...

I was thinking the saem thing after reading several post about tubes being changed in other units?

Avalon VT737sp and 747.........So what's up Slutz??

Brass valves with ceramic washers seem to last the longest.

it actually has (4) Sovtek 6922 tubes. I hear Electro Harmonix makes a 6922 that sounds better, bet i haven't tested for myself.

What you want is nice grade NOS Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8/6922 [60's vintage] made in Holland. You will definitely hear a difference.

True.
Also, Telefunkens can do the job nicely. And buy from proven suppliers as Watford Valves or Tubeworld, more expensive, but worth peace of mind.

GYang

I don't know much about Avalons, but I changed the tubes in my Millennia STT-1. It came with 2 telefunken tubes and the rest were cheap Sino tubes which I thought sounded a bit harsh, so I put in some golden dragon audiophile gold pin tubes. After giving the new tubes a bit of time - probably to burn in - I don't know - it now sounds fantastic.

From my experiments with my NTK mic, I tried a number of different tubes in that as well and found the sovtek to be very bright - the brightest by a long way. An EI Elites tube was good, as was an Electro Harmonix I tried, but I ended up putting the original JAN Phillips tube back in because it was the warmest and had the greatest "depth and weight" of sound.

I would recommend trying the Golden Dragon tubes which I find to be very clear and pure sounding - if that's what you're after.

OK, who's got the alignment procedure for the VT-747SP? I've got one that down on one side, called Avalon so I could have a tech set it up right, and... wait for it...

THEY REFUSE TO GIVE IT OUT.

Thanks guys. This is the first time a "pro" gear company has refused to tell me how align their stuff. And I've got a few pieces of gear.

Gotta say, this is my second experience with hostile and/or nonexistent customer service from this company. I'm so pissed right now... this is the last piece of gear I buy from them, I guess. Be that as it may, I still have a 747 that's out of alignment. I know that the alignment procedures/tech manual/service manual/calibration whatever was out on the net a little while ago... anyone got it? If people are swapping tubes out, someone's got the alignment procedure.

p.s. note to Avalon- analog electronics drift. pros calibrate them. we don't have time to ship stuff across the country for a simple alignment procedure. please eat my shorts ;-)

Thanks,
Reid
www.myspace.com/freidshippen

Fletcher's tight with Wynn.. i'd bug him.. he's probably got all the service manuals at Mercenary anyhow since they fix stuff in house... so i'd either bug Mercenary or Vintage King... i would expect no problems from those guys.

FWIW... the two trim pots behind the meter are the output trims... ;-)

did u ever get it going?

4? Not in mine! I do have 3.

anyone know why 3?

1 for left, 1 for right. So what's the third doing?

Man, Im having a similiar problem with my 747. with the compression at unity everythings great (using a test tone) but the second i start turning up the ratio the left side is almost 3db lower than the right side, tube or solid state. is this an alignment issue? well, regardless it seems like its going back to its birthplace for some tlc.

you must try, siemens or Telefunken or Mullard !!!!

The Best Sounding 6DJ8=ECC88 ever made are:
------------------------------------------
6DJ8 Siemens West Germany 1960's (nothing beats this tube; accurate, open, focused, detailed, airy, tight bass)
6DJ8 Amperex Bugle Boy Holland "D" getter 1950's (superbly musical 6DJ8, nice articulate bass, 3D sound)
6DJ8 Telefunken West Germany 1960's (a little bass shy, but superbly smooth and listenable long term)
6DJ8 Amperex Bugle Boy Holland 1960's
6DJ8 Amperex Holland 1960's and Amperex Holland Globe Logo late 1960's - mid 1970's (some are branded Philips Miniwatt)
6DJ8 Mullard 1960's (smooth, good bass, the older versions are the best)
6DJ8 Mullard 1960's (either branded Mullard or Philips or Amperex Great Britain)
6DJ8 Sylvania late 1960's - mid 1970's (excellent sound for the money, best value)
6DJ8 GE USA 1960's - 1970's (good value)

i have 2 VT 737sm

same thing time to switch tubes
4 Russian Electro Harmonix 6922's (not golds)
Are they not Cathode Biased?
i thought you could just plug and play?

L,R + compressor buffer. meaning the third tube needs to well balanced within itself and the other two well matched.

I got great help from Gearslut "Bowie" when shopping tubes for my 747. I ended up with some nice Amperex goodness.

I have the information about which tube goes where (it does not say on the circuit board. I also have the alignment documentation. PM me if you need it.

Hi, I just stumble upon gearslutz.com looking for info on my Avalon VT 747, how to align and wich tube I could use.

Nice forum, I've put it in my favorite list.

I am quite interested in the alignment documentation. Can you please PM to me?

Thank you

I wonder if the unit has a valve signal path. I mean that, like if the unit ONLY has a tube make-up gain or something else. So far I can see is, that with just the 3 tubes on the output gain, the actually valve effect is minimal compared with a real tube compressor/EQ unit. Even with a vari-mu compressor the tube changes I heard were not staggering different, or like others the output tubes were, the ECC88/6922/6DJ8 or whatever sort output tube, are selected to built in that period anyway.

For me I wouldn't buy like the mentioned "Best" sounding output tube. You pay good dollar for them and you need 3 pieces. The effect what I had with tube changes are like a subtle lower noise floor, higher gain, with a possible boost/cut in the frequency at minimal level difference with the stock tubes in comparison. But that's just it. Nothing spectacular compared to the current tube outboard units around the same, or yes, for a bit more, price offerings made today.

That's me. Yo!

I called Avalon when I needed help; got to the tech support within 20 seconds after first talking to the switchboard and I was told how do align the unit and what tube to install. It was several years ago, but I have always had great experience with customer service with Avalon. The only gripe I have is they dont' use emails with communication. Maybe that is a good thing. Besides Rupert Neve Portico and Manley, I am a big Avalon fan.

I am also a huge 747 fan. It's not for doing serious comp work, but for the finishing touch after the 2 bus goes through my Portico comp, the Avalon levels the signal and the EQ is very very nice.

as an alt to NOS

if you have units with the 6299 try the Genelex Gold Lion... put one in my 4060 and ...it stayed there ...I have also relpaced almost all my 12ax7's with the Gold Lion version ..they are pretty dang good..



6DJ8 6922 ECC88 E88CC 6N1P tubes : AnalogTubes.com, The best in audio tube sounds