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RE: Favorite Tubes for DIY

Posted by andy evans (A) on June 30, 2008 at 04:37:06

In Reply to: RE: Favorite Tubes for DIY posted by Eli Duttman on June 29, 2008 at 15:56:36:

I know that you STRONGLY favor DH types.>>

Hi Eli! Don't worry, I get flak from all my fellow tube users except the two others I know that won't touch indirectly heated tubes. But the thing is this - I've been using an all-DHT setup for nearly 2 years now. Every now and then I put in an indirectly heated amp or preamp or such. Now, every time I feel I lose that ultimate transparency. There's just a subtle thickening and rounding of the tone. The zing goes out of cymbals, the breathy intake out of singers. That's as best as I can describe it - just a rounding and thickening of the tone.

Now, what most tube builders do is the opposite - they start with indirectly heated tubes and then stick in a 45 or 2a3 and say "mmmm - that's nice" Maybe you can only hear the effect if your normal system is all-DHT and then you switch IN the indirectly heated tubes?

>>However, triode wired 6V6 family tubes are stunningly linear and also easy to drive. Power O/P is slightly less than a 2A3 delivers.>>

The last amp I built before my DHT period was PPP 6V6, actually 7C5s. At the time I thought it sounded great. Haven't revisited that amp, since I sold it. I actually think it may be more important to use DHT small tubes, so might look again at 7C5 outputs. Very easy to drive as you say.

>>Being in "Old Blighty", you might be able to source Mullard made EL90s. Try those with your favorite DH driver. You might get a very pleasant surprise.>>

I fear I'm out of indirectly heated tubes. I've stockpiled about 100 of 10Y and 24 of 813, so I think that's the driver and output of the future - thoriated filaments!!! Nice!!! Should take me well into retirement turning out prototypes of those with different iron and input tubes. Though I still have the odd quad of 300b and 845 to use up for variety. I felt 813 was going up in price so I bagged some, same with 10Y. Haven't used the 813 yet - hope it sounds as good as people say!

Andy

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