Has anyone tried Soviet tubes on the X10-V3?

[DangerBoy]

I'm just in the process of purchasing a second hand MF X10-V3 and giving it a go. Of course, as soon as I get something I get curious about what mods are available in case I want to try and make it better. I'm aware of the Rock Grotto capacitor and diode upgrade kit and will likely give that a go after I've had a little while to listen to the X10 V3 in its original state.

I see that the Soviet counterpart to the 6112 Mu-vista tube is the 6N17B-V and possibly the 6N16B-V as an alternative. They can be had real cheap. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever tried either of these old Soviet tubes on their X10-V3 and what results they had. Anybody?

 

[DangerBoy]

I just found out that the two Soviet tubes I was asking about have different pinouts than the 6112 tube so are not a convenient alternative to the 6112. Unfortunately, the websites I looked at that suggested them as an equivalent to the 6112 neglected to mention that little detail - or at least I didn't see where they had stated that fact.

You can adapt those Soviet tubes into the X10V3 but I'm told it's a royal pain in the you-know-what to do it so probably not worth the trouble.

Rock Grotto, the company selling the capacitor and resistor upgrade kit for the X10V3 recommends instead the JAN 6948 tube upgrade for the 6112. The JAN 6948 were ruggedized military spec tubes designed for critical applications such as in guided missiles. As such, they're super quiet and have extremely low microphonics and according to Rock Grotto, sound "superb" in the X10V3.

AKers using X10 products based on the 6112 should consider these tubes as a possible inexpensive but possibly significant upgrade for their units.
The really great thing about them is that they can be had very inexpensively, just 5 GBP (about $6.75 USD) each on eBay at the moment.

I've already ordered some and can't wait to give them a go!

I can report back on my findings if anyone's interested in hearing the results of the upgrade.

 

[s-petersen]

Since these tubes are soldered in(it looks like in the google images) pinouts may not be much of a problem, as you can bend the leads to match

 

[DangerBoy]

Since these tubes are soldered in(it looks like in the google images) pinouts may not be much of a problem, as you can bend the leads to match

That is true although I've been told by those who've done it that it's a huge pain the the you-know-what to actually do it in practice. In contrast, the JAN 6948 upgrade is a much easier option and yields a significant improvement. Reports I've read on the Soviet 6N17B-V and 6N16B-V tubes is that they have higher microphonics than the 6112 owing to the fact that the getter is only attached in one place whereas in the 6112 and JAN 6948 tubes the getters are attached in two places. Being built for use in even more critical applications and adverse, rugged conditions, the JAN 6948 reputedly offers even lower microphonics than the 6112 so it's hard to imagine that the Soviet tubes would be better than the 6948s and that going to the hassle of adapting them to the X10V3 would be worth it when swapping in JAN 6948 tubes is so much easier by comparison.

 

[triode17]

That is true although I've been told by those who've done it that it's a huge pain the the you-know-what to actually do it in practice. In contrast, the JAN 6948 upgrade is a much easier option and yields a significant improvement. Reports I've read on the Soviet 6N17B-V and 6N16B-V tubes is that they have higher microphonics than the 6112 owing to the fact that the getter is only attached in one place whereas in the 6112 and JAN 6948 tubes the getters are attached in two places. Being built for use in even more critical applications and adverse, rugged conditions, the JAN 6948 reputedly offers even lower microphonics than the 6112 so it's hard to imagine that the Soviet tubes would be better than the 6948s and that going to the hassle of adapting them to the X10V3 would be worth it when swapping in JAN 6948 tubes is so much easier by comparison.

Why are you so worried about microphonics and ruggedness? It's a buffer. The gain is less than one. Are you planning to bring it out on the road? If not, you don't have to be so concerned.