The KR 45s, which I did not like at Bill's sounded great in this system.
 
Hi Ked,

what does the rest of the system consists of?

I think at this point it's important to consider system synergy as you've done this comparison with horn speakers.
 
bonzo said:
All, I would say the following.

When Rob picked me up at the station, on the way back he mentioned that he had preferred the px4 to the px25. I was skeptical because wasn't px25 supposed to be just like the px4 on steroids?

But no, they are indeed quite different. We started with the px25 and the EML mesh 5u4g recti. I did not think that was dynamic enough, so changed the recti to KR 5u4g. Yet the system did not take off. We then added the Elrog 300b. Immediately, their was a big jump in tone. There was a sparkle around the Oboe, the chorals were projecting out more and decaying better, and the sound was embracing us. As later on we switched rectis, we found that the Solid plate of the 5u4g made it more dynamic, but the mesh plate of the EML 5u4g gave it more air. The air supplemented the air of Elrogs and made them sound better on the vocals. The Elrogs lost nothing on dynamics.

From Elrogs, we moved to the px4. Surprisingly the px4 sounded nothing like the px25. The tone on px4 for excellent. In fact, on the Bach Cello recording from Mike Valentine's Chasing the Dragon CD, the px4 just shot over all the others. It was incredible how much details and variations on the cello were being heard, and how realistic it sounded. It was also the best tube on rock. The later Robert Plant's husky voice from the NO Quarter album (a collaboration between Page and Plant in the 90s), showed that Px4 were doing the huskiness, full bodiness, and the details of the hurdy gurdy and the drums better than all other valves.

Px4 to me sounded best with KR 5u4g, but others preferred it with the EML mesh 5u4g. This is quite a preference thing. I think Elrog should be part of every arsenal if one can afford it, to add the sparkle on some classical pieces, it makes some instruments like oboe, violin, and flute, stand out, but I don't see Elrog as a stock valve. I think, and this seemed unanimous, that px4 was the best valve, apart from being an all rounder.

The 242s did not stand out on the GG like they had done on the Big 7 and at Bill's so I think it is more of a gain play. We will repeat this at Bill's. Funnily enough, at Bill's the KR 5u4g was a better match for 242s than the 274b, here it was the opposite.

The KR 45s, which I did not like at Bill's sounded great in this system.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the write up. PX4 sounds like the winner with the KR 5U4G.
 
khonfused said:
Hi Ked,

what does the rest of the system consists of?

I think at this point it's important to consider system synergy as you've done this comparison with horn speakers.
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I mentioned it in follow up posts. They are the horns fp-15. See links in above posts for reviews.

They are wave guide, boxed horns, a bit like audio note AN-E looks. Lampi GM 70 amps. Expensive verictum cabling and Gigawatt filter. All polish, actually, except for the tubes
 
What was the source? audio pc, streamer, cd-player?

One month ago I wanted to get the 242 really bad, now I want to get the px4.
Maybe I wait another month....:popcorn:
 
Kris,

See the FB link I posted. I think they used a Lampi SB Transport...

Greg did a very extensive write up on FB.
 
khonfused said:
What was the source? audio pc, streamer, cd-player?

One month ago I wanted to get the 242 really bad, now I want to get the px4.
Maybe I wait another month....:popcorn:
Click to expand...

I think 242 seldom works in a GG. Big 7, it is superb. Yes we did PCM streamed through an old Lampi Transport
 
Can someone explain in which tube the internals 'do not touch the glass'? Lukasz says the 101d's and the Lampi Anniversary tubes fall into that category. I was wondering if any of the other KR output tubes have that distinction?
 
AFAIK, only the EML anniversary globe 45 solid plate and the EML Lampi Mesh anniversary 45 globe fit that description. Never heard the 101d described that way...
 
I think today I heard the special Lampi 45s, the px4, the px25, Elrog 300b, original WE 101d, original WE 104 in another system. Will write a report tomorrow in case anyone's interested
 
bonzo said:
I think today I heard the special Lampi 45s, the px4, the px25, Elrog 300b, original WE 101d, original WE 104 in another system. Will write a report tomorrow in case anyone's interested
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VERY interested!!!!


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