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gartenman

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Posts posted by gartenman

    Tube Wannabe Newbie

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    I have a Conrad Johnson PV 10A tube preamp I'd part with for $500. Only reason I'm selling is that I recently picked up a Blueberry. It's a really nice preamp and the phono stage sounds wonderful. I think it would work nicely with your Crown. You could make payments for up to 3 months if that helps.

    Peach competition

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    Lisa,

    I'm not saying you did not hear what you heard. I'm saying AB testing is flawed by nature.

    Simply stated the differences come to surface when your NOT trying so hard. A note starts and stops more realistically, a single note sounds oh so real and so on. Audio is just not that cut and dry. You will never get instant gratification. A/B testing is a waste IMHO.

    Much of what you hear in this type of setup is what your mind will tell you to hear. I literally quit telling customers what something may sound like! Why.....I got sick of everyone of them coming back with what ever I told them it would sound like. The mind is a very powerful and uncontrollable force.

    I have a story for you.

    A well seasoned amplifier/preamp audio designer back in the 70's took 10 well seasoned audiophiles and placed them in a room with 2 preamps of identical electrical wiring and circuit. These were both proto types. One he place all kinds of extra chokes, transformers and tubes on the top of the naked chassis but in reality they were disconnected underneath the extra tubes were strictly running heaters only so the lit up. They did a 100% AB blind test and all 10 audiophile reported the preamp with the extra components had more weight and control to the sound!!! These preamps were dead nuts electrically identical. The mind can really screw you up.

    Craig

    The science behind what Craig is stating is how Weinicke's Area on the right side of the brain works. How much of perception is reality makes A/B testing inaccurate science and purely based on subjective measures.

    Who is running RF-7s with tubes?

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    never thought about that. Is that as simple as connecting each amp to the respective connectors on the RF-7s? Also how do you switch between the B&K and the VRD? Does a switch or selector box degrade the sound?

    My friend uses a Sima Speaker Selector box. You can connect up to 6 speakers to it and it has individual volume and on/off controls for each speaker. He connects 6 speakers into it and it sends a 8 ohm signal to the amp(s). You can connect 2 amps to it so he connects his solid state and tube amp to it. When he wants to watch HT he flicks a switch and the solid state amp pulls duty and when he wants to listen to music he flips on the tube amp. I know there are those with discriminating hearing who will say they can hear a difference but I thought it sounded great! It uses bare wire connections but I've always heard that bare wire is the best connection and connection looks easy. I may get one myself as I don't like using my tube amp for HT duty.

    A Tube Question

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    Generally speaking, pretty much any NOS or used tube made around 20 years ago or more will sound better than any current production tubes that you can buy. The reasons for this are varied, but most are due to the fact that tubes just aren't in demand anymore.

    Manufacturers can't afford to make the metals used in construction of the tube as pure, and the vacuum in the tubes isn't as tight because tighter vacuums cost more time and therefore money. That's why you will often find complaints today of certain manufacturers' tubes being unreliable (eg. power tubes 'red plating' soon after they've been installed).

    Certain chemicals can't be used for tube production because they are toxic, and the ones that are still allowed to be used today tend to be only legal in countries where workers have less rights, and they don't cost as much to employ either (eg. China, countries formerly in the Soviet Union). That's why old factories in those countries are mostly the only ones still making tubes today, as opposed to old factories in England or USA.

    Why go for old tubes?

    Old tubes were made so well that they last much longer than current production tubes. Preamp tubes have been known to last around 30 years, or around 20,000 hours. That's practically a lifetime for a tube amp.

    In most cases, vintage tubes sound better than their modern counterparts. The quality in manufacture of these tubes has a large effect on the sound, particularly in preamp valves. You really have to try some vintage tubes instead of modern production ones to experience just how better they sound, they make your amp come to life. The more gain your amp uses the less noticeable this effect may be, as in some high gain amps, transistors or diodes are used to get more gain instead of tubes, so the tubes will be less important.

    Get them while you can - since these tubes are obviously no longer being made, once they're gone they're gone - and prices are always going up.

    Different manufactures produced tubes which sound different - a tube made in a different plant or by a different manufacturer will probably sound different.

    Many tubes were relabelled, so they may not necessarily sound like you'd expect by looking at the manufacturer name. The best way to know who made your tube or where it was made is to learn how to recognise the internal construction of tubes, and learn how to interpret the codes printed or moulded on the tube. For example, today from eBay I received a Tungsram 12AX7 that I won for $10, yet the valve said "Made In England". Tungsram 12AX7's were made in Hungary, and by looking at the location of manufacture, the date codes and the internal construction, I know that this was a tube actually manufactured in Britain by Mullard in their Blackburn factory. Buy this same tube from an online vendor and you're talking a good sum of money.

    How much will they cost?

    Not all vintage tubes cost a lot of money compared to modern production. You can get slightly used tubes from eBay or garage sales for less than you'd pay for modern tubes. I've managed to get lots of them that sound far better than modern produced, new tubes. Getting most types of tube on eBay for cheap is easy, you just have to be patient and know what to look for. I bought 2 Brimar 6060's for $40 that go for $320 ... if you can find them. Slightly used ones are fantastic, as old tubes last so long, the difference between them and NOS tubes is insignificant. I think they actually sound better after being "burned in" a bit.

    The really expensive NOS tubes are EL34's/KT66's/KT77's/KT88's, as they don't last as long as preamp tubes and are harder to come across. Fortunately, they don't affect tone anywhere near as much as preamp tubes, and the modern equivalents aren't that much behind in terms of sound. For power tubes, reliability is the big problem with the modern ones.

    Introduction to tubes...

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    i've heard them with Klipschorns, La Scalas, Cornwalls and Heresys and they sounded great with each. If not experienced with buying used Dynaco equipment I would contact someone like Craig from NOSValves.com a frequenter on the forum here so you know what questions to ask if you decide to buy. He will steer you in the right direction and a super man.

    Cooling Issue

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    Does anyone have a recommendation for a cooling system (i.e. mini fans) for my rack system? My preamp and XBox (it does have aftermarket fan) tend to run hot and unfortunately are in a enclosed cabinet. I know it would be best to move them, but spacing issues require their current location. I've seen several systems on the net but hoping someone has a choice thats going to be more budget friendly. VRD's sit on top so they are not a issue. Thanks for any advice.

    Replacement Tubes - Guitar Amp Grade (?)

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    great feedback

    i've heard good things about the penta labs kt88 sc tubes

    i've used New Sensor Gold Lion KT 88 reissues and found them very pleasing. Granted I prefer original Tung Sol 6550 Black Plates but i swap them out once in a while with the aforementioned tubes so as to burn up my 6550 stash...i'm getting a quad of the penta labs as the builder of my VRD's recommends them...

    Replacement Tubes - Guitar Amp Grade (?)

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    you got that right about the TS 6550s.....i can't believe the prices for them on Ebay the last few months, they have increased dramatically, if you can find a GOOD set...they are getting harder and harder to find... i know a guy that has over 100 NIB NOS 6550 Black Plates , he only wants $400 per tube!!! incredible!! fortunately I bought 20 6550 Black Plates when the market was low.... i should be set for life unless i live to 100...

    Replacement Tubes - Guitar Amp Grade (?)

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    I agree with this statement about tube testers...my point is that who is gonna give you an expert discertation on understanding the various types of tubes...someone in a forum like me or someone who's been doing it for over 30 years. If I had a Ferrari that was having problems I'd go to a expert on Ferrari's, wouldn't you? Believe me I get no kickback on this, I'm just trying to give you advice you'll be glad you took. All it takes is a 5 minute call to a worldwide guru on tubes who is guaranteed to steer you straight without ANY pressure to buy. Thats the kind of guy he is. I've bought tubes as a studio musician from more sources than I can remember and this is the only source who takes as much time as it takes for you to understand what is best for your application whether modern or vintage and if modern he'll tell you where to get the best buy. Don't be alarmed if you go to his website and look at his prices as these are just his high end stuff. He's got millions of tubes and just because you don't see it doesn't mean he doesn't have it. Take the challenge and I won't even be upset when you don't thank me...lol Brent rocks!!!

    Replacement Tubes - Guitar Amp Grade (?)

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    Brent is not going to hoodwink you into buying something you don't need

    i've talked to him for hours just to get educated about tube differences, etc., and was never pressured once into buying something

    Brent is a honest, informative guy that sells tubes

    if he thinks modern tubes are best for you he will tell you straight up

    i prefer asking actual experts over those who claim to be

    good luck

    LETS TALK ABOUT TUBE AMPS VS SS

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    i know where you can get a just back for a tune up Eico for less than a thousand or a Baldwin which is going for a measley $420. both are really nice amps, lemme know and i can point you in the right direction

    " I am seeking some very technically minded people to chat about differences in sound quality, dbs, and power ratings. I have not dived into this much yet but in my past stufy, I find that SS amps are uniquely rated (lie about it). Maybe there is special "sound watt" used but when comparing input fusing and wire size. When looking at tubes, their rating for power is much lower. 50-120wpc seems about right. I run a Rotel RB1080 on my RF-7s at 400wpc. I have to wonder the difference in dbs from a comparable tube amp. I am not just wanting to compare tube on the Klipsch but all speakers. Sure seems like tube is way more expensive but can really give some nice sound. My experience with tube is only on guitar amps and I would not touch a SS guitar amp now! Has someone compared tube with SS directly for dbs, accuracy, THD, etc?? Who the heck makes a decent priced tube amp?? They all seem about 3K and up for mono blocks or around 5K for a stereo amp."

    LETS TALK ABOUT TUBE AMPS VS SS

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    Most tube amps have a warmer or darker sonic signature, which is a good thing when you jack on the volume -- it helps to prevent the top end of the speaker from running away from the bottom and sounding too forward. The problem is that most good tube amps only give you 60 wpc or so, and unless you're running big Heritage or better -- they're undoubtedly clipping the signal. The argument is always made that the clipping is "soft", "euphonic", etc., and then the discussion goes off into an examination of the different clipping characteristics between ss and tubes. At that point, everyone wants to talk about which kind of amp sounds better when it's being run out of it operating limits and distorting. Does anyone besides me see the absurdity in this?

    Finally a voice of reason...

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