Preamp Tubes? - Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?

[MartyStrat54]

Man your work hours are starting to freak me out. Do you shoot mice at night with a pellet gun? What exactly are you doing staying there so late? Are you publishing?

What did you think about that $500 Black Sable Raytheon Black Plate?

Ridiculous.

 

[RiverRatt]

Yes, I'm publishing my ass off. Literally. I've lost 20 lbs over the last couple of months. Last week I put in a 20 hour day and a 21 hour day back-to-back. I'm just now feeling normal again (or what passes for it).

If I pay that much for something with metal and glass, either my wife is gonna wear it on her finger or I'm going to drive it to work. There must be a small market out there of audiophiles (I always hated that word - sounds like they molest stereo equipment) who are either sophisticated or gullible enough to hear the difference between a regular Raytheon black plate and one that's been to absolute zero.

You know what we need to do? We need to hunt down all that Russian space debris and pull the tubes from it. You know it had to have used tubes. Think about what being exposed to all that radiation and temperature extremes would have done to them. They are probably the best-sounding audio tubes on the planet! We market them and sell them in lead-lined boxes for $100,000 each, or $1,000,000 for a matched quad. There would be a surcharge if people in Hazmat suits have to come to your house and install or bias them.

 

[MartyStrat54]

 

[solarburn]

This is Black Sables price list for the Tube Depot. Check out the price of a frozen Raytheon Black Plate! I'm putting mine in the freezer right now.

http://tubedepot.com/bsct.html

This is as bad/worse as GT's snake oil!

 

[MartyStrat54]

Come on Joe. $499 gets you a real frozen honey of a tube.

 

[solarburn]

Come on Joe. $499 gets you a real frozen honey of a tube.

A $500 Popsicle...what tonality it must maketh!!!!!

Maybe they would trade my Night Train straight across for one...:eek2:

 

[RiverRatt]

I just scored a couple of Matsushitas for $12 shipped. Hoping and waiting...

I've been down on eBay tubes for awhile. Maybe these two will change my mind. It seems like so many of these two-tube deals are always one good one and one bad one. Usually the price is just low enough that you waste whatever you gained shipping the bad tube back, so most people don't bother.

I think the one on the left looks like a long plate. What do you think?

 

[MartyStrat54]

I think I saw those. I'm not moving them very well, so I quit buying them. I think the slant tops sound pretty good, but not like a slant top Valvo.

I can't tell from that picture what size the plates are, but they both appear to be the same.

$12 bucks is worth the gamble.

 

[MM54]

$12? Nice, that's less than you'd pay for a CP tube so it's worth it to take the chance that one's dead

Edit: Dang it, Marty beat me to making that comment while I was catching up on this thread

 

[MartyStrat54]

You know a lot of people are always bitching that, "NOS tubes are too high!" I have been saying for over a year now that, "You're wrong."

If a person is willing to do a three page search under "12AX7's" on EBAY and earmark the one's they are interested in, I guarantee that you can get four NOS tubes for between $60 and $80. Japanese tubes are still considered NOS, because the Japanese were set up and making tubes for American companies back in the Fifties. As I said, I don't bid on Japanese tubes right now, but they are a real bargain. A Raytheon "Select" or "Registered" are both Japanese tubes. These can be bought for about $12 to $15 each.

Most Marshall amps have a tone stack/cathode follower tube. This is a very demanding slot due to the cathode follower. The plate voltage can exceed what a current production tube can handle. With this in mind, a trusty old Sylvania Gray Plate in this slot will handle that higher plate voltage.

Now it is real easy to pick up a USA Raytheon Gray Plate or older RCA and use it in V1. These are also in auctions of just a single tube and they go for about $20.

So if your amp is a DSL100, you could get an RCA slant D getter for V1, a Raytheon Gray Plate for V2 and a couple of Japanese tubes for V3 and V4. This will make a vast improvement in your tone and cost you about as much as four Tung-Sol's.

 

[ken361]

Marty I need a good high gain v2 tube, your Mullard is pooping out I had to put a Tungsol in there, Out of all my tubes i dont have any really decent v2's let me know plz

 

[RiverRatt]

Get you a couple of Raytheon black plates so you'll have a spare. They are that good in V2.

How is the Mullard "pooping out"?

Beers to everyone! I stopped at my favorite beer store on the way home tonight. They were selling Newcastle pints for $1.29. Cheers!

 

[ken361]

Get you a couple of Raytheon black plates so you'll have a spare. They are that good in V2.

How is the Mullard "pooping out"?

Beers to everyone! I stopped at my favorite beer store on the way home tonight. They were selling Newcastle pints for $1.29. Cheers!

Gain is not as strong, been playing alot this year because im off work

 

[ken361]

when you guys play loud then you do some shredding or solo stuff the amp compresses more so how do smooth it out? I have a analog delay in the signal but still doesnt help much.

 

[solarburn]

Marty I found the original line up I first used when you sent me some NOS. You wrote stuff down for me so I had a clue as to where to put them. This is how my first line up went and I liked it.

V1- RCA 12AX7A medium gray plates tested at 23/25
V2- RCA 12AX7 Tall gray plates tested at 23/25
V3- GE Sylvania 12AX7 Tall gray plates tested at 24/25
PI- Magnavox(Japan) 12AX7A tested at 21/23

Currently I'm running this:

V1-Slant getter Matsushita
V2-Slant getter Matsushita
V3-Electrohome
PI-NIB, NOS 1970's prewar EI Edicron Label

 

[ken361]

Marty I found the original line up I first used when you sent me some NOS. You wrote stuff down for me so I had a clue as to where to put them. This is how my first line up went and I liked it.

V1- RCA 12AX7A medium gray plates tested at 23/25
V2- RCA 12AX7 Tall gray plates tested at 23/25
V3- GE Sylvania 12AX7 Tall gray plates tested at 24/25
PI- Magnavox(Japan) 12AX7A tested at 21/23

Currently I'm running this:

V1-Slant getter Matsushita
V2-Slant getter Matsushita
V3-Electrohome
PI-NIB, NOS 1970's prewar EI Edicron Label

you get that EI from tube monger? not that good as a V1?

 

[solarburn]

when you guys play loud then you do some shredding or solo stuff the amp compresses more so how do smooth it out? I have a analog delay in the signal but still doesnt help much.

Its only gonna get so smooth. I like mine a bit rough or raw sounding anyways. The more HIFI the less I like it. I'm assuming you have reworked the preamp section tube wise already.

Speakers and power tubes. What speakers? What do you have in the power section? JJEL34L's will smooth out the highs. I'm one who really likes this tube in my DSL. The Green crunch channel is the open channel as far as not compressing like the other 2. Got to use a pedal to shred there though and that can add compression too. The right speakers can make a big difference here. Thought about trying any speaker changes?

Too bad you couldn't post a clip and say exactly what part you want to improve. I kinda get it but man that would be useful. The EH6CA7's have great articulation and would be good for shredding. Great note separation or definition. Big open sounding tube to my ears. My favorite.

 

[solarburn]

you get that EI from tube monger? not that good as a V1?

Yes and yes. It is a good V1 but I am liking the way the Matsushitas cut in V1 and V2 mid wise. Plus they are dynamic and roll off well.

I may get another EI and slap it in the PI of my Monza as I already have a Telefunken in V1. Actually I think this EI makes a good tube anywhere.

 

[ken361]

Yes and yes. It is a good V1 but I am liking the way the Matsushitas cut in V1 and V2 mid wise. Plus they are dynamic and roll off well.

I may get another EI and slap it in the PI of my Monza as I already have a Telefunken in V1. Actually I think this EI makes a good tube anywhere.

I just put greenback 25watts in which sound alot better then the stock g12t75,amperex in the v1, v2 tungsol untill marty hooks me up i hope, v3 v4 EH which I think they sound smooth there,GE jan PI

 

[ken361]

my clips sound great with the line out going to the PC