Gold Tube SEP-1 inquiry

[fredv]

I know I can get some feedbacks ;)

1. How this compares up to other used/new pre-tube at the 300-400 price range?
2. Is the asking price reassonable http://www.craigslist.org/pen/ele/152670282.html
3. Since GTA is out of business, should I stay away from any GTA products?

Thanks!!

[SCompRacer]

I can't answer any of your questions with authority but here are Audigon's BB values.

Golden Tube SEP-1se : Pricing info (Special Edition)

New $980.00

$590.00 High

$470.00 Last

$300.00 Low

Used $400.00

Feb 00 05

Golden Tube SEP-1se released 1998, 6 inputs

EDIT: One thing about the 'gons BB is they don't always list how an item was configured when sold, so if the phono stage was an option it won't be reflected in the retail price.

[fredv]

Thanks, Rich. You did answer one question indirectly :-) I think it really come down to the condition of the pre. I never saw any add on phono board like that - the battery pack really looks odd, but it delivers pure DC for sure!!!

[SCompRacer]

It looks like a neat pre to try. If you can buy it right, resale loss shouldn't be a problem if you wanted to turn it. Tube rolling won't set you back too much either. It sure is in fine condition.

[RuSsMaN]

I've owned several GTA peices, including the SEP-1. The phono stage is a rarity, most are sans phono. Maurice (organ) has one I sold him, and it's needed repair twice so far.

The SEP isn't actually designed like a typical preamp is, it's actually designed around a single 6DJ8 as a SET amplifier, using one triode of the tube for each channel. It just doesn't have enough power to drive speakers, but it will drive a line signal easy.

Unbelievable sounding gear, WHEN it works.

Cheers,
Russ

[organ]

The SEP-1 is an amazing pre amp (or should I say amp). I got mine from Russ and like he said, it's gotten 2 repairs so far. First repair was for the pot which was probably damaged during shipping. The second time around, it wasn't sending B+ to the tube.

If you have a techie that knows tube equipments, you should be ok.

For the asking price, the pre is a STEAL. Talk about transparency, air and detail. That thing can really boogie. I mean, this thing have an output transformer for each channel. Most tube pre amps you see out there use caps at the output.

It's also a tube roller's dream. A single tube to roll means better selection and a lot less $$$. I doubt I'll ever sell the GTA. It can be a pain in the ass sometimes but damn, she can really sing.

There's a GTA group on Yahoo worth checking out if you're interested in their equipments.

[fredv]

Yeah, I was very amazed that there were 2 output transformers. I never saw this kind of preamp design. Now I know, it is essentially a low output SET amp!!!! Since it is local, I may contact the seller to see whether it is in the "excellent condition" as it is claimed, i.e. "WHEN it works" condition. If so, then I probably won't lose much when I resell it. Thank for yours input, guys!!!!

[RuSsMaN]

When and if you do resell, drop me a line. I've been *cough* delaying shipping Maurice's preamp *hack* out after it's last repair to the power switch, it's THAT effing good. It's been pulling duty in the video system for the past 3 weeks *ahem* so I can 'check' it out, make sure it's good to go.

Only reason I'm a Melos whore, is it is SLIGHTLY more reliable, with the same type of sound. And those that know Melos, know the humor in that statement ;)

[audiobliss]

Wow. That unit looks really clean.

[organ]

LOL:D Russ. I know I said I'd never replace it, but if I do, the GTA is going back to you.

Fred,
One thing to keep in mind. When you get the unit, check the inside. You'll see jumpers to bypass the balance knob. It's not a real balance control. It actually changes balance in the soundstage from what I've heard. Bypass the balance control. There are also jumpers to use the pre's 600 Ohm outputs or bypass them. Keep it at 600 Ohms. There are also jumpers for the CD input. Use the High input.

Remember, the SEP have a major impact in sound when it comes to tube rolling. More than any other tube gear I own. I find that 6DJ8 give a warmer/softer sound while 6922 give better HF extension and a lot more dynamics. Pop in an Amperex 7308 and you're in audio nirvana. I find the JJ 6922 to be the best sounding in current production.

Let us know what you think of it when you get it.

[fredv]

Emailed to the seller, now in the waiting mode.
Russ, you are first in line if I end up buying and reselling it.
There was a SEP-1 posted to CL not that long ago, but before I had time to ask the CP forums, the ad disppeared. Let see how it goes this round :-)

[fredv]

The seller just replied that he couldn't get any sound from the lp after he put in new batteries. He has lowered the price to $325 in his listing. I offered $300, too high? Anyhow, this is where it stands now.

[fredv]

Wow, this must be my weekend. First, I finally found what was wrong with the Carver ALS-III+, it was not the ribbon!!! It was bad contact and loose/missing screws but still took me half a day to get that fixed.

3 hours ago I went to pick up the SEP-1 SE. It is very clean and has very few flaws - a few scratches (nothing noticeable in the face plate), one missing screw, not original manual (a xerox copy). The seller removed the phone board and gave it to his friend. So, it is a line stage pre without the non-working phono board for the price. The GE 6DJ8 is new according to the seller. The most important - it is an perfect working order.

After I got home, I swapped out the ASL AQ2004DT and put in the SEP-1. The set up is Sony CD transport, Adcom GDC-700 DAC, SEP-1, MacIntosh mc-2002, Carver ALS-III+. The SEP-1 is everything Russ and Maurice said - airy, detail, transparent but seems to a bit less bass than the ASL. It could be the RCA 12AU7A in the ASL - the RCA throws more low end punches than JJ and Sylvania. I am going to order a couple 6DJ8/6922/7308 variance for the rolling fun while the GE is burning in, but the Amperex 7308's might be somewhat too rich for my blood. For only 60 minutes of listening pleasure, I love this "big" preamp ..... Oh, did I say this thing weighs a ton :-)

[SCompRacer]

Thats great news all the way around! We don't need to be buying or repairing any ribbons now.... Was it the negative lead from the ribbon off the crossover side of the binding post? IIRC, the lead is soldered to a strap that was held on to the post with a small nut. The positve lead is soldered to a component.

Too bad about the phono stage, but if you don't need it and your happy, it's not a big deal.

[fredv]

Hi Rich,

It was the ribbon lead off to a pcb that was held by 3 screws. The 3 screws were loosen and one didn't even have the hex nut!!! The wires soldered to the PCB are led to the xover (red) and the binding post (black). Before the fix, the ribbon had very low volume and high resistance, like 16ohms vs 2 now.
Back to the SEP-1, for another 2 hours, it beats the ASL in every spectrum. Now I know why Maurice said, "I'd never replace it". This is an amazing sounding gear.

[organ]

Kick ass!!! Glad you're enjoying it. You're absolutely right about the "airy" sound. That was the first thing I noticed with the GTA. It feels like the performance is right in your room. Very beautiful and creepy at times.

Question about your GE. Does the 6DJ8 have black stuff sprayed in the inside of the glass? I have one of those and it's a wonderful tube especially for vocals.

You said, "The SEP-1 is everything Russ and Maurice said - airy, detail, transparent but seems to a bit less bass than the ASL."
Just wait until you pop in a 6922 or 7308 in there. You're going to get killer dynamics and slam. It will leave the ASL in the dust! 6922 have the slam and bass while 6DJ8 is more mellow. At least that's what I hear in mine. Don't forget to add the JJ 6922 on your shopping list. My favorite current production in the 6DJ8 family.

I can't wait to get mine back from Russ. I'm running the same ASL 2004DT pre as you did right now while waiting for the GTA.

Sounds like you have a great rig. Got any pics?

Maurice

[fredv]

Yeah, the GE 6DJ8's upper 2/3 is kind of like smoked glass and the bottom 1/3 is clear. I was surprised how much the sound improved in 3 hours. For a economy start, I bought the Philips Jan 6922 and the 7DJ8 from ebay, and I will order JJ along other tubes with www.tubedepot.com.

Wife said, "Don't buy more until you tidy them up!!!". So, I also bought some cheap audio racks today to organize my mess and will post some pictures when they are lifted from the floor :-)

[organ]

That's the tube. Taker care of it. I think it's pretty rare, haven't seend it on sale anywhere.

Don't instal the 7DJ8 yet. I think this tube need more heater current. Some equipments need a mod. Check out the GTA club on Yahoo. You should be able to get a conformation on this.

I kinda laughed when I read you bought the JAN 6922. I did a post in the past about this very same tube that was given to me by Russ. I experienced the worst head ache in my life while the tube was breaking in. No joke. It was pure glare, but after it broke in, it's became a damn good tube! Probably the best introduction tube to NOS(price/performance wise), imo. Do a search, a lot of members here have experience with this tube. It probably needed around 50+ hrs with with B+.

Can't wait to see the pics .

[fredv]

Alright, I took a day off to make a long weekend :-) The Kmart and Walmart racks are set up, and the gears are moved from floor to there ...While I was setting up the racks, I played the Miniwatt PCC88 (7DJ8). It had about 12 hours of burn-in time, but it is different from the JAN. The mid and high are very clear and detail but the bottom is a little behind. Anyhow, here are the photo from my crappy digital camera.

[audiobliss]

My word...do you have enough equipment?! :drool:

[Tour2ma]

Magic 8-ball says: "Not necessarily"...

fred,
What material do you bring out the 10's to play? What in the racks are they normally fed by?

[fredv]

Audiobliss: yeah, that's a lot, and there are some not in the pictures :-) I really need to take some inventory and sell those that I don't play any more ... how about the Carver M-500t and C1 pre in the garage :-)

Tour: the DQ-10 is fed from the 35Wx2 Eico HF-87 (tube amp above the Mac in the middle), pre is the AR SP-6C1 that Russ sold to me. The sources are the AR DAC-1 and the lowly technics tt. This set up is very much for 60's, 70's, 80's entertainment - both CD or vinyls. The biggest surprise is that the Eico brings out the sweetest sound from the 10's to my ears, not the 2 McIntosh's!! In fact, my friend bought the new vinyls of Pink Floyd and Neil Young and came over to play them with this combo for the whole afterrnoon yesterday. These 2 albums sound amazing even with the cheap tt. So, new vinyls are still made these days????

I arranged the speakers last night. The DQ-10 were moved closer towards the middle, and the Carver AL-III+ replaced the 1.2TL and sit in the outside. I have to say that I am somewhat addictive to the ribbon now. Therefore, the big Polk's probably will be sidelined in the forseeable future:-)

Cheers,

[Tour2ma]

Thanks... Since no amp is going to make the 10's bass beasts, not surprising that the Eico's sweetness is the better match. Mine like my Sunfire, but love my B&K.

If you have not already done so, try bringing the 10's out in front of the tl's. Beside the 10's liking "free air" in between them, the tl's will actually soften the HF sent behind the 10's.

Fortunately the 10's are light enough to play with and when dialed in, move back for storage and out for ****s and giggles...

[organ]

Very cool rig!

Those ARC stuff looks very nice. How does the pre compare to the GTA?

Those DQ's are 4-way, right?

[fredv]

I am not good to describe the sound, but I'll try. Russ probably can do better as he owned both as well :-)

The AR uses 2 x 12AX7 and 1 x 6DJ8 in the phone stage, and 2 x 12AX7 and 1 x 6DJ8 in the line stage. The tonal signature is more in the 12AX7 family. It is more detail and better imaging than the GTA. It has a touch more tube warmness as well. In terms of tube rolling, I replaced the JAN 6922 on both by Siemens 6DJ8 (RCA label) and Amperex 6DJ8 A-frame (made in Great Britain, Mullard??). I let them burned in the week days and listened to them on each pre last Sat and Sun. On the GTA, both tubes beated (opinion based on my listening preferences) the Philips JAN and GE handily - for lack of better word to describe, it is the smoothness of the Siemens and Amperex won my ears. The same 2 tubes also improve the AR but not as dramatic as in the GTA; it was noticeable but still dominated by the Sovtek LPS signature. The integrated tube amp has 2 Mullard 12AX7 in it. I will put them in next weekend to see how it will play out .... At this point, I will say the AR wins the shoot out for the time being.

The DQ's are 5-ways. I think they are 87dB efficiency. These love power, but 35 watts of tube power seems to be OK. These are classic and very sweet sounding but not the type you want to crank up to reference level :-) If you come across locally at the right price, grab them!!

[organ]

Cool. The GTA responds very well to tube rolling. Probably better than any other tube gear I own. Glad to hear you found a few tubes that's working out real well for you. I prefer the 6DJ8/6922 family on the pre. Probably because my amp is very warm to begin with so it makes me want a more neutral tube in the linestage.

I think you're going to enjoy the Mullards. I had a pair of Mullard 12AU7 for the ASL before and the sound is really sweet. Full body, great texture and probably the best highs I've heard on my ASL. I'm sure the X7 will have the same sound signature. Let me know what you think.

I'd love to own a pair of DQ's one day but I've never seen one for sale locally. If I do see one and the price is right, I'll grab them. But right now I'm saving up for a used pair of Klipsch La Scala.