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Hello everybody in Tube land.
I am fairly new to the tube experience and have a beginners question.
Do new tubes need a burn in period?
Thanks
Peace
Bernd
Follow Ups:
Bernd,Aurum is correct with his "Yup!".
I have not always paid attention to this effect, but I do much of my tube testing in my microphone preamp- 6-ECC83, 2-ECC81. When I bought this one, it came with 6-Sovtek 12AX7LPS and 2- Philips ECG 12AT7s. I knew immediately the Philips ECg were little nasties and these became Siemens ECC81, then 50's Sylvania 12AT7WA, then Siemens E81CC, and now the best of them all, gold pin Valvo 6201s.
But, the Sovteks wre interesting as I could hear them hour by hour becoming more open and dynmamic. I took them out*** with about 25-30 hours, but I was quite impressed the way they were obviously developing- "burning in". And the quietest 12AX7 I have I think - which is always apparent on a microphone preamp. The LPS is by the way, supposed to be based on the Siemens.
*** now 4 Sylvania triple mica, square getter 5751s and 2- GE two mica grey plate 5751s.
So-back to your question- Yup!
Cheers,
Bambi B
-Die Zukunft ist jetzt, die Vergangenheit ist kostspielige und Notwendigkeiten foerdert Reparatur.
Very similar experience on the often-overlooked 12AX7-LPS. Improves with age and can be quiet, smooth and not bad at all in some circuits. I've never stuck with it, but I've bought them occasionally during dealer sales because I regard it as a pretty good everyday current-production tube. (The other Sovtek 12AX7s - the WA, etc. -- however, have been too noisy so far for me.)Possible durability caveat on the LPS: Twice, in idiot mistakes with my Marchand crossover, I've screwed up after testing news mods and powered on all nine 12AX7s before they've had any heater current. In both cases I had a mixed batch of tubes installed -- roughly half Amperex orange globe 12AX7s, and half of them brand-new Sovtek 12AX&LPS tubes. In both cases, the new Sovteks were instantly ruined but the Amperex were unfazed.
Depending on the tube, I like to leave new tubes on for about 30 hours before giving them some critical listening.
Welcome to tubeland, a word of warning though most of us have various stages of an incurable illness. The more mild form is tubeitis which comes & goes from time to time, & the more chronic infection the tubeacholic. This form speaks in a foreign tongue, which causes people at parties to develop a glazed look on their eyes when they utter words like Telefunken or 300B.
Thanks Ian,
I think I am already infected with tubeitis.Strange looks have happened already, through me mumbeling telefunken etc.. I feel at home here.
I shall give the nos telefunken some 30 hours then.
Peace
Bernd
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