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Tron Seven Phono

I'm going to resurrect this and after reading it again realised i posted on this topic back in 2010 #38. I suppose the Tron brand has always been in the back of my mind and i was close to ordering a convergence from Grahame after reading the glowing reports from Topoxfordoc so when a Tron 7 came up for sale here in Australia, it took me all of 2 seconds to buy it.
Whilst it is everything mentioned here in this thread and i couldn't be happier i couldn't find a single reference to the tubes used inside, the difference i am hearing with a pair of Psvane 12ax7 instead of the supplied sovtek tubes was astonishing but one the Psvane tubes has died and i now have a pair of 1980 GE 5751 tubes in the ones without the triple mica, i like the lower gain of the tubes and everything is a lot smoother but i miss the grip of the Psvanes. I also have some Amperex 12ax7's on the way from a kind member of stereonet here in Australia.
So i'd be very keen to hear what tubes contributors on here have used or heard, it would be great to hear from Grahame too, also does the e80cc tube fit in the case? I have my eyes on some Phillips pinched waist e80cc......
 
nirvanah said:
I'm going to resurrect this and after reading it again realised i posted on this topic back in 2010 #38. I suppose the Tron brand has always been in the back of my mind and i was close to ordering a convergence from Grahame after reading the glowing reports from Topoxfordoc so when a Tron 7 came up for sale here in Australia, it took me all of 2 seconds to buy it.
Whilst it is everything mentioned here in this thread and i couldn't be happier i couldn't find a single reference to the tubes used inside, the difference i am hearing with a pair of Psvane 12ax7 instead of the supplied sovtek tubes was astonishing but one the Psvane tubes has died and i now have a pair of 1980 GE 5751 tubes in the ones without the triple mica, i like the lower gain of the tubes and everything is a lot smoother but i miss the grip of the Psvanes. I also have some Amperex 12ax7's on the way from a kind member of stereonet here in Australia.
So i'd be very keen to hear what tubes contributors on here have used or heard, it would be great to hear from Grahame too, also does the e80cc tube fit in the case? I have my eyes on some Phillips pinched waist e80cc......
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Hi Nirvanah,

The valves used in all Tron Sevens are 2 x 12AX7's (low noise) and 1 x 5814WA. Later production models (after 2015) can take an ECC82 or a 5814 instead of the 5814WA version but please do not use any other type of valve apart from what I have listed above and in the owners manual because the Seven was designed around those valve types.

I only use and recommend valves made in GB, USA, Eastern Europe and Russia. Never from the Far East for the same reason you mentioned above - they don't last.

Note: the 5751 are not replacements for the 12AX7. They only have an amplification factor (AF) of 70 whereas the 12AX7 has an AF of 100. Stick to the 12AX7 (ECC83) and you will get the best results plus a long valve life.
 
Thanks Charlie and Graham,
I'll stick to some 12ax7 as you have recommended but i find i am unable to turn up the volume on my ME25 pre and feel i am missing out on a little oomph from my ME750 power. The psvane tubes that i have liked the most so far were in the Tron7 for a few years so feel that they lasted well.
I suppose it is a case of trial and error but i would welcome any specific recommendations of tubes you may have tried in the past. Also what does the 1 X 5814WA do and how critical is tube rolling with this? I have no idea what is in my phono at the moment.
Until i manage to secure a pair of 12AX7's will i do any damage leaving the 5751 tubes in the phono?
Many thanks for your time Graham and Charlie, i had a few friends over the other evening and they were really taken aback with what they heard. I am using a Well Tempered classic, Nagoaka MP500, Tron7 into some wonderful and very powerful Australian amps from ME speakers are Shahinian Arcs.
ATB Ian.
 
Goodness - i started this thread 4 years ago.
How time flies.......
Still got my Tron 7 phono - top spec now.
Amazing - always works, 100% reliable. Sounds sublime.
Stick to the tubes reommended and don't fret or worry.
Part of the reason for gettng this was to get away from tube rolling !
 
Graham T certainly won't have chosen the tubes without a great deal of trial and consideration - I would stick to his recommendations.
 
Agreed. I discovered the Seven linestage I bought second hand had been modified to take some tubes it had not been designed for. It has just stopped working, so will be going back to Graham for restoration and upgrading, just as soon as he has finished doing the same thing to my Seven phono stage.
 
I kind member of an Australian audio forum has loaned me some of his tubes to roll, i currently have put a pair of Amperex 12aux7's in and after an overnight burn in i was able to have a few hours to myself and play some records. From the very first note i knew these tubes had the magic i have been looking for, the grip and delicacy of these tubes is quite stunning. The depth and tone of the instruments within the music is really conveying how good a cart the MP500 is. The amazing thing is i am able to turn up the volume more than the 5751 tubes that were taken out i think the first night i went to bed very late and only had 4 hours sleep before work. Everything i played sounded stunning!
Graham was correct and he should be he designed the thing and i'm really grateful he has put me right, i suppose i should try to get hold of a manual so i know exactly what can be rolled in this phono, i really am taken aback with the retrieval of the information i am hearing, the Tron7 is deadly quiet the bass is fast and articulate, vocals sound lifelike and piano has never sounded better.
This was for me a significant purchase even 2nd hand and now i am going to have to save up for one of Grahams preamps.........
Thanks for all the contributions brains trust i will be giving the bugle boys a try in a week or so and there are a pair of RCA 12aux7's to try a bit later on. A quick look around the tube sellers has informed that these Amperex tubes are not cheap but my listening time is limited so to hear what i have now every time i turn the Tron7 on it really has to be done. If i can find a pair!
 
Yep, yet another resurrection :D

I started reading this thread about a week ago (kept getting disturbed by my system/phone calls/work etc, as having owned a 2012 Seven basic MM for about 18 months (bought used) I was looking for info on tube rolling. Sods law the info I wanted was on the last page, which I didn't get to until after I'd pulled the trigger and bought myself an 09 Seven Ultimate (Mk1). so obviously won't bother with the tube rolling now.
Not got it yet as the unit had no serial number sticker so had it sent direct to GT for assessment, he's confirmed it is an Ultimate and re-allocated its original serial number. Additionally I'm having it brought up to near as damn it 2018 Mk2 spec. God only knows what joys I have in store when it finally lands at Lurch towers the end of next week, as my current vinyl set-up sounds bloody stunning to me. But from reading through this thread I think I'm in for a serious treat.

My Analogue chain as it currently stands:
Brinkmann Bardo/OL Conqueror 3C/Axia S > MFA Classic Baby SUT (Cu) > Tron Basic mm > MasterSounD PHL5 > IA MB845 SE > Quad 989.
 
@Lurch
I suspect that you will be in for a treat. My TRON Seven Reference is great, so I suspect that yours will be a peach. Let us all know what it's like when it's back and running.
Charlie
 
Welcome lurch , good to have your thoughts . Exciting times and well on getting that tron ultimate , been some nice tron pre amps here recently and of course the new altlantic pre has just launched as you know
 
Well having gone to GTs and picked up my Tron Seven Ultimate on Thursday afternoon as he was having trouble getting hold of a courier. Graham told me that in addition to changing out a few components to better ones as used in the Mk2, replacing the choke which was not within spec, and putting in 2 new Sovtecs, my Ultimate was now as close to 2018 spec as possible.
I got back around home around 4pm. opened it reverently, put it on the floor and plugged it in to let it warm up,fired up my system and decided I would give it an hour of listening before swapping over the Tron Basic mm & MFA SUT for the new beastie.
Ran some vinyl for an hour during which time I ruminated on which record to use as the last in the Basic/MFA and 1st for the Ultimate, I settled on Tracy Chapman as there was a good mix of bass, vocals and detail. My initial reaction was a little muted as every previous upgrade had been of the smack in the mouth type, with the step change being evident within the first couple of seconds. It took me 5-10 minutes to cotton on to what the Ultimate was doing for my vinyl replay and then it was Wow! Wow! Wow! and my grin got bigger and bigger.
Everything was opened up. The whole sound had become cleaner and crisper but without that etched clinical edge, still retaining the tone and musicality that I love about my all valve system (inc the CDP & DAC). It was as if the music had slowed down to allow the notes to fully develop and sit in their own space, the sound-stage was bigger, deeper,and more 3D, Bass was deeper, tighter, more nuanced and very tuneful. The Ultimate allows me to see further into the mix with details coming through that I didn't know were there, cello/double bass on Diana Krall & Gregory Porter tracks became individual notes with leading edges & decay even as they dropped down into the lowest registers, rather than a series of notes attached to each other like a conga. Inflections, breathing and vibrato within voices, the reed on woodwind, the extended shimmer of cymbals and hollowness of bass drums, all became apparent to me, more so the more I listened.

I have been listening to vinyl through the Ultimate for 30 of the last 52 hours (work and sleep got in the way :() and basically I'm rediscovering my record collection. In particular ABC Lexicon of Love, Simply Red Picture Book, Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions, Tracey Chapman Tracey Chapman, Dire Straits Love Over Gold & Alchemy, Eric Clapton MTV Unplugged, and tracks from Gregory Porter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stevie Wonder and Melody Gardot. The first 6 albums I've been listening to repeatedly for 30+ years and its been like listening to them for the 1st time, especially when on Dire Straights Telegraph Road (MoFi 1/2 speed 45rpm), Knofler appears to be singing with a slight cold/a strained voice something Ive never heard before along with the complexity of the melodies played by incidental background instruments.

All in all, this was a very worthwhile upgrade, and even more so once I sell my Tron Seven Basic mm and MFA Classic Baby SUT(Cu), at which point it will become a great VFM upgrade as well.:D


Now all I need to do is start saving for a better cartridge as I think my Transfiguration Axia S (as good as it is) is the weakest link now and my turntable, arm and phonostage are capable of far more.
 
Lurch, sounds like the TRON Seven Ultimate is every bit as good as you hoped. What I like about GT's amplifiers, apart from the great SQ, is the back up and ability to upgrade to better or current spec. Very few manufacturers do this, but this aspect makes the TRON gear a purchase for life.
 
seethroughyou said:
Shame GT doesn’t make a DAC anymore.
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L1464852.jpeg


Launched about a month ago...
 
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