The truth is had not this tragedy happen, I would not have got into Ultimate. In the aftermath of his passing, my mind was trying to process what cannot be processed and I turn to the only thing that would give me a little comfort - tube amps.

He passed away Feb 2023 at the young age of 40. I do not know the cause of death nor do I have the insensitivity to ask his dad or girlfriend. It's out in the obituary and Sweden's police have confirmed it. He was ill a few months before his passing but he recovered to create his own Telemachus...

You can't replace Michelangelo's works.

Because Odyssey and Oblivion is in my opinion irreplaceable and Susvara is still the best imo. :relaxed:

The best thing is that you can use all Ultimate drivers in Supreme. I'm just chilling with 6N6P-N and 6S15P with Mullard EL84 before it goes back to Eric when the next amp is available. That will be the KT150 amp. EL84 is best suited for Susvara because of the high gain. I had a nightmare...

Try EL11 with EL39. It sound just as good with more bass emphasis but it's hard to beat EL11 and EL12 spez.

Eric didn't want to open up the Pandara box because it can be dangerous for those that don't understand the limitations. By modifying the 6J5 socket to 6V6, essentially you can use any pin compatible tubes as 6v6, in the 6j5 sockets but the limitations is in the current that the power supply...

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/195932911770 This adapter should have been made as EL12 to 6L6 / 6V6 then it can be used in both the power and 6J5 slots of Ultimate but only for those Ultimates that have the 6J5 sockets modified to take 6v6 directly. Pretty clear cut right?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/195932911770 This is the adapter we use for EL11, even though it says EL12. It is tied to EL34 pins. It will work only in Ultimate's power slots but not in the 6J5 slots even though Eric has modified your 6J5 slots to take 6V6 directly because EL34 and 6V6 pins are...

It was my intention to use EL11 and EL12 spez in Odyssey in 2021. This was on Tomas's workbench when it was built. I send him the tubes.

Your sentiments about EL12 spez is spot on and that price is pure gold. 5B/254M with 5A/152M can go 2 ways. It can be perfect for those seeking extreme clarity and resolution or too much for bass heads. In any case, there are lots of drivers for 5b/254m.

Your Telefunken EL12 spez measures at 30.7v. That's about right. My Tesla EL12 spez measures at 31.3v. These tubes are going to last a very long time in Ultimate.

New Telefunken EL12 spez is a joy to behold and they come in the Telefunken old boxes like mine. They are as new as my quad. Give it time and it won't be so neutral. Lovely texture will filled out but generally these are audiophile kind of tone rather than bass heavy. I'm back to Tesla EL12...

Replacement adapter for 5b/254m arrived and finally I'm able to compare 254a with 254m. They are almost the same tonally but not in physical size. Surprisingly 254m has slightly less gain than 254a. Unsurprisingly 254m sound slightly thinner and 254a sound slightly fuller. The jury's still out...

Good choices but I'm surprised HD800 is not featured since you're a mainly classical music lover.

Mark Knopfler in his older years is vintage gold. This 2019 Albert Hall performance is probably the best I've heard from him and is melancholy filled and emotionally stirring.

What’s your favourite headphone.

I agree. It’s starting to make my other amps obsolete through lack of use.

Replacement adapter for 5b/254m have arrived but I’m not at home.

I hope you got yours for a decent price because there are very few such tubes now.

They are different. RCA ones have this [ structure on the side.

Tesla EL12 spez singing in all it's glory and very quiet tubes !!! Those socket savers and adapters spoil the looks. The next pair of adapters from Deyan will instead be for the EL12 spez.

I'm beyond happiness now because these noisy Tesla EL12 spez are now absolutely quiet !!! That's the other pair of spare Telefunken EL12 spez that is a bit bigger than the other pair. Never throw out your tubes. Never. Come to think of it, I've never tried these Tesla in Ultimate except in...

These adapters I will keep because Tomas resleeved them for me. It will be my memory of him. Back to back between 5b/254m and EL12 spez, my opinion is the EL12 spez is the greatest of all time - GOAT. If I have to name just one power tube as my very favourite, it's the Telefunken EL12 spez. The...

They were not ready made ones. He made them on the spot. I was showing him the size of the 5b/254m tubes in relation to EL36 :relaxed: