How did you get started with tubes?

[lshannon]

Guten Tag

[lwhaples]

wow, a 6 year nap.

good morning!

Had me going there for a moment,Love tubes .

Larry

[Guest " "]

I needed a job and a local TV/Radio repair shop hired me. First week on the job I got to take home a console pull. That was 37 years ago.

[Mallette]

Interesting the number who had an STA-35. My first was a Grommes Little Jewel 17 watt. It was pretty well used up when I got it but served well for a couple of years. I then got my STA-35 for 5 bucks or so. Like others mentioned, I was seduced by SS and didn't understand why I kept remembering the magic of that STA-35 with my Garrard and Frazier Super Monte Carlos. It was over 20 years before I heard it again with the ST-70 that is now the heart of my critical listening settup.

Miss that little STA-35. They don't get a lot of respect from the "high end" crowd, but I think there is more there than many believe.

Dave.

[JJkizak]

Started in 1955, ended in 1985 after going through thousands of tubes. Bushelbaskets full in my job.

JJK

[InnerTuber]

Started with my Dad's tube amp in 3rd grade for me. Followed by a long succession of Fender, Marshall stuff and an old favorite Ampeg B-15 flip top where the tubes glowed by note. Man I miss that thing. Then the desire to upgrade the home sound drove me into full range drivers, with low watt tube research, followed by speaker efficiency leading me to Klipsch and the smarter than me forum folks here steering me to VRD amps. I was ready to pull the trigger on some 300B amps and learned a little more power might help (among many other things). The right choice for me since I frequently attempt to damage my hearing.

[seti]

I first heard tubes with Khorns and Vintage Quad ESLs with Quad II tube amps and preamps. Everything else sounded lifeless to me plus I enjoy the light show.

[Mike Lindsey]

Nice to see some of the old posters are back... mobile, jazman, shapeshifter, and I see that Craig is getting along with everyone now. []

Gotta love when some of the old threads are brought back to the forefront. As for me, it was one of Craig's rebuilt Scott 299 integrateds. I sure wish I still had it, but I know Chuck is takikng good care of it. I now have Craig's VRD's, and couldn't be happier.

Mike

[seti]

Nice to see some of the old posters are back... mobile, jazman, shapeshifter, and I see that Craig is getting along with everyone now.

Gotta love when some of the old threads are brought back to the forefront. As for me, it was one of Craig's rebuilt Scott 299 integrateds. I sure wish I still had it, but I know Chuck is takikng good care of it. I now have Craig's VRD's, and couldn't be happier.

Mike

Shapeshifter sent me a stack of CDs once for just mentioning that I didn't know much about Jazz. The 5 discs he sent me are amazing. Has anyone heard from him?

[DizRotus]

Although he lives close by, the last time I had contact with Shapeshifter was two (?) years ago when we rendezvoused to check out a pair of white Khorns (there was a thread) for sale in Grosse Pointe, MI. I know he has a Harley and a girlfriend, so apparently life outside the forum occupies his time.

[Mallette]

Power up? You mean they arent on all the time? heh... Yeah. Well, some do turn theirs off from time to time, even me when I feel in that frame of mind.

As for powering up, I usually have my preamp on standby all the time, only turing off my amps. Some believe it important to do it in sequence. I personally have never seen either way involve a disaster but I generally have my preamp on before the amps if you are into an exact answer here. Although to be really exact, the standby is usually engaged with that being flipped last, after the amps are on.

As for tube glow, some tubes glow more than other but as a general rule, power tubes DO glow more than preamp tubes although, as I said, this is general. Sometimes it varies with the tube make as well as the type. OTher times it obviously varies with the type of circuit as well as how hard you are running the beasts. Some tubes have different types of behaviors - the Sovtek 2A3 runs almost completely dark, even with the lights out, you can barely see a glow. Other 2A3 run far brighter. Preamp tubes generally are not doing the heavy duty job of the outputs but some do put out a healthy glow. So in answer to your question, I wouldnt worry about it at all; it's quite normal.

One thing I would keep in mind; the little WAVE 8's are great little amps for the ducats but are really nowhere near what tube amps can do. Look forward to better things down the line with upgrades. Also, look forward to recouping your entire expense with the little WAVE amps come selling time. They sell used about what they cost new.

kh

------------------
Phono • Linn Sondek LP-12 Valhalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point
CD Player • Rega Planet
Preamp • Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified
Amplifier • Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks
Cable • DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect
Speaker • 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover
Links • system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing

Dang, Kelly,...missed your return! My good friend Lonelobo (current thread on page 1, thrift store finds) asked about you a day or so ago and I told him you were still on hiatus.

Welcome back in a BIG way. We need all the help we can get around here!

Regards,

Dave

[gaspr]

Umm Dave...that post was dated 2002...

[Mike Lindsey]

Yeah, Shapeshifter (Wes) was one of the good guys. I sure do miss his posts. It would be nice if mobile was still around also. I think it's safe to say this board hasn't been the same since he left (others would argue for the better).

Mike

[Mallette]

Are we in a time warp? I tracked back and did not see evidence of anyone putting the paddles to this old thread...

I heard from Kelly about six months ago when he was listening to one of my recordings with his mother and thanked me for it. I do not recall the circumstances of his exit but know he was involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the the old days. Perhaps he just plum wore out... I do miss him.

Dave

[SET12]

I'm really curious about tube equipment and maybe ya'll can help me get started. Maybe it's not as complicated as is seems, but I get confused when I read about SET, push-pull, integrated, triode, pentode, etc. Maybe you could point me to some good reference material. Was looking at some entry level stuff from Antique Sound Lab's, but really don't know what I'm doing. Any new monies will be spent in this endeavor, kinda burnt out on HT. Thanks

Mark

------------------
Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.0
Phono Preamp - Parasound PPH-100
Receiver - H/K AVR-210
DVD - Sony DVP-S360
TV - RCA 31"
Mains - KLF-20
Center - KLF-C7
Surrounds - Optimus Pro LX-10
Sub - Yamaha YST-SW160
Reinforcement - JBL 4638

I started with tubes as a kid going to the drug store testing my TV's tubes by the time I was in Junior High I had my first tube FM console bare metal chassis sitting on a piece of wood so I could watch it glow late into the night listening to headphones I believe it was a Single-Ended EL84 reciever producing 4-5 watts/channel.

By the time the seventies rolled around I was into big SS power to the tune of 400 watts/channel I went through EQ's, DBX's, 3 head cassette Decks, you name it.

By the 80's I saw some light and sold all the gizmo stuff I had and went with some very good quailty basic electronics with
substantially less power and discovered that quality is better than quanity.

In the early 90's surround sound showed up and I was into the HT racket I complained to a friend that my two channel sound was terrible and he pointed at all the wiring and said get rid of all that stuff. And he was right.

In the late 90's I started building a SS buffered preamp out of a Stereophile Magazine project. My good friend raised his voice to me and asked what are you doing
wasting your time with that? You should be working with tubes!! I studied an RCA tube manual and learned enough theory to build a simple tube buffered line stage and I have never looked back.

I also ran into a project in Glass Audio and built my own version of a Thoriated 811 Single-Ended Tube power amp for 10 watts of SET power. It has enough sensitivity that I run my Sony X77ES players variable out direct to the amps of course this is very
controversial but I was shocked at the resulting sound and the expensive FET line stage is still in the closet.

My Speakers are
Heavily
modified Forte's and 100 db plus peaks are more than enough for me. I
occasionally run my DVD player direct also, I need no sub as the Forte's go low enough for me and my Thoriated Transmitting Tube amplifiers have way more punch then any AV reciever I have heard.

Ever since I saw my first amp which was equipped with such a tube with its yellow light I have been hooked to the life,drama,soundscape of them but beware not all SET's are equal. This particular amp is 40 watts.

So it can be "Simple"

May The Glow be With You!

SET12

[Audio Flynn]

Is the question "how did we get started" well............ here of coarse !! thanks to MDeneen, Mobile Homeless, Allan Songer, Jazzman and others peaking my interest with there awesome posts about Audio bliss !!!

------------------

HH Scott 299 Amp
HH Scott LT-110B Tuner
HH Scott P-87 Turn Table
JVC JL-F50 Turn Table
Sony CDP-CA7ES CD Drive
1985 Walnut Heresey I W/Layne Audio Woofers
KSW-15 Sub

All these guys helped me.

As a kid it was a top of the line 1959 Motorola Stereo HIFI my parents had. Best music in the neihborhood!

Late 1990s HT pursuit "lost the music" for me.

My NOS Valves rebuilt Scott LK-48 brought the music back. Now it is even better thank to Mr Otsby and Deneen.

[TheEvan]

Though I grew up with a house full of tubes (Dynaco stuff driving sand-filled wharfedales) I never got into them myself until I bought my K-horns back in the early 80's. I had to take the guys' whole set, like it or not. So for about $1800 I got K-horns, Technics SP10 table w/SME3009II arm and FR m/c cart, an FR step up trans, Paragon E pre, Marantz 8b, Phase Linear amp & pre plus a Stax earspeaker & box. Comparing the Phase Linear with the Paragon/Marantz set was an utter joke. Like comparing crap & gold. I sold the PL stuff rather quickly.

[seti]

Though I grew up with a house full of tubes (Dynaco stuff driving sand-filled wharfedales) I never got into them myself until I bought my K-horns back in the early 80's. I had to take the guys' whole set, like it or not. So for about $1800 I got K-horns, Technics SP10 table w/SME3009II arm and FR m/c cart, an FR step up trans, Paragon E pre, Marantz 8b, Phase Linear amp & pre plus a Stax earspeaker & box. Comparing the Phase Linear with the Paragon/Marantz set was an utter joke. Like comparing crap & gold. I sold the PL stuff rather quickly.

You "had to" LOL LOL