Remind me to never show you my Red Light District amplifier.
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If "Tube Sound" Is a Myth, Why Tubes?
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Keith_W
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A small aside: you and I often agree, it seems to me, but not in this case. The Dynaco amplifier is a classic, I also had one, but even in this dressed up form as in the picture I do not find it beautiful, because the circuit board sticks out of the top of the chassis. In general, I also find a proper hand wiring better, as with the old LEAK amplifiers.
I am still, FWIW (and, no, not that anyone asked) more enamored of the Dynaco ST-35.
(and I don't even have one
)yeah, me too -- now. You are an eeeevil man, @SIY!
umm... I am just sayin'.
Just imagine those troglodytes cookin' with gas!
edit: and let us simply not speak of the fact that blue flame is hotter than red flame.
Oh, one parting thought, somewhat more on topic (somewhat).
Thoriated tungsten.
Tube of the Month : The 801A
Hi! I already mentioned some favourite tubes in previous tube of the month posts. My favourite indirectly heated tube, favourite rectifier...
vinylsavor.blogspot.com
I mean, how many location shots of DHTs do you see?
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computer-audiophile
Major Contributor
There's a few photos in this article.
Ditto in my case, I only use LEDs as voltage references/regulators.Now you just make me curious!
But maybe I already know the picture?
(I admit that I had already mounted the LED for LED biasing below the base, but the glow had a technical function in this case and was not a show).
View attachment 295374
computer-audiophile
Major Contributor
Perhaps I should have written more precisely: The color spectrum of the sun and fire, what man has long loved.Oh, one parting thought, somewhat more on topic (somewhat).
Thoriated tungsten.
Tube of the Month : The 801A
Hi! I already mentioned some favourite tubes in previous tube of the month posts. My favourite indirectly heated tube, favourite rectifier...
I mean, how many location shots of DHTs do you see?
Anyway, thoriated tungsten glows rather white like a classic electric light bulb.
Own image:
Keith_W
Major Contributor
I must confess I had a profound disappointment when I saw those pictures. There was a massive gap between my expectation of seeing a seedy spandex bikini in a lady of the night full of implants and what was found on that webpage which was so contrary to what I was hoping to see. Your "Red Light District" amplifier is most definitely not a "Red Light District".
I am covered in rue.
MattHooper
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That was a fun article! I'm far from technically literate enough to have made it through every stage, but it's so clearly and entertainingly written.
SIY, I noticed you mentioned NOS tubes in the article. What is your view on NOS tubes? I know that's a rather wide question, and of course I'm expecting a more sober response from you than the "NOS tube" fetishism among some audiophiles. But, for instance, are there any good reasons to sometimes prefer certain NOS tubes over current versions?
Thanks for the kind words.
Re NOS, there's no one answer. For certain types that I like to use (e.g., 6S4, D3a, "super" 6BG6, 6JN6...), NOS is all there is. For others where there's current availability, I've had mixed results. For example, the best ECC81/12AT7 I tested was a contemporary JJ. The best 6DJ8/ECC88 I've tested was an NOS CCa (putting aside the oddball 12V version from Amperex that is amazingly good). Electro-Harmonix-branded 6SN7 was equal to the best NOS CV1988. And so on. When NOS prices are stupid because of the baseball card collector mentality, I just move on and use something else.
MattHooper
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Thanks.
After many years when my CJ monoblocks were distorting I traced it to one of the small 6FQ7 rectifier tubes (correct nomenclature?)
They sure lasted a long time! Over 20 years. But since this was the first time I'd be replacing such tubes I was curious about the whole NOS thing and, admittedly, got sucked in to purchasing some fairly expensive raved-up NOS Mazda 6FQ7 (or 6CG7) tubes instead. Boy was I disappointed. The sound seemed to turn to mush...seemingly dulled highs, mushy bass, the guts power and punch I was used to seemed to have taken a step back. My know-nothing conjecture was that they were just the wrong tube for the amp to perform properly, as it sounded like an underpowered amp.
A bit alarmed, and wanting my amps to sound the same as they always did, I searched for the original tubes that came with the amp - GE 6FQ7 - and found some NOS GE 6FQ7. Once those were in, the sound snapped back to all the usual qualities I was used to.
Good to see some indication Electro-Harmonix knows what they are doing with current tubes. My CJ tube preamp uses 6 Electro-Harmonix 6922 tubes (the brand recommended by CJ).
BTW, regarding rejecting the tubes/baseball card collector mentality, that strikes a chord with me. When I was a teenager I used to collect old comic with a friend. He just sent me a link to an auction on the Fantastic Four #48 going for $80,000! We had that comic (sold it long ago) and plenty of others that now go for insane prices.
Personally I don't relate so much to the collector mentality these days, be it comics or records that are made valuable "because this Beatle's record had a spelling mistake on side B!" or whatever. There's something about being held hostage to the utterly arbitrary valuation by other people - "you have to pay X amount because collectors have assigned that value!"...just rubs me the wrong way. (Of course none of us escape having to pay what others demand, in one case or another).
My understanding is that NOS tubes have a much better emissive coating on the cathodes, and the vacuum inside the tube is much harder, i.e. less residual air left inside. Also, the metal used in plates was less prone to back-emission due to heating than modern day materials are. In general, overall quality was better, likely because tubes were all there was in their heyday. They had to work and be reliable. Now, tubes, instead of being a necessity, are more of a boutique luxury item.
If @MattHooper [Mott the Hoople?] knew as much about bridges as he does about tubes, I'd buy from him.
Even though I may have issues if that bridge was made in Russia!
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I was merely -- as they say -- yanking your chain, sir (i.e., kidding you)
Now.
Speaking of vacuum tubes, I just saw this posted somewhere else (I won't throw the poster under the bus by name, so I am loath to provide a link
) and the logic struck me as... rather odd.The context for this is that interesting
"Nobsound" branded preamp that uses Chinese Loktal-base direct-heated tubes designed for battery operated portable radios. There's actually a thread on this abomination here at ASR :
What do you guys think of the newly released Nobsound E6?
Its a super small directly heated 2J27S tube preamp. It uses a 5v dc plug but according to nobsound the anode voltage is stepped up to 105V. If its true then this thing could be an actual tube pre.
www.audiosciencereview.com
The tweakers are adapting Russian tubes to them, due to issues with microphonics (as well as the usual "reasons" for tube rolling), and of course the free market is providing fodder for the tube rollers. Someone bought four of the Russian tubes on eBAY...
6FQ7/ 6CG7 is a medium mu doutriode. It's a small signal tube, not a rectifier type.If @MattHooper [Mott the Hoople?] knew as much about bridges as he does about tubes, I'd buy from him.
Even though I may have issues if that bridge was made in Russia!
Probably 'old news' to most of our ears... but this photo is pRon for our eyes:
The associated article is the equivalent of romantic music as the background:
The associated article is the equivalent of romantic music as the background:
Kudos to Charles Whitener.
computer-audiophile
Major Contributor
I think he is very late to the market with this expensive new 300B edition.Kudos to Charles Whitener.
Thing is, it's the genuine original.
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