My Tube Collection, Welcome to share yours
- Thread starter adrian cheng
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Many debates about the difference in sound between these Tele's. Which do you prefer?
Hi Lowrider.
Personally I am not a huge fan of the Tele 12ax7s (sacrilegious I know). I find them a little thin/lean sounding in the upper bass and lower midrange for my taste. Out of the two types, I prefer the smooth plates as they seem a little less etched (smooth plates are smoother) than the ribs.
Thanks for that. I'm not a big Tele fan except for the 6922. In any event, you've got a great collection and a very nice investment.
Small selection of Funken tubes. Just what comes together over the years.
The legendary 5751s from Joe’s tube lore.
Left, Sylvania Gold brand 5751 gold pins, right Sylvania 5751 triple mica black plates.
Left, Sylvania Gold brand 5751 gold pins, right Sylvania 5751 triple mica black plates.
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Dear @adrian cheng it is astonishing to see your collection. I'm quite a tube noob and start to get into it, especially for my DAC (started with NOS: 5Y3, 5V, EZ81, mullard ECC88).
My question would be, is it possible to cluster tubes (tonality: low-midrange / medium / dynamic-power) and component (amp / pre-amp / dac)
for people like myself to start with?
Any starting guide is greatly appreciated, already spent some days of google'ing, without too much success. Btb-elektronik has only sometimes some very short notes about it.
Thanks a lot to all your tube-wisdom ;-)
Gerald..the tube-noob
My question would be, is it possible to cluster tubes (tonality: low-midrange / medium / dynamic-power) and component (amp / pre-amp / dac)
for people like myself to start with?
Any starting guide is greatly appreciated, already spent some days of google'ing, without too much success. Btb-elektronik has only sometimes some very short notes about it.
Thanks a lot to all your tube-wisdom ;-)
Gerald..the tube-noob
Hi Gerald, Every tubes have their own sonic signature as most hifi equipments do.The problem is most high quality tubes are very expensive nowaday and I'm hate to recommended tubes as everyone have their sound preference and once you started you just can't stop keep searching tubes for rolling and eventually you will find out there are nothing available and the price also ridiculous expensive even you can find some.
Thanks for your feedback!
Still,nto have a better starting point (high-level clustering), from someone like you with soooo much experience is greatly appreciated. If you don't mind and I'm not wasting your precious time, you can send me a PN instead. Thanks a lot!
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Tube rolling of NOS tubes, old production becomes more and more a sport of the kings.
For the ordinary user of audio equipment, it often makes no sense to invest more than the price of the equipment itself for NOS tubes.
The problem is, there are those famous types of electron tubes that used half of the designers world in those days when it comes to design an amp. And that leads easily to the situation today, those famous tubes are still in need because the gear needs spare tubes.
I've seen famous tubes gone from good and cheap availability to nearly unobtanium since the internet started (1990s).
So if you need some old ones, better get them today. For ages, people treated, for instance, east europe tubes with disrespect. Now, when the originals are so expensive, even those tubes become a rarity and expensive. Many search for alternatives of western world tubes in the catalogues of Russia. Because nobody wants to spend some hundred bucks on an excellent NOS tube. This is for the real connaisseur, who has the equipment to fully taste those old tubes. For the people on the cheaper seats, lets buy tubes from today, they still are in manufacture. But don't expect those tonal and lifetime qualities that the old once had.
For me, first is to invest the money in the ingredients of the gear, and second came the elctron tubes. Never do it the other way around.
It just will not pay the best results.
Rainer Roeder in germany is one tube dealer which do categorize his electron tubes after tonal categories.
But to find your special and best combination for a given gear, I don't know if this is helpfull. Some experiences in this world you have to do for yourself, because its highly subjective. No one can do it four you. I've done my share, and the ones who I disliked in some combinations, are in the tube stash. No problem with that, it's still growing, because a new (NOS) type may be discovered tomorrow and then the favorite of today becomes a spare part. Thats a great way to tune the sound and have more fun with audio.
P. S. Beware of the tube fakes of very clever sellers today!
For the ordinary user of audio equipment, it often makes no sense to invest more than the price of the equipment itself for NOS tubes.
The problem is, there are those famous types of electron tubes that used half of the designers world in those days when it comes to design an amp. And that leads easily to the situation today, those famous tubes are still in need because the gear needs spare tubes.
I've seen famous tubes gone from good and cheap availability to nearly unobtanium since the internet started (1990s).
So if you need some old ones, better get them today. For ages, people treated, for instance, east europe tubes with disrespect. Now, when the originals are so expensive, even those tubes become a rarity and expensive. Many search for alternatives of western world tubes in the catalogues of Russia. Because nobody wants to spend some hundred bucks on an excellent NOS tube. This is for the real connaisseur, who has the equipment to fully taste those old tubes. For the people on the cheaper seats, lets buy tubes from today, they still are in manufacture. But don't expect those tonal and lifetime qualities that the old once had.
For me, first is to invest the money in the ingredients of the gear, and second came the elctron tubes. Never do it the other way around.
It just will not pay the best results.
Rainer Roeder in germany is one tube dealer which do categorize his electron tubes after tonal categories.
But to find your special and best combination for a given gear, I don't know if this is helpfull. Some experiences in this world you have to do for yourself, because its highly subjective. No one can do it four you. I've done my share, and the ones who I disliked in some combinations, are in the tube stash. No problem with that, it's still growing, because a new (NOS) type may be discovered tomorrow and then the favorite of today becomes a spare part. Thats a great way to tune the sound and have more fun with audio.
P. S. Beware of the tube fakes of very clever sellers today!
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Interesting comments. I agree fully that you have to roll tubes in your own gear to really get the sound you want.
While the cost of the best of the best of a given tube type has skyrocketed, there are still legions of slightly less great tubes readily available at reasonable cost compared to current production. For example, U.S. made small signal tubes from the 1950s and 1960s like 12ax7, 12au7, 12at7, 6dj8/6992, 6SN7, 6sl7, etc where made in the millions by companies like RCA, Sylvania, Tung Sol, Raytheon and GE. These are often overlooked by tube rollers who are more interested in European tubes by famous companies like Mullard, Telefunken, Amperex, Brimar, Siemens, GEC, and Phillips. The American tubes are in most cases competitive and a big step over most current production. Less people faking these as well.
If you are serious about tube collecting, attending ham radio gatherings (hamfests) is one of the best ways to meet off the beaten path tube suppliers and other traders. The first time I went to one, an old timer gave me a GEC KT66. Most of my tube collection has come from people I met at Hamfests, although i haven’t been to one in more than a decade.
Tube rolling is a lot of fun!
Enjoy the roll.
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