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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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In Reply to: Diving into tubes... posted by Mark Tinordi on April 9, 2007 at 06:09:33:
As far as getting shocked.....nothing to worry about as long as you aren't poking around under the hood. If you are, you need to turn it off, unplug it, wait several minutes for the power supply caps to discharge, check them with a meter, and ideally have a few resistors with insulated alligator clips laying around to clip across the caps to make darn sure all is safe. Clearly you don't want to trip and fall on it, break the tubes and contact metal parts, while it's running. I wouldn't advise letting the dog/cat piss on it either. Ditto on young children.Some of the chinese tubes can be hard to source. Problem is, getting a accurate schematic so someone can see what needs to be done to convert can be even harder. But the good news is that rectifiers, regulators, and small signal tubes all tend to last a very long time. A preamp that needed re-tubing once a year or two is called a "tube eater". It is not out of line to get ten-twenty or more years. But it is highly dependent on the design, tube quality, and things like power spikes.
So what I am really going to tell you is to NOT roll tubes at first. Instead give the stuff time to break in and for you to become well versed in your equipment's sound. Then and only then should you go ahead and then with only one item at a time. There is no better way to wear out tube sockets and cause aggravation than excessive tube rolling. When the time comes you have two very different ways to go. One, go with a trusted seller who knows your gear and can advise based on your preferences. This will cost the most but has the best chance of success provided you can effectivly communicate your needs. Two, go buy a big mixed lot of tubes off ebay and hope to find a few gems that you really like. Determine make/model and go buy them from a trusted seller.
Rectifier tubes and regulator tubes do indeed make a difference in sound. I can offer no valid reason why this is so but it is.
Current production output/power tubes are pretty good these days so you are in luck there. The rectifiers/regulators are generally okay but not equal in sound to the best NOS. The small signal tubes are where you can waste a lot of money in a hurry so take your time and do your research. In some cases you have a LOT of options. The 12au7 is one of them as there are ...gezz...like 15 different tube numbers you can use. And if the foreplay has enough heater current you can try other tubes like the 6cg7 that I like more and can be had at better prices.
So take your time as there is a lot to learn and a whole lot of people that will take your money. And we haven't even started talking about things like caps and resistors.
Russ
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Follow Ups
- Boy...lotta questions:) - Russ57 08:53:47 04/09/07 (2)
- good advice Russ, - REL54 19:59:39 04/09/07 (0)
- Thanks - Mark Tinordi 15:11:41 04/09/07 (0)
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