That’s pretty helpful, thanks for taking the time to write that up.
I was just about to ask what is the clearest tube, rather than focus on top 3’s guess Steve’s forum/thread resolved that.
Still got me questioning what’s the difference between clarity and detail. Seems like the same thing, as I am not able to get distinguish the two
I will contact Brent and see what he says, and yea I know they need to be burned in.
Kind of had the incorrect notion that these tubes need to be replaced, of course eventually. I had thought like annually, not sure if that’s correct, but seems like some people have bought and had them for a very long time.
Guessing the photos above of people sharing tube collection pics are probably the original tube they bought.
I really recommend Vintage Tubes, specifically for you, because you generally have a lot of questions (I mean that in the best possible way ) and the owner, Andy, loves to talk, and will spend as much time as you want answering every question you have.
Also, be prepared that because you have a hybrid, the different tubes may not impact the sound as much as you expected.
Different tube types have different lifespans. Generally speaking though, I’ve seen many posts that new production tubes (i.e. those being made in factories today) don’t last as long as the vintage tubes, but I will let the experts on the forum say whether or not that’s true. But there are tubes that were built to a higher spec, like the military, which are expected to last longer, and you’ll see that pointed out on Brent’s site.
Also, to preserve the life of the tubes, I’ve been advised to turn my amp on when I want to start listening and leave it on for the rest of my listening day, because repeatedly turning it on and off throughout the day is not good. Leaving it on permanently will also wear out the tube.
Noticed the error. They mean 5814, not “5184” tube, and there is a whole world of 5814 tubes, not just the mentioned Siemens but Sylvania Gold Brand, Sylvania Grey plate, RCA, Raytheon 5814, etc.
And then there is the world of 6211 tubes, “computer grade” tube that usually can be sub’d into 12AU7 positions. Certain tube vendors have hyped up the Telefunken 6211 and sell them for $$$, but look to RCA 6211 Orange label tubes which somehow combines Siemens-like detail and presence with RCA-signature warmth and density
I have Silbatone 300b SET amp fitted with WE 300b made in 1950s.
Also I have Line Magnetic 805 and Rogue Cronus Magnum II fitted with Telefuken 12Ax7 and Amperex 12au7 which was used to drive Sr1a with beautiful tones.
I also have Schitt Freya + pre.
I have 50 pairs of 6sn7 tubes most made in 40’s and 50’s.
25 pairs of 6sl7 tubes tubes most made in 40’s and 50’s.
20 pairs of 6f8g tubes (6sn7 variant).
11 pairs of Nos 805 tubes.
4 more pairs of 300b tubes (new production0.
5 pair of Nos 12 Au7 tubes.
4 pairs of Nos 12 ax7 tues.
4 pairs of KT 120 for Rogue Cronus.
I had spent more than 20 K $ on Nos tubes so far.
But it is my lifetime collection that I would not sell.
Oh great, yea the phone idea sounds good. Yea I am aware of the tube warm up. The first time I used my amp I had it on for 30 mins.
This unit unlike the ta-10 isn’t getting blazing hot. When I watched the review of the ta-10 people said to be careful at the bottom and amp portion of the unit if you pick it up after use. Everything from the the tube to the solid state in the top area. Even after 8-9 hours nothing is more than Luke warm. ASR had mentioned that the heat from the ta-10 will probably decrease longevity.
Honestly this Chinese tube isn’t bad, but I feel like it can improve, nor has it burned in. Then again this is my first time with a tube.I know hybrids aren’t going to provide that full tube sound. But I really enjoy this unit. I think it is a little better than my JNOG and I really enjoyed the JNOG.
When I went to the Schitt store the $99 tube amp they had vs the rest of their budget amps honestly had very little difference in sound, not sure if that was a hybrid. This unit and the Jnog does have a clear difference, even though both are good at least it’s noticeable. Wish I could tell you what I’m hearing difference wise.
On my Elegia it has more bass, never heard my earphones have that much bass. Guess more air or wider soundstage, not that it’s wider per say but it feels like vocals are spread out. Cover a larger area of hearing which make it sound better distributed, not really instruments having separation wise. guitars sound killer, guess that has to do with decay. I’m just regurgitating terms that I recall and can’t say for certain
Take that tube out of your unit and tap it on its side firmly on a table top. Then, hold it upright and tap it firmly with a wooden pencil. This will nearly always knock the offending flake of material out of the grid where it will cause no more noise. Reseat the tube and give it a good 12 to 48 hours of burn in time and the noise should be gone for good.
Hey, guess what, tapping the tube worked…probably. I followed the instructions and instead of loud, constant crackle, there’s now a little bit of noise that comes in and out every few minutes. Hopefully it disappears after a few hours.
And guess which 12au7 I liked the best? The one I started with!
Baldwin green label, made by Sylvania. It has great clarity, allowing raw music to sound raw, and beautiful music to sound beautiful. It has a tight bass, nice holographic mids and an extended top end that isn’t bright. The RCA sounded a little veiled in comparison, the Mullard seemed rolled off in the highs and the Mazda had a little too much brightness. I do miss the euphonic bass and mids in the Mullard, but this Baldwin has many other qualities that I’m looking for. Everyone has their own sound signature they’re chasing, so YMMV.
Of course the one I like happens to have the intermittent crackle, but if that doesn’t go away, it doesn’t matter because Brent Jessee is selling them at $15 each.
Tapping tubes while they are running hot, is a great way to cause further damage and further noise. It might work temporarily, but is not a solution. Honestly, I don’t touch my tubes when they are running. Every now and then I might get a noisy power tube, and I have given them a hard wack in my hand (while they are cool and not running in the amp) to perhaps move tiny parts inside the tube a bit from touching each other, and causing shorts or arcs. However, never hit, tap, or touch your tubes while the are running hot in your amp, if you are planning on using them for many years to come. Tapping a hot tube, is also a great way to cause a tube to become microphonic, which we all don’t want.
I always thought is was freaking crazy Brent Jesse charged extra for tapping on your tube? Paying extra to possibly damage the tube? Another reason I don’t buy tubes from him. There are quite a few other reasons as well, but I won’t go into it here. Let’s just say a couple of my friends own calibrated tube testers.
Good advice for tube rolling in general. Justin told me something along the same lines, to not touch them while the amp is on, and to be patient and let the tubes cool properly before switching them. But I don’t see anything in the Brent Jessee link that suggests the tapping should be done to tubes that are running hot in the amp. Either way, your supplemental advice is good for tube newbies like me.
I don’t see any extra charges on his site for tapping. As far as I can see, he was providing free advice to people with noise problems.
Thanks. Noise testing wasn’t mentioned on the pages I was looking at (primarily 12au7, 6550, 5ar4) so I wonder why he’s offering it for specific tubes. I wonder why he’s charging for it at all - if I buy a tube and it’s noisy then I’m sending it back and asking for a refund. I don’t feel the need to pay up front for that test, other than avoiding the PITA to return it.
That is peculiar. Maybe there are some sensitive applications for those tubes where you might want extra clean ones. Or maybe they’re more prone to noise. I hadn’t seen that service offering either.
Generally I would think that selling a noisy tube isn’t good for business. A lot of vendors up charge for matching, low micro phonics, high gain so to charge for the testing isn’t unheard of. Tapping a tube may be what he does to get a better measurement if he finds them noisy.
I’ve never had a bad tube from him but his measurement practices can be different than what others do.
I hope it works out for you! Not sure how common this experience is, but I had this crackling happen to a used Sylvania bad boy tube (one of a pair), and the tapping fixed/improved it for a while, but it eventually just died altogether. Was about a week or two.
The most I’ve ever done with a tube while hot is gently nudge it if I was getting static, just to reseat it in the socket.
I’ve got one tube that is staticky that is likely due to grid current, I doubt tapping would fix it but what the hell, I should try it. It’s the first tube that’s gone squirrelly on me. Too bad too, cause I liked it.
) and the owner, Andy, loves to talk, and will spend as much time as you want answering every question you have.
