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Lets consider that this is a DIY forum

Posted by Russ57 (A) on June 14, 2005 at 12:32:54

In Reply to: Who cares! posted by cheap-Jack on June 14, 2005 at 11:14:58:

If we made commercial gear we would have no choice but to use tubes that are in current production and are likely to remain so. I am sure many of the designers of high priced gear that use tubes such as the 12ax7, 12at7, and 6922 would proably choose different tubes for their own personal home built gear. The reason wouldn't be because those forenamed tubes are terrible. Instead it would be because there are a lot of tubes out there on the used market that sound just as good if not better for a fraction of the cost. Given what a top quality NOS 12AX7 sells for why would I even want to consider designing around them? I mean a 100 bucks and up for a single nine pin minature is obscene IMHO. The sound quality is not in keeping with the price. If more folks had the ability to redesign and use other tubes then the price for a 12ax7 would go down but right now demand exceeds supply and makes them cost far more than they are worth. And all of this would apply to the 6922 and 7308 to IMHO. You can still get 6dj8's at reasonable prices sometimes and 12at7's continue to be affordable for now. But there are better cheaper tubes out there and building your own allows you to take advantage of that. So who cares what some high priced name brand gear used. It doesn't matter and has nothing to do with sound quality.

Once upon a time a 6sn7 might have been used. It was a good choice and made in large numbers. The same tube was also made in a 12 volt and 8 volt heater. But those tubes weren't used as much nor made in as large of numbers. So in effect it cost more back then to use an oddball tube. However the opposite is true today. It's even more dramatic when you allow youself to consider loctal tubes and the like. Again that would have ended up costing more back then but can be a lot cheaper now.

So it is not just that a certain tube sucks. It is that we, as builders, have choices that allow us to get a better sounding tube at a far cheaper price.....which just might add up to saying a 12ax7 sucks....because for the price it kinda does....and I think all of us should be able to agree on that regardless of the large number of sucessful equipment built around them.

Russ

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