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In the Forum: Melquiades Amplifier
In the Thread: Single-stage Melquiades vs. DHT amps

Post Subject: The Sylvania 2A3 NOS reportPosted by drdna on: 2/12/2009

Okay so I got the NOS Sylvania "Spring Top" dual filament 2A3 tubes and have been listening to them for a while, now I am ready to make a report on the tube.

The tube is well built and structurally sound. Tapping gives a very small "tabla" sound dying away quickly, but there is also a moderate amount of persistent jangling, in comparison to the other tubes I have been discussing, but not as much as the Sophia, which went on for minutes. From this I expect the Sylvania to be sort of in the middle of all the tubes, more musical distortion, better presence than other NOS tubes. Yes, this is roughly what I found, in fact.

The frequency extension is limited; not very much in terms of bass response at all, in comparison to the new manufactured tubes. Within the frequency range the timbre produced is correct within the midrange and reasonably close in the higher frequencies, though in the upper range, there is some malcontent. The waveforms are not precisely reproduced, giving a rounding of the attack and a sluggishness in the decay. In this respect it is worse than new manufactured tubes but better than other NOS tubes. There is more harmonic distortion with noticeable congestion and sibilance. It adds warmth to the sound, giving a very slightly romantic feel, much less than other NOS tubes like the mono plates, but the flavor is there nevertheless, although I am splitting hairs.

The differences are very slight and I think would be unimportant for most listeners, considering the huge price difference between the NOS tubes and the new manufactured tubes. IF I had never heard the new tubes from Sophia, Kron, or Emission Labs, there is no question there is a lot to like about the NOS tubes. Compared to the Russian or Chinese tubes, the sound is more balanced, the timbre more correct, the presentation more appropriately relaxed. Of the NOS, I absolutely agree the Sylvania 2A3 is quite nice, giving a more correct, less romantic presentation.

However, there is no comparison to the expensive tubes from Kron, Sophia, and Emission Labs. These are all in a separate category. These produce a very different sound. It is like this: on the old black and white TV sets, there were controls for brightness and contrast. The NOS Sylvania tube has the controls set quite well, but it is a totally different ballgame from a new color TV. Now, some movies, like Citizen Kane, depend on black and white. It would not work in color. Likewise, the NOS tubes present the music in a unique way the new tubes do not.

However, for me, I am focused on the connection to the Sound, and this is something the three new tubes do very well, most of all the Kron, but also the other two. If you have the money to spend on the new tubes and this is your goal with the Sound, there is no question you should do it.

Adrian

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