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In Reply to: Quick Question... what fits a Korneff 45? posted by spwal on October 12, 2006 at 10:25:33:
You can't use a VT-52 (different voltages to begin with). You can use any 45, 145, 245, 345, 445, etc.
Follow Ups:
Thank you very much!
Yes, 45 tubes is what your amp is designed for. The 145, 245, etc. are all 45s with numerical prefixes that identify the manufactuer/distributor (145 = Arcturus, 245 = RCA, 345 = Cunningham, 445 = DeForest).
45A. I never heard of this type before I saw the picture. It turned out the 45A was an uprated version of the 45 with a higher anode voltage and anode dissipation. The 45A's internal structure looks identical to a regular 45, only the glass was now a larger ST16 like that of the 2A3 etc. The picture clearly shows that the 45A is somewhere between the VT52 and 45 in size. I got some parameters from my AVO manual which lists a similar filament voltage, so this tube is not a VT52 which is what I first thought. I find that this tube is a lot harder to get than a VT52 which makes you wonder if it was really made for a long period of time. I've seen about 100-200 type 50 tubes offered in all shapes and sizes, but not a single 45A... It seems the 45A filled a gap between the normal 45 and the 50 for power and operating conditions. The increased specs of the 45 allowed it handle 15W on the plate with a maximum voltage of 325V. This tube could get 2 to 2.5W of power in comparison to the 1.6W of the normal 45. I think the production run for 45A's was very limited since bigger and more powerful tubes took over from this point.Was curious about this... apparently rare enough to not worry about ever getting mixed up with one.
Thanks
the 45A was only ever made by Silvertone (Super Silvertone is how they were branded). The Rogers 45, however large the plates, were not branded or spec'ed as 45A's.(Digression: however Rogers did make some interesting 45s, and interesting tubes in general... they marched to their own beat. THey had some really nice globe mesh plate 45s, plus some other interesting mesh plate globes, like the R15, which is sort of a mini-45 globe in a way... very unique and rare).
Indeed the 45A was spec'ed to higher ratings than the normal 45. I have a pair, but haven't gotten around to trying them out. They show up from time to time on Ebay, a pair sold there not long ago (for cheap $, considering how rare they are). I have a 45 afficionado friend who swears he thinks the 45A are the best, and has tried and used just about every type of 45.
Given that the 45A was only made by one maker AFAIK, and was not a registered type per se, it's not likely any of the other makers really gave it any thought or tried to use it to fill the gap between 45 and 50 as far as power output, etc. The tube that was somewhat designed to fill that gap was the 2A3 (which was sort of like 2 45s in parallel in the same bottle, at least with the later designs).
IMNSHO, the EML 45 pretty much blows away all the vintage types as far as sonics.
Ed, real helpful on the 45A thank you.It seems that inmates are pretty unified on their praise of EML 45. I can voice similar praise, one damned fine tube, and the Korneff emits a sound like no other, but i want to try some vintage.
So why do inmates trade and collect the vintage so ferverantly? Why not just get a pair of sophia or eml and be done with it, if those are what work best sonically in modern 45 amps?
thanks
I'm not sure about the 45A, but I would suspect it could be safely used. This is rare tube that, as you summised, wasn't made for a long period of time due to the evolution of other power triodes. I don't think i've come across a 45A in the past 5 years, so I wouldn't worry too much about tube rolling this tube :-) I did come across a pair of Rogers 45 long plates that may have been 45As (though simply labelled as 45s).
gonna try some tubes off ebay and see how it goes...how much "better" in your opinion, are globe tubes than st tubes?
thanks
Better is a subjective term. I think the globes have a more euphonic presentation that some people prefer. I use and enjoy both ST and globes.
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