tube fanatic
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speakerfritz,
That's interesting. I recall some debate about leaving tube equipment on, with some pretty much leaving it on all the time. I have no doubt there would be a "cost", but is there also a cost when powering a tube up & down? I guess I figured over the course of a weekend I might use my stereo maybe 4 - 6 time.
I'm no expert so I'll take your word for it. Do you think a year or so of occassional, but regular, use like this would cause new tubes to short out?
The caps were replaced a year or so ago, too. Do you think they could be bad yet?
Thanks for the troubleshooting advise! I'm on it!
Frank W.
Much of the stress on tubes occurs when they are first powered up as the filaments draw the greatest amount of current when cold, same as light bulbs. If you're going to use the equipment many times over a weekend, and don't want to turn it on and off multiple times, a good solution is to get a variac and drop the voltage down to around 90 or 95 volts during the idle periods and crank it back to around 117 when you are going to listen. Alternatively, there are soft start devices which you can plug the equipment into which will ramp up the voltage slowly thereby reducing the turn-on surges.
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Not all artists are pleased with the popularity of MP3s:
http://www.audiostream.com/content/neil-young-hates-mp3s-and-so-do-we
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Self explanatory!!!
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Perfect!!! My little brother is a Paramedic in Twin Falls, and I had talked to him about this stuff, and he knows a "guy"-Well, that "guy" is Jeff Webster!! I just got off the phone with my brother, he is at work, and Jeff is the Supervisor. I may be going to Twin Falls in the near future, weather permitting. It is trying to snow today. This could be good.
Thanks to all of you for your help, this is a great forum!!Glad things are getting worked out for you! An often overlooked source of very competent restoration folks is the antique radio restorers. On the whole their attention to detail is astounding, many are inveterate tube amp users, and groups/clubs abound across the country (the NJ Antique Radio Club even hosts restoration clinics at which the public is invited to bring in their tube equipment for restoration and repair). Remember, old radios all have audio sections! In fact, many of the console radios of the 30s and 40s contained audio amplifiers with amazing performance (in particular Zenith, Philco, and Scott consoles often contained audio amplifier sections with breathtaking sound quality). Be sure to post again after Jeff gets your equipment back in shape!
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Yep, that is about the only info I can find on the Amp. Absolutely nothing on the Tuner. I am going to call the music places in town today and see if they can work on them. I would love to have it done locally, for obvious reasons. If not, I will contact Craig.
Didn't realize that you are having so much trouble finding someone. The tuner restoration is quite routine and can be handled by any experienced antique radio restorer. I believe Jeff Webster is in Twin Falls and he restores just about anything with tubes:
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I'm not familiar with these, but some interesting comments have been posted here:
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Check out your local guitar amp places. Many of the techs who work on tube type guitar amps are also audiophiles who are well versed in restoration of vintage tube electronics for the home. You should have no problem locating a competent technician in your local area so you can avoid potential shipping damage.
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what does one do if the music they enjoy just isn't available in a decent recording?
I have alot of rare music that you just have to accept it for what it is and love it because it won't be reissued or remastered. Bad recordings or bad source condition is still different than the Loudness War.
To me it's all part of the same syndrome (i.e. garbage in, garbage out). Years ago we had to deal with issues like record groove wall distortion crapping up the sound, and so on. So, to me, anything that we can do to make the home listening experience better is the real issue. As I said, it's not necessarily about sonic accuracy (which can be defined in different ways by different people), but creating a listening experience in the home which is satisfying. A number of years ago I did some work for an electrical engineer who worked for Crown in the 70s. He was horrified that I could listen to those "distortion generators" by which he meant any kind of tube amp. So I asked him if he owns recordings which sound awful on his solid state amps with nearly immeasurable distortion and he said that he did, but one just had to accept it. Well, I said, if listening to those recordings on the so called distortion generator makes them sound much better isn't is worth it? His reply was, "but it isn't accurate." I rest my case!!!
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I'm leaning more and more toward listening to rotten recordings through SET amps. The reduction in harshness is dramatic and lets me listen to discs which I couldn't tolerate otherwise. It's worth trying if a person has high efficiency speakers. Just the other day a guy called to ask for advice about turntables because he has thought about going back to analog due to the reasons stated in the video. I wound up lending him a pair of triode mono amps to try with his CWs, and he's decided to go that route instead.
This begs the question.... if those amps are taming those crappy recordings what do they do to really good recording?
Actually, they make good recordings sound phenomenal imho! But, of course, a good recording sounds that way on a shelf system also. I didn't say that the SETs are sonically accurate as, of course, they really aren't. But, they sure do make music sound pleasing. Rather than start a whole subset of thoughts on this, I'll just say that in all my years in the field I've never heard an audio system which can truly duplicate the live experience. There's no way to get the ambience of say Carnegie Hall into one's living room. A satisfying musical experience in the home is one thing, but must be differentiated from the live venue. Regarding Chris' comments about ditching the bad recordings, what does one do if the music they enjoy just isn't available in a decent recording?
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This is a good time to read or re-read Huxley's Brave New World. We may all wish for that before long..............
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I'm leaning more and more toward listening to rotten recordings through SET amps. The reduction in harshness is dramatic and lets me listen to discs which I couldn't tolerate otherwise. It's worth trying if a person has high efficiency speakers. Just the other day a guy called to ask for advice about turntables because he has thought about going back to analog due to the reasons stated in the video. I wound up lending him a pair of triode mono amps to try with his CWs, and he's decided to go that route instead.
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If your budget allows it, I'd upgrade the amp and speakers simultaneously. There is usually a very definite synergy at work in obtaining the best possible sound- all amps do not sound wonderful with all speakers, and vice versa. This is especially true with tube amps. It's worth saving up the necessary funds rather than trying to do it piecemeal.
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There have also been lawsuits regarding bakelite tube bases! Guess I shouldn't be alive any more after handling so many thousands of tubes over the years:
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I've used Carol #12 low voltage wire for long run speaker cables for years and it's great! If you want to really try cables for a minimal expenditure, check out the Cable Company:
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Always a tough decision! I've never heard the 81s, so I can't comment. Of course, those have the port in the front which would allow placement much closer to the wall if desired. I can only say that if the 52s are the equal of the 15s, their performance will astound you. Imo, the 15s were one of Klipsch's best kept secrets and offer a level of performance that is quite amazing. I use them to do the initial "voicing" of tube amps which are typically used with Heritage series speakers and they haven't let me down yet!
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Well, if 36" is the height limit, then you're fairly limited! One important consideration is that the port is on the rear of the cabinet. For this speaker to image well, and provide reasonably good bass output, it needs to be out from the wall a fair amount. I use RF-15s, predecessors of the 52s, and find that they sound best when around 24" from the rear wall. Is this possible in your installation? As far as power is concerned, 35 wpc is actually plenty given the efficiency of the speaker. Perhaps you can purchase them from a dealer which offers a return option just in case you are not satisfied with their performance. I believe Crutchfield is an authorized dealer and still has a 30 or 45 day return privilege.
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The RF-52s are probably a bit small for a room of that size. I'd consider going with RF-62s or 82s if the budget allows it. What are you going to power the speakers with, and how loudly do you listen?
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Have you considered seeing an Audiologist?
There may be some undiscovered personal hearing issues involved here.
Don't negate this issue! Some extra wax in the canal can make a big difference. I'm getting mine cleaned out by my friend the ENT doc on Thursday and can't wait to enjoy the restored frequency response again!
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Does anyone know a reputable HK repairman? Either on here or elsewhere. I've got some crackling going on once the amp gets warmed up. I would love to hear it run properly with my Heresys. From the little I've played the combo it sounded as good or better than the hype.
Some questions- is the crackling from both channels, or just one? Is it with all sources, including the tuner, or just one source? Have you verified that your speaker connections are sound electrically? Does jiggling the speaker wires or your interconnects change the crackling? If you operate the switches does that cause, or change the crackling in any way. And what about rotating the volume, balance, and tone controls? Does that cause or change things in any way?
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I have a family member in the eyecare field. Interestingly, he said that the online glasses which he's seen over the years were actually quite good. But, as mentioned above, Costco and Walmart offer really excellent pricing (in comparison with private opticians especially). Virtually all eyeglass lenses are now cut on computerized edgers, so accuracy isn't an issue as long as the correct data is programmed.
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A private room and some live music would be my preference.I don't know where you go to eat but that must be one really nice place. My last amp was 2500 bucks. Does dinner include wine?
Interesting....I don't think I'd better share my fantasies of what a $2500 dinner would be like and really don't think my wife would go along with it anyway...She still gives me grief because this young French girl smiled at me and said "do you want a small baguette" after I butchered some words in French...Sheesh!
And to think that I get a thrill from going to the local Chinese place and dropping six bucks for a lunch special.....................
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I don't know anything about those companies, but suggest you check out Decware before making a decision. They have an excellent reputation:
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ha, this didn't help at all - now i'm even more neurotically concerned about my layout/positioning.
Heck, that's what this insanity is all about! Sometimes it's easiest after taking in a couple of ounces of good "white lightning" and waiting until your legs feel like rubber!!!!!
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Having the 2 channels mirrored may not be the best placement for your room. Differences in reflection/absorption between the 2 sides may necessitate somewhat different positioning or toe-in. The best bet is to sit in your usual listening position and have someone else make minor adjustments as you listen. One speaker may need more toe-in than the other, different spacing from the side or back wall, and so on. For heavier speakers on carpeted floors I use the furniture moving discs which makes repositioning quite effortless. Once placement is set, use masking tape to clearly mark the location in case the speakers move when you reinstall the spikes (once they are installed, expect a possible difference in the bottom end if the floor is wood instead of concrete). Unfortunately, something which can make this whole process difficult is the recording that you use to set things up. Switching to another recording, which may have entirely different channel balance, may cause you to change your previous positioning! So, try to go for an an average based on listening to a whole bunch of music.
ST-70 Blowing Fuses?
in Technical/Restorations
Posted
We're not exactly talking about the same thing (and, yes, controlling the filament inrush surge absolutely affects the tube's life span!) The lifetime of a tube is largely dependent on the lifetime of its cathode emission which, in the case of indirectly heated types, is dependent on the filament's operating temperature. By using a variac to drop the filament voltage (as well as the other electrode voltages/currents) to around 20% below its designated value, tube life can be greatly extended. Of course, you don't want to make it too low as that can shorten life depending on the material from which the filament is constructed. The other issue which may be at play in this gentleman's amp is the powerline voltage which often results in the 6.3 volt tubes seeing 7+ volts (and higher than rated plate/screen voltages) which can greatly decrease life. There are homes in my area which have line voltages of 125. Also, the temperature of the tube bulb is another area of concern for longevity as it affects the tube's ability to dissipate the generated heat. In any amplifier, keeping the output tubes extremely well ventilated either by having them out in the open, or using a fan can make a huge difference. Try comparing the life of say 6L6s under the conditions I've outlined and you will find enormous differences in life span.