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tube fanatic

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Posts posted by tube fanatic

  1. This was commonly done in console radios using field coil speakers.  I agree with Mike that long runs of wire carrying B+ are inadvisable. If you have mono amps, you could try placing them very close to the speakers.  But you would need very well shielded cables to connect the preamp or source to the amps.

     

     

    Maynard

  2. Eico has always been one of the best values in tube amps, even when they were new.  Restored, they typically can hold their own against almost any modern costly unit.   Like Lafayette tube amps, they are always worth picking up at the right price.  The “guy down the road”, a professional musician, said he wants to be buried with the HF-89 which I restored for him.  It drives his CWs to perfection, and he says it is the best sounding amp he has ever paired with them.

     

     

    Maynard

    • Like 1
  3. Tube operating parameters generally stabilize within the first 50-100 hours of use.  After that, it should only be necessary for the cathode to reach its normal operating temperature for all to be well.  A minute or 2 of warmup is usually quite sufficient.

     

    Maynard

    • Like 2
  4. 13 hours ago, JohnW said:

    Well see, that's the thing, man...I have a pair of Cornwalls. Maybe "rock out volume" should be handled differently? I dunno. We will definitely see.

     


    For extreme levels it does not matter if you use tubes or SS.  A simple expedient is to have a SS amp for the extreme listening and a tube amp for high quality listening.  A couple of simple switch boxes allow selection of either.  
     

    Maynard

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  5. 1 hour ago, JohnW said:

    Omg I stayed up late reading forum arguments about tubes, and am happy to discover that no one agrees on which tube is better for anything...unless I want to spend twice the value of my amp on some 1965 NOS General Electric 6550s or New Jersey Tung-Sols. 
     

    So I won’t have to spend more money on upgrading the Russian Tung-Sols that come with my amp.

     

    You know, if I decide to keep it.

     

    Oh Christ, I’m starting to sound like one of you crazy Tube People.


    Don’t fall into the trap of believing blanket tube recommendations as their performance varies greatly from one piece of equipment to the next.  You will see claims that even the color of the glass affects the sound.  If you are happy with the sound of your amp there is no need to start messing around with other tubes.  It is easy to convince yourself that the more a tube costs the better it sounds.
     

    Maynard

    • Like 2
  6. Before you consider shipping search for any ham or antique radio clubs in your area.  Both often have members who are audiophiles, many of whom are very well trained in tube electronics.  This is a very easy repair so it would be a shame to incur significant shipping costs and risk damage to the amp.

     

     

    Maynard

    • Like 4
  7. Lots more information is needed.  Room size and characteristics, listening level, type of music you enjoy, distance from speakers when listening, etc. would be helpful.  Can you provide more details about the Decware amp you saw with pictures of the underside?  
     

     

    Maynard

  8. 54 minutes ago, Bosco-d-gama said:

    Hi Maynard.....     Well we’ve discussed this before. Nothing is risk free and you are correct.....  there have been some huge pharmaceutical mistakes in the past. PhenPhen was another. Still for the most part vaccines have shown their merits to be well worth the risks. And they are typically optional. So I hope everyone is aware of their own tolerances to every drug they may use and every food they may be allergic to. I’d much rather take the covid19 vaccine than read about any other people dying from the disease. And dying they are, about 1,500 daily just in America. I do have confidence in the expedited covid19 vaccine development, its safety and its efficacy. 


    But how many who die from the vaccine would have lived if they didn’t take it?  There are situations in which the vaccine will be required as a condition of employment, school attendance, and so on.  Again, will those on whom it is being forced be screened in advance or are they considered expendable?  
     

    Maynard

  9. 3 hours ago, Bosco-d-gama said:

    Moderna has released the data for its covid19 vaccine and it looks really good. They say they can have 20 million doses available by the end of THIS year if they get approval to distribute. 94% effective. It will require a booster dose. Jeeez from nothing to this in what 10 months time? If you’re not impressed/pleased check your pulse. And with this on the immediate horizon maybe we can collectively get back to complying with the wisest public health guidelines. This is what we’ve been waiting for. So knuckle under and stay healthy, keep your communities healthy. And over this next year medical science will deliver us from covid19.
     

    https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/16/modernas-covid-19-vaccine-is-strongly-effective-early-look-at-data-show/

     

    Once we get covid19 under control I do hope we remember the troubles and misery it caused. I hope we recall how covid19 came to humanity and learn to respect the perils of expanding our cultures into the wilds. Hope we do not forget covid19.


    I don’t share your enthusiasm at all.  Antibody dependent enhancement is a definite concern for some.  Then there is the concern for people with autoimmune conditions like leukemia, RA, Lupus, etc. who could be in major trouble if their immune systems ramp into high gear due to some flaw in the messenger RNA.  There are people using steroid immune suppressants who may not be suitable candidates for the vaccine.  Will they be screened in advance?  I doubt it.  I can’t find any disclosure about this in the study populations (were any pregnant?  Remember thalidomide) so how can anyone make an educated choice about taking the vaccines?  With zero liability across the board, it has me a bit worried.  
     

    Maynard 

    • Like 1
  10. So Jeffrey, are you claiming that a 2 watt tube amp can deliver hundreds of amps of peak  current?  
     

    Typical EEs would not find anything you said above to be reasonable because they understand electronics!  
     

    Didn’t you once state on AA that your ears can’t hear much above 5kHz?

     

     

    Maynard

    • Like 1
  11. Among people I know the lack of compliance stems from arbitrary and ridiculous restrictions.  For example, New York State has banned dancing at all gatherings.  My daughter attended a tiny outdoor wedding with 20 people.  She could not dance with her boyfriend with whom she lives, nor could the bride and groom dance with each other in spite of living together for the past 5 years.  The absurdity of this scenario is evident.  NYC has even issued sex guidelines for presumptive COVID protection with some weird suggested behaviors like having sex through a wall.  They even make recommendations for prostitutes:

     

    https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/covid-sex-guidance.pdf

     

    Connecticut has just banned indoor gathering of more than 10 people in private homes.  Would it really matter if someone had 11?  How long will it be until surveillance cameras are installed on every street to monitor what we do?  
     

    While we all have a responsibility to each other to try to limit virus spread there is no way we can win against a pathogen as contagious as this one (just my opinion of course).  As the noose of restrictions tightens the more people will push back.  That is human nature and it will not change.

     

    Maynard

     

     

     

    • Like 1
  12. 1 hour ago, Bosco-d-gama said:

    Not yet..........

     

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/positive-pet.html

     

    Minks are an unsavory agri industry in Europe. They are bred and kept to harvest fur. Like any such business huge numbers of these minks are farmed. So the high density caged population is especially susceptible to the spread of any disease. So as has been done with chickens, ducks and other livestock to control the disease infected and exposed animals will be destroyed. Of course pets in homes are kept in an entirely different circumstance and there are isolation guidelines should a pet become covid19 positive.


    What about animal shelters?  Would you kill off all the animals there?  Regarding our food supply, it’s entirely possible that the virus will ultimately mutate and infect virtually all animals.  Would you then kill all of them and eat synthetic food instead?  Sadly, we humans think we can kill off all pathogens.  Unfortunately, they are much smarter than we are. 

     

    Maynard
     

     

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