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RE: help prioritizing a re-tubing of Cary CAD-211 FE

silverlight, hi. I really didn't want to rain on your parade. It took a day or so to formulate a proper response. Ok. The sound of your 211 FE is probably more influenced by the input tube than the finals, not that better than stock 845 won't make a difference. The 845 more easily command attention. They do tend to stand out. If the 6SL7 tubes in your amps are not select Old Stock they should be. I'm talking about 50's 60's main line manufacturers production: TungSol, RCA, Sylvania, etc. That tube is the foundation of your amplifier. The EL34 is doing current source duties rather than passing signal. I would probably want an OS tube here but it would not be as critical. If the 6SL7 is carrying a house brand with no country of origin put it on the replace list. Talk to your dealer. Find out how many 'coupling caps' are in your amp. Also find out what kind they are: brand & composition such as polypropylene film and foil, metalized polypropylene, and so on. Sometimes a Brand will tell you all you need to know. You can remove the tubes from your amp, invert the chassis (on several layers of folded bath towels for non-scratch cushioning) and open it up yourself to check the caps. If you elect to do this keep careful track of removed screws. I could talk you through identifying what parts are what over the phone. Are the 300B branded anything other than Cary? Country of origin? I'm guessing they are not Western Electric. As market forces now dictate OS or NOS 845 tubes have skyrocketed in value. Check e-bay for recent transactions and note prices. Note RCA and United in particular. RCA 845 happen to be highly prized in the Asian market. United are not far behind. I came to think the United 845 made for the US military perhaps edge out the RCA when it comes to sonics but this is a fine point. OK. One more suggestion and then sign off. Power from the mains. I am not surprised you have noticed changes in sound that tend to correlate with time of day. Power lines are becoming more polluted with electric garbage every day. As far as something that will help may I suggest you investiate Equi=Tech in Oregon. The 2Q may be just what you need. It isn't cheap but oh boy can it improve what is coming out of your wall sockets and feeding your electronics. Go on their site and read up on Balanced Power. The E-Tech device decouples the power you use from the line coming in too. I use these things in a studio setting and for music playback for enjoyment. I didn't believe it until I heard what a huge improvement they make. It will help every piece of gear in your playback system in a profound way. No affiliation with Equi-T in any way. Just a happy owner/user.


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