Thread: Anyone here into vacuum tube audio?

As a starving student, I listen to all my music through my computer...but I love vacuum tubes! I used to have a lovely 50-watt guitar amp back in undergrad, nothing felt better than cranking it up to 11 and looking at those little suckers glow as your neighbors frantically dialed 911. Back then I was doing a lot of artwork featuring vacuum tubes. I'd love to make some kinetic sculptures or something, making lite-brite pictures with el34s . I'm just fascinated with their look. One of my favorite places on the web: Tube Depot!

Vacuum tubes on punch cards:

Series 1: Glass Actors
Glass actors Pt. I by ~exfish on deviantART
Glass Actors Pt. II by ~exfish on deviantART
Glass Actors Pt. III by ~exfish on deviantART

Series 2: Well I Do Believe In your Hexagram
Constancy, Biting by ~exfish on deviantART
Merriment, Fellowship by ~exfish on deviantART
Subservience, Ignorance by ~exfish on deviantART
Waiting, Distress by ~exfish on deviantART
The Bearer, The Originator by ~exfish on deviantART

Other vacuum tube prints:

Trigram Scroll by ~exfish on deviantART
Your Place or Mine? by ~exfish on deviantART
recursion by ~exfish on deviantART
Gnawing Bite by ~exfish on deviantART

I have a Manley Gold and Neumann M150 (both Microphones) and they are by far the top shelf of my studio. No post, vocals are warm and clean enough to print right off the diaphragm. Combine that with some vintage Pultec's and Tube-Tech's and my job gets realllly easy. Anyone who thinks new is better than old just proves their ignorance.

Also have a Mesa/Boogie coupled with a TM-7 ScrotumSmasher that knocks the paint off the walls. Fun times...Now your making me want more tubes.

It's curious this comes up. I'm having my TV repaired and the tech tells me he has approx 300 tested tubes in their boxes along with a high quality tube tester. He's asking $500 for the whole kit and kaboodle.

Originally Posted by CTnewbie76

Yes, I agree that the tubes get expensive. My monoblock amps alone each have 2 300b output tubes, 1 input and 1 driver tube, and 2 rectifier tubes. When you start tube rolling from the factory supplied Russian junk to quality NOS tubes the $$$ add up quick. That said, tube rolling is fantastic. I just love how different tubes can really improve and change the coloration of the sound.

My system is a single ended triode 300b amp/preamp setup that produces only 12 watts per channel so speaker selection is critical. Even at only 12 watts, the speakers are so sensitive that you really cant turn the volume all the way up.

Tube amps (non instrument) used rectifier tubes? This sounds to crazy me. Using rectifier tubes instead of a simple 4 diode circuit to greatly changes the audio. You get much more .... stutter(for lack of better word) using the tubes because there is a much slower response time plus it is less efficient than solid state rectifiers... The power transformer's job is to boost the 115VAC input from the wall to 250-600V (depending on class) to run the tubes. The tubes need DC so the amp needs a rectifier. Tubes ARE diodes, but they are expensive, and touchy. Depending on the tube (Im used to the GZ34( the voltage is multiplied by up to 1.4. Im just surprised to hear this. What kind of rectifier tubes do your amps use?

Many audiophile tube stereo amps use tube rectifiers FYI. My previous 300b integrated used a single 5AR4 (I used a Mullard 1940s NOS) and my current 300b monoblocks each use 2 5U4GBs (I like RCA NOS). My monoblocks and preamp are both from Manley, which in addition to making fine professional studio equipment make very fine audiophile gear.

huh!very interesting thanks. I'll have to check out these tubes