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I picked up hundreds of new, in box, tubes back in 1991, when a Navy facility got rid of all their vacuum tube equipment and repair parts.
Was wondering if it was worth designing preamps or amps with them, even though the ubiquitous 12AU(X)7, etc., are standards. Can one design around tubes that one has?
Follow Ups:
I think the answer to using these various tubes is a qualified "yes".
I was interested in the varied responses here. And I do appreciate the feedback. It is easy to see the difference in those who know tubes and tube circuits, and those who don't.
Those who don't simply say they are of no use. Those who do know tube circuits say yes...with qualifiers.
Basically, as I have found....where there is a will, there is a way. But for the vast majority of folks, it isn't worth the investment of time.
And I know I will have fun doing this. I have several different lab power supplies (solid state, no less!), that I got surplus, explicitly designed for tube circuits, for powering up tubes and experimenting/optimizing circuits with them. I saw the value in the power supplies when I bought them, when others thought there was no way anyone would want tube power supplies. Also, I have a WWII tube tester......another obsolete piece of equipment that most in 1978 thought had no value. I was in high school then, and thought, "Some day....." (I will have to restore it...caps and selenium rectifier, gauges, etc....But the charts for different tubes are interesting!)
Having said that, even if I were to design and build an "awesome" audio pre-amp or amp using these tubes, I will get the purist folks who say that it is a failure......that only tubes used by Conrad Johnson, McIntosh, AR, etc., are good designs and sound good.
So.....I will be mostly on my own here. I greatly appreciate the response from those who have a "can-do" attitude, for those are the folks I will likely be asking advice from.....
TV sweep tubes make awesome audio tubes. many of them pin-out like the 6L6/6V6 tubes (except for the anode, of course). if you screen drive them, which is a form of triode mode, you will discover a whole new level in sound quality.
"Was wondering if it was worth designing preamps or amps with them, even though the ubiquitous 12AU(X)7, etc., are standards. Can one design around tubes that one has?"
Absolutely you can.Take the 6900 Bendix tube. Antique electronic supply used to sell this tube for 10 dollars NOS in the 90s.Today they are as high as 400 dollars and there are tons of tubes such as the 5687 that have come out of military use that are getting used more and more in designs today.You would be surprised at the oddball military and industrial numbers that would work very well in audio but companies like Mcintosh,CJ,and Audio Research won't touch them because they don't make replacements you can buy off the shelf.
I have a ton of NOS/NIB dual pencil triodes that solder in and I'm surprised nobody has made a preamp or gain stage using those tubes. You no doubt have some in the batch you have.My RCA Bureau of Navy Ships receiver uses them.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken
"I have a ton of NOS/NIB dual pencil triodes that solder in and I'm surprised nobody has made a preamp or gain stage using those tubes"
Quad uses them in their preamp.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
You may want to check out Thomas Mayer's blog. He uses tubes beyond the usual suspects.
There's something to be said for the concept of using cheap tubes with the best transformers you can afford. Start with good iron and you'll never go wrong.
--------------------------
Buy Chinese. Bury freedom.
I think the simple reality is that time has moved on - we don't need tubes anymore for the jobs they did years ago. That rules out a huge number of tubes that were used in computers, televisions and all sorts of other kit. If you have a stock of them, just sell them for whatever you can get and move on.
However, as we all know there are a bunch of tubes that are kind of immortal - the EL34s, 6L6s, 12A*7 etc. that are still used in stage amps, plus all the DHTs like 26, 01A, 10Y, 300b, 2a3 etc. which continue to sound better than their alternatives in purist builds.
I can't see any real alternative to keeping the tubes that have a current value, as above, and just disposing of the rest. OK - you may have to go through stages of loss in your mind, the first of which is denial, but you can work through that.
If that stash does not have any 6L6's or 12AX7's in it, it is worthless. The TV tubes are too hard to use( vs a type 26? LMAO ).
cheers,
Douglas
Friend, I would not hurt thee for the world...but thou art standing where I am about to shoot.
...horizontal and vertical sweep tubes come to mind as well as some really high gm IF tubes. Damper diodes are useful for very slow warm-up, high current, low drop B+ rectifiers if vacuum rectifification is desired.
sure, maybe...what do you have?
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
I will be cleaning out the garage soon. I mostly have RCA tubes.
I will have to catalogue and photo the boxes. Haven't laid eyes on them since 1991.
Let's see some pictures!
Tube Porn!!!
There are likely some great audio tubes.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
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