mike stehr Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Hi, Is a 6dj8 a better preamp tube then a 6sn7 ? Larry It kinda depends on the circuit involved I would guess...... I have no experience with 6DJ8, but with my limited experience with 6SN7 is they can be quite microphonic. I built some 6SN7 linestages based on John Broskie's "Aikido" 6SN7 line amplifier circuit. A local friend had a whole bagfull of Sylvania green label 6SN7 chrometops. We tested the tubes on a emission tester and a mutual conductance tester, 25 of them. After sorting through the 6SN7's for strength and matches, we powered up the linestages and hooked them up to a 2A3 amp. (The linestages are mono.) The linestages use two 6SN7's in the circuit, so it would be four for a stereo linestage. The first tube is the voltage gain stage, and is the most sensitive for microphonics. The most quick and effective way to check the 6SN7's for microphonics was to leave the circuit powered up and yank the first 6SN7, swap in another 6SN7, let it come up, and then tap on it. The circuit has safety divider resistors so you don't send a bunch of DC overvoltage into everything behind the 6SN7 gain stage. (There are also safety divider resistors after the second 6SN7 in the circuit as well.) Some 6SN7's would just have a little "tink tink" when you tap on them. Some of them would go "CLANG! CLANG!" One of them just started screaming away, even though it tested strong. Out of about ten to twelve 6SN7 Sylvania green label chrometops, we came up with about three or four that were quiet enough to use. We tried two Sylvania chrometops in each linestage, but it made things sound a bit too smooth, almost to a point of dulling. We were both happy with a 6SN7 Sylvania chrometop in the first stage, with a GE white label 6SN7 in the second stage of the circuit. The sound was still smooth, with just a little bite. Worked out pretty good that way. I like the sound of 6SN7, but they sure can be finicky....... Uh ben......how did you swap a octal tube in a 9 pin socket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Uh ben......how did you swap a octal tube in a 9 pin socket? I can't remember. I blacked out when I chipped a tooth from the intense pain and suffering. That Fruity Music guy better lawyer up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Life is strange...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Right now I am running an SS phono stage into a tube pre into an SS amp. I think I have had every variation on the theme. For me tubes seem to carry the greatest benefit at the pre-amp stage and I do not find a great difference between my current SS power amp the the tube power amp that preceded it - just greater ease of use. Not had a remote on my system for 6 years now and don't really miss it. I just start the record spinning, set the volume and settle back till the needle finishes its course. I very rarely change volume during a listening session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LousyTourist Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 ah yeah, there is so much more to the music experience than just plunking down and listening. I find that the desire to 'tweak' is ameliorated by the vinyl/tube/horn rig. The whole record ritual, from selection to cueing, and then ... the best part ... the music starts to flow and I don't feel like getting a better DAC or what-the-h3ll, although I must confess that I splurged on a Garrot FGS cartridge and don't regret that a bit. Those that want the remote control, 300 CDs in a changer six speaker 'music you can feel' AV experience are in a whole different mind set than I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 You boys are romantics... that's a good thing. If a remote control (at least for volume) could be introduced into the mix, I'm sure all but the most staunch purist would jump on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Well, if you modulate the volume (goose it up and then back down) listening to a peice of music, what have you really done? Haven't you over-ridden the original dynamic range intended by the artist and engineer, distorting its original to your minute by minute preference? What's the best way? Do you turn up the soft parts, then turn down the loud parts; or do you just turn up the loud parts? Purist Pauln Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 No. It's more an issue of practicality and comfort. If I'm working outside all day doing serious outdoor work on a saturday, shower, clean clothes, crack open a beer or bottle of wine and plant myself on the sofa in sheer exhaustion - Yep, I want a remote. If I hear something in the background (pizza guy knocking on the door, child/pet, phone ring, etc), I want to have that remote in hand. Do I always want to hear the whole CD? No. maybe I want to skip a track here & there and not have to walk across the room to push a button each time. What if I'm listening and doing a project at the same time? Working on the laptop - answering a quick email, etc? I can't imagine living without one. Remotes are great. For 'me'. Sort of like Tivos, microwaves and running water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Right now I am running an SS phono stage into a tube pre into an SS amp. I think I have had every variation on the theme. For me tubes seem to carry the greatest benefit at the pre-amp stage and I do not find a great difference between my current SS power amp the the tube power amp that preceded it - just greater ease of use. I am in total agreement with Max on this one... DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviserated Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 My B&K system with its remote controlled bass, treble, balance, loudness, volume, and AM/FM Radio sounds very nice and comforting with all of my many different speakers. My tube amp does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny dB Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 The CD player remote will do all you need except attenuate. That's when pause works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 For those of us who started out on vinyl (pre-cd), and didn't know what the hell a remote was, if we wanted to hear it louder, or hear the music on the other side, we had to get up and do it. This was never an inconvenience then, and certainly isn't one now. To me it's always been a labor of love... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Yea, but - what if you were painting your toenails for instance? OK, I'll cite something male oriented... Say you're in romantic mode with your sig other? Or heck - just plain have a bad flu and feel like crapola? It's just a nice thing to have. I liken it's importance to the value of a TV remote. Are there stand-alone volume units with a remote that one could plug into these tube amps if they are stuck without one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Yea, but - what if you were painting your toenails for instance? OK, I'll cite something male oriented... Say you're in romantic mode with your sig other? Or heck - just plain have a bad flu and feel like crapola? It's just a nice thing to have. I liken it's importance to the value of a TV remote. Are there stand-alone volume units with a remote that one could plug into these tube amps if they are stuck without one? A different perspective for sure...they think of everything LOL Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Yea, but - what if you were painting your toenails for instance? OK, I'll cite something male oriented... Say you're in romantic mode with your sig other? Or heck - just plain have a bad flu and feel like crapola? It's just a nice thing to have. I liken it's importance to the value of a TV remote. Are there stand-alone volume units with a remote that one could plug into these tube amps if they are stuck without one? yes,I recently sold a Creek volume control w/remote on Audiogon,the drawback for some would be the extra set of interconnects to use it. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Meagain, the last time I watched TV was when there were only three channels and color was something some of our neighbors didn't have yet. We didn't ask, "where's the remote?", we asked, "Where are the pliers?", because the little plastic D shaped spindle that held tthe channel changing knob stripped early in its life. We changed channels with the pliers for years as kids - I guess Its all to easy now... By the way, I highly endorse losing the TV. Its clearly the most insideous and destructive architecture of our society, but I digress... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 By the way, I highly endorse losing the TV. Its clearly the most insideous and destructive architecture of our society, but I digress... I don't watch TV either.... ...but I attribute it to the big tube inside [][] Btw, I like remotes because I can get everything turned on and ready to go, and then I can go get myself comfortable and assume the listening position before any sound comes out. Then it's just one click of the button and I sit back and enjoy. For the longest time the batteries in my remote were dead and I hated the music starting before I was sitting. It just ruins the experience for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 By the way, I highly endorse losing the TV. Its clearly the most insideous and destructive architecture of our society, but I digress... I don't watch TV either.... ...but I attribute it to the big tube inside [][] Btw, I like remotes because I can get everything turned on and ready to go, and then I can go get myself comfortable and assume the listening position before any sound comes out. Then it's just one click of the button and I sit back and enjoy. For the longest time the batteries in my remote were dead and I hated the music starting before I was sitting. It just ruins the experience for me... Try vinyl...[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 just some more info to digest http://www.audionote.co.uk/technical/amppeak/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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