Zero Distortion: Tango Time

[microstrip]

Lol what country did that came from ?
Reminds me of a box I still have at home ,12 completely new( unrecorded )10,5 inch AMPEX tapes/ pancake from 1972

Isn't 1972 in the sticky shed syndrome period? Ampex were known to be one of the affected brands. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/scientists/projects/sticky_shed.html

I have got several boxes of these tapes cheap just to get the excellent metal reels.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I dont know I have to try , I d love to make a simple recording and play it over the system .
The old AGFA and BASF tapes leave a little bit of residu behind which needs to be cleaned once in a while , the newer ultra analogue tapes I have are the same in that regard .
My best tape is from the seventies , whether its due to the tape itself or the fact its a actual mastertape I dont know

 

[Tango]

A long time ago I recorded and posted Sibelius violin played by Ferras. I didn't even realize the Finlandia is on Side B until now. I should listen to all sides of record from now on...hehe. Actually I like Finlandia conducted by Barbirolli more. But this DG 138 961 sounds really good with low surface noise. So I picked to tell you guys this pressing. The conductor was Karajan. Buy this record, Ferras on Side A is also excellent. Today I take the AF1P for a spin. Best sound with SAT and AtlasSL.

 

[bonzo75]

Yes that Ferras Sibelius was excellent still remember your video clearly. The heifetz interpretation is also great though haven't heard on LP

 

[Gardener]

Tango
That recording sounds fabulous .
Do you mind me asking what VTF you have on the Atlas ?
I believe it is much lighter than recommended on the SAT tonearm
Thanks

 

[Tango]

Tango
That recording sounds fabulous .
Do you mind me asking what VTF you have on the Atlas ?
I believe it is much lighter than recommended on the SAT tonearm
Thanks

@1.7g. works excellent for me. The vta is much more crutial than the vtf imo.

 

[Gardener]

Thanks Tang
Love all the videos

 

[Tango]

I want to share my experience on loss of dynamic, drive and bass foundation. The past week I was bothered by the sound of my vinyl out of the AS2000 rig. I then cross checked switching to the Techdas and EMT927 and sound became much superior to the AS. I thought something might had gone wrong with the vdh or its setting. I checked but it wasn't. The sound from other carts on theAS2000 also sounded soulless. Next suspect was the phono. I have two EMT phono. One serving four carts on AS2000. The other serves the Techdas and 927. I then switched one from Techdas to AS2000. Banzai! All the power, the energy is back to the vdh/AS2000. I opened up the top lid of EMT phono and changed the tubes. That was the cause. The tubes went bad. In the process, I just learned that if you didn't close the top lid of EMT phono, it would go into automatic mute mode and no sound. Took me the whole day to realize that. Tube life of EMT phono is around 1.5 year given my play time of average 5 hrs a day 5 days a week. My ML3s are also on the second set of tubes already. The deteriorating tubes resulted a less vivid in tone. Every time I turned my amps on in the morning, I got this alarming nasty pop out of my woofers. Now I am stockpiling tubes for my amps and phonos for a lifetime spare.

 

[Steve Williams]

I want to share my experience on loss of dynamic, drive and bass foundation. The past week I was bothered by the sound of my vinyl out of the AS2000 rig. I then cross checked switching to the Techdas and EMT927 and sound became much superior to the AS. I thought something might had gone wrong with the vdh or its setting. I checked but it wasn't. The sound from other carts on theAS2000 also sounded soulless. Next suspect was the phono. I have two EMT phono. One serving four carts on AS2000. The other serves the Techdas and 927. I then switched one from Techdas to AS2000. Banzai! All the power, the energy is back to the vdh/AS2000. I opened up the top lid of EMT phono and changed the tubes. That was the cause. The tubes went bad. In the process, I just learned that if you didn't close the top lid of EMT phono, it would go into automatic mute mode and no sound. Took me the whole day to realize that. Tube life of EMT phono is around 1.5 year given my play time of average 5 hrs a day 5 days a week. My ML3s are also on the second set of tubes already. The deteriorating tubes resulted a less vivid in tone. Every time I turned my amps on in the morning, I got thist alarming nasty pop out of my woofers. Now I am stockpiling tubes for my amps and phonos for a lifetime spare.

thst nasty pop was one of your 6N30P tubes dying

 

[Tango]

thst nasty pop was one of your 6N30P tubes dying

Thank you for the info Steve. I didn't bother trying to find out which tube went bad so I changed the whole set. Now I know so I can keep the GM70 copper plate.

 

[microstrip]

Thank you for the info Steve. I didn't bother trying to find out which tube went bad so I changed the whole set. Now I know so I can keep the GM70 copper plate.

In case this happens you should send the whole set to Lamm. Elena will find the guilty tube and send you back a matched tube with the three good ones, charging just one tube. Usually the problem is not 6h30 going bad, it is mainly becoming mismatched when they age.

Although my experience with the ML3/LL1 is not long I have a decade experience with the 6H30 - the Audio Research's have a lot of them, at some time my system had 20 x 6h30's ! I built a dedicated tester for these tubes and found that a few had problems of infant mortality during the first 200 hours and that noise and several parameters only stabilized after 100 hours burn-in. Audio Research gear (and the VTL Siegfrieds, BTW) have hour meters I have 6h30 tubes with more than 6000 hours on them that still test perfectly.

Hour meters should be mandatory in tube equipment. It is a shame that most of the audio industry is still the age of the ignorance and voodoo on this subject. Surely IMHO, IMMV!

 

[Tango]

In case this happens you should send the whole set to Lamm. Elena will find the guilty tube and send you back a matched tube with the three good ones, charging just one tube. Usually the problem is not 6h30 going bad, it is mainly becoming mismatched when they age.

Although my experience with the ML3/LL1 is not long I have a decade experience with the 6H30 - the Audio Research's have a lot of them, at some time my system had 20 x 6h30's ! I built a dedicated tester for these tubes and found that a few had problems of infant mortality during the first 200 hours and that noise and several parameters only stabilized after 100 hours burn-in. Audio Research gear (and the VTL Siegfrieds, BTW) have hour meters I have 6h30 tubes with more than 6000 hours on them that still test perfectly.

Hour meters should be mandatory in tube equipment. It is a shame that most of the audio industry is still the age of the ignorance and voodoo on this subject. Surely IMHO, IMMV!

Professor. It took you three whole paragraphs to tell me how professional you are and how my head still in the hole of ignorance? Is this really your dna?

Sigh...

 

[microstrip]

Professor. It took you three whole paragraphs to tell me how professional you are and how my head still in the hole of ignorance? Is this really your dna?

Sigh...

Dear Tang,

My apologies, I forget about the fourth sentence , as you wisely did the right thing - in such case owners should not try looking for the bad/mismatched tube and just putting a new tube in it - matched 6H30 tube sets are mandatory in Lamm's.

 

[Tango]

Dear Tang,

My apologies, I forget about the fourth sentence , as you wisely did the right thing - in such case owners should not try looking for the bad/mismatched tube and just putting a new tube in it - matched 6H30 tube sets are mandatory in Lamm's.

Given your caliber you could have written in one sentence.
Apology accepted. I knew that I could send the whole set of tubes to Elenor to identify the bad one and good ones will be returned. Lamm recommends retubing every 1.5-2 years. Only make sense to me to change the whole set since I have reached the interval. Any ML3 owners without tube checking tool can have fun turning on/off their amps switching tubes until identify one when they could just get that service from Lamm. Just not me.

Btw, Do you happen to know the lifespan of the 12AX7. The info would be very beneficial to me.

Kind regards,
Tang

 

[microstrip]

Given your caliber you could have written in one sentence.
Apology accepted. I knew that I could send the whole set of tubes to Elenor to identify the bad one and good ones will be returned. Lamm recommends retubing every 1.5-2 years. Only make sense to me to change the whole set since I have reached the interval. Any ML3 owners without tube checking tool can have fun turning on/off their amps switching tubes until identify one when they could just get that service from Lamm. Just not me.

Btw, Do you happen to know the lifespan of the 12AX7. The info would be very beneficial to me.

Kind regards,
Tang

My concern is that 1.5 - 2 years can be 1500 or 10000 hours depending on user. Audio Research specifies 4000 hours for the 6h30, some users report that after 3000 hours the tubes sound lazy . Never noticed it on selected, good quality tubes.

Second paragraph: IMHO the technique you suggest is dangerous and should be avoided - if we insist inserting a defective tube it can go in a short and/or cause damage. The plate fuse does not give 100% protection - sorry I can't say it in a pleasant way ...

Third paragraph: The 12AX7 lifespan is a mystery for me, as I have seen very different results. Probably they differ significantly between brands. I got between 500 and 3000 hours on them. Fortunately the ML3 has only one of them. Due to the topology of the input stage matching them is critical in order to avoid gain imbalance between channels.

 

[Tango]

Second paragraph: IMHO the technique you suggest is dangerous and should be avoided - if we insist inserting a defective tube it can go in a short and/or cause damage. The plate fuse does not give 100% protection - sorry I can't say it in a pleasant way ...

I wasn't suggesting. I was saying if anyone want to do that they could knock themself out. I am not doing it. You read too fast and misunderstood my saying.

I know how hard I use my equipments. My habit is also to leave them on even when I don't listen. The owner should be best at determining when is worth changing tubes.

Arigato gozaimasu for the info on 12AX7.

Tang

 

[jeff1225]

Hi Tang,
Can you give us an update on the sub woofer project?

Thanks!

 

[ddk]

Given your caliber you could have written in one sentence.
Apology accepted. I knew that I could send the whole set of tubes to Elenor to identify the bad one and good ones will be returned. Lamm recommends retubing every 1.5-2 years. Only make sense to me to change the whole set since I have reached the interval. Any ML3 owners without tube checking tool can have fun turning on/off their amps switching tubes until identify one when they could just get that service from Lamm. Just not me.

Btw, Do you happen to know the lifespan of the 12AX7. The info would be very beneficial to me.

Kind regards,
Tang

All my equipment besides the ML3's are on 24/7 when I'm home, I'd say 12-15 months is about right but not for the 6N30P, they go more often at least in my amps. Regarding the 12AX7 I have the same Telefunkens in 20 year old ML2's and still measuring strong, the same with the Westinghouse pair I use in ML3 over 10 years old now.

david

 

[Tango]

Hi Tang,
Can you give us an update on the sub woofer project?

Thanks!

Hi Jeff,

The subs are four 16" TAD drivers front load open baffle. I had a back load before. I am actually pretty happy with my system. But Ralph the designer has become friend with me over the years. He designed the Gamma to be a 5 way. He wants my system to sound at its full potential. I also want to see where he could take me. I haven't confirmed with him when he would fly in to install. Here is a picture at his factory.

 

[bonzo75]

Sorry but why are you showing the back only of a front loaded horn?