my search for a tube amp

Nick B · June 30, 2026, 09:14:47 PM

Quote from: ejk on June 30, 2026, 09:50:08 AM
Quote from: Nick B on June 28, 2026, 09:38:08 PMI have lived with the Erhard for a while now and it's a great amp. I have used the Raytheon, Sylvania and RCA nos versions of the 6NS7. It's a close call between the Sylvania VT 231 and RCA 6NS7GTB and I slightly prefer the RCA. I am surprised by the detail retrieval, layering and improved texture on voices and instruments. If Evan reads this, I will bet him a (cheap) NY steak that he'd like the Erhard better than his Quicksilver amps...

Jack also has and likes the Erhard Elvis Mk II as well.

I'm reading but not biting yet. This is my go to place

https://www.deesteakhouse.com/

Saw this earlier but not for me

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650336294-erhard-audio-aretha-tube-preamplifier-ray-single-ended-tube-amplifier-black-finish-original-packagin/

That's a nice place. Sure hope I don't need to pay up... 😔 The Erhard sounds super and I am wondering if getting rid of the router with the coax connection and going fiber optic has something to do with it. Jack has much more experience with tube amps, so his liking the amp means more than my opinion. The Aric Audio line is very appealing and especially his preamp, single or dual chassis. But my Hattor really does a great job. I'm lucky the previous owner didn't break it in enough.

Nick B · June 30, 2026, 09:20:02 PM

Quote from: ejk on June 30, 2026, 09:54:51 AMJust got back from Barbados last night and my 2 new bass traps from GIK were waiting for me. I ordered them with the 50 hz range limiters and results are positive. I was dealing with some overload in the lower regions on some music like Patricia Barber and this cleans ups the vocals and piano very well.

Glad you are enjoying nice travels. I have no acoustic treatments and am fortunate that there are no apparent room anomaly issues.... I think. Oh, are you using the Quicksilvers occasionally or sticking with the 25 monos? I still like Leo's amp a lot.

ejk · June 30, 2026, 11:33:40 PM

Quote from: Nick B on June 30, 2026, 09:20:02 PM
Quote from: ejk on June 30, 2026, 09:54:51 AMJust got back from Barbados last night and my 2 new bass traps from GIK were waiting for me. I ordered them with the 50 hz range limiters and results are positive. I was dealing with some overload in the lower regions on some music like Patricia Barber and this cleans ups the vocals and piano very well.

Glad you are enjoying nice travels. I have no acoustic treatments and am fortunate that there are no apparent room anomaly issues.... I think. Oh, are you using the Quicksilvers occasionally or sticking with the 25 monos? I still like Leo's amp a lot.

This week I am listening to the Ultra.

Nick B · June 30, 2026, 11:43:50 PM

Quote from: ejk on June 30, 2026, 11:33:40 PM
Quote from: Nick B on June 30, 2026, 09:20:02 PM
Quote from: ejk on June 30, 2026, 09:54:51 AMJust got back from Barbados last night and my 2 new bass traps from GIK were waiting for me. I ordered them with the 50 hz range limiters and results are positive. I was dealing with some overload in the lower regions on some music like Patricia Barber and this cleans ups the vocals and piano very well.

Glad you are enjoying nice travels. I have no acoustic treatments and am fortunate that there are no apparent room anomaly issues.... I think. Oh, are you using the Quicksilvers occasionally or sticking with the 25 monos? I still like Leo's amp a lot.

This week I am listening to the Ultra.

👍 🎶

Nick B · July 03, 2026, 11:26:56 PM

I wanted to mention the improvement gained by adding some good and inexpensive Cat 8 ethernet cables from Amazon. I hadn't paid much attention to the one cable from the mesh TP Link router to the iFi converter unit. Mentioned it to Jack and he suggested the Link Up Cat 8 cables. Nicely built and shielded and for only $12 each. I put them in yesterday and the improvement is quite impressive. The cheapie cable had been suppressing detail and now that detail is coming through. Vocals are more separated and the soundstage presentation is more realistic. There is also a good improvement in the texture of voices and instruments. That is something I have been after and violins and brass for example have a more realistic texture. The decay of notes is improved as well. I just didn't want to spend a couple of hundred dollars right now on an upscale ethernet cable.

I have another iFi LAN iSilencer coming and it will be placed at the ethernet switch box in the garage. Will advise if that makes it difference.

ejk · Reply #50 - Re: my search for a tube amp

Quote from: Nick B on July 03, 2026, 11:26:56 PMI wanted to mention the improvement gained by adding some good and inexpensive Cat 8 ethernet cables from Amazon. I hadn't paid much attention to the one cable from the mesh TP Link router to the iFi converter unit. Mentioned it to Jack and he suggested the Link Up Cat 8 cables. Nicely built and shielded and for only $12 each. I put them in yesterday and the improvement is quite impressive. The cheapie cable had been suppressing detail and now that detail is coming through. Vocals are more separated and the soundstage presentation is more realistic. There is also a good improvement in the texture of voices and instruments. That is something I have been after and violins and brass for example have a more realistic texture. The decay of notes is improved as well. I just didn't want to spend a couple of hundred dollars right now on an upscale ethernet cable.

I have another iFi LAN iSilencer coming and it will be placed at the ethernet switch box in the garage. Will advise if that makes it difference.

Using the Link Up cable for a few years now from wall to LHY SW8 switch and it is an excellent cable then I use TWL from switch to IFI lan to streamer

mresseguie · Reply #51 - Re: my search for a tube amp

Quote from: Nick B on July 03, 2026, 11:26:56 PMI wanted to mention the improvement gained by adding some good and inexpensive Cat 8 ethernet cables from Amazon. I hadn't paid much attention to the one cable from the mesh TP Link router to the iFi converter unit. Mentioned it to Jack and he suggested the Link Up Cat 8 cables. Nicely built and shielded and for only $12 each. I put them in yesterday and the improvement is quite impressive. The cheapie cable had been suppressing detail and now that detail is coming through. Vocals are more separated and the soundstage presentation is more realistic. There is also a good improvement in the texture of voices and instruments. That is something I have been after and violins and brass for example have a more realistic texture. The decay of notes is improved as well. I just didn't want to spend a couple of hundred dollars right now on an upscale ethernet cable.

I have another iFi LAN iSilencer coming and it will be placed at the ethernet switch box in the garage. Will advise if that makes it difference.

Nick,

Thanks to a certain amount of busy-ness and laziness on my part, I still rely on wifi to get my signal to my streamer. I don't know how much improvement I can achieve by running a cable to my streamer because I haven't tried it. [My streamer is literally ~30 ft away from my router.] My loving wife would thrash me within an inch of my life

if I were foolish enough to string a cable from the router to the streamer inside the house. There is no cable connector/outlet in the audio room. With a skilled technician and helpful guidance from people such as yourself, I'm confident I could run a cable from the garage* to the crawlspace beneath the listening room's floor and up (into the room) behind the audio gear stand. The probable length of said cable would likely be 40' to 50' depending on how many angles the cable would have to negotiate.

In your opinion, is it worth my time and trouble to go wired? Is the difference in sound quality so pronounced that once I hear it, there's no going back to wireless?

* The garage sits below the main floor. The crawlspace is beside the garage and under the listening room/formal dining room. The main floor is a floating floor. The cable 'point/box' is inside the garage.

Thoughts?

mresseguie · Reply #52 - Re: my search for a tube amp

Seeing an ad for Innuos gear jogged my memory that I had been researching an upgrade for my system last Fall by adding a ROON server (possibly the Nucleus One?). That idea got shelved when I flew back to Taiwan and got very distracted by cancer.

I may have to start my research all over again.

Nick B · Reply #53 - Re: my search for a tube amp

Quote from: ejk on Today at 12:00:04 AM
Quote from: Nick B on July 03, 2026, 11:26:56 PMI wanted to mention the improvement gained by adding some good and inexpensive Cat 8 ethernet cables from Amazon. I hadn't paid much attention to the one cable from the mesh TP Link router to the iFi converter unit. Mentioned it to Jack and he suggested the Link Up Cat 8 cables. Nicely built and shielded and for only $12 each. I put them in yesterday and the improvement is quite impressive. The cheapie cable had been suppressing detail and now that detail is coming through. Vocals are more separated and the soundstage presentation is more realistic. There is also a good improvement in the texture of voices and instruments. That is something I have been after and violins and brass for example have a more realistic texture. The decay of notes is improved as well. I just didn't want to spend a couple of hundred dollars right now on an upscale ethernet cable.

I have another iFi LAN iSilencer coming and it will be placed at the ethernet switch box in the garage. Will advise if that makes it difference.

Using the Link Up cable for a few years now from wall to LHY SW8 switch and it is an excellent cable then I use TWL from switch to IFI lan to streamer

Interesting that you use the same cable. Sometimes these things don't need to be costly