|
SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
|
|
|
SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
|
In Reply to: Jeff, Thanks posted by Yada on April 12, 2010 at 21:48:46:
Relax a moment and just think. Let's say your Boss wants you to take out the garbage everyday at the same time.
Let's say you're a good guy and know what you're doing. Now, think: which way is going to get the best, most harmonious job of having you take out the garbage each day-- a Boss who WHIPS YOU each time before you take it out, OR-- a Boss that simply lets you take it out in the best way?
I think the answer is obvious.
Vacuum tubes do not perform well while being whipped, either.
You ask : "How much sonic quality is lost when a tube is operated for maximum tube life?"
That question is irrelevant because there is no such thing. When a tube is operated at its maximum life rating, it IS SONICALLY SUPERIOR to ALL OTHER operating points, period. VERY, blatantly, and audibly superior.
It is up to the amp designer to let that sonic superiority GET OUT of the amp's circuitry and actually drive a speaker with it.
Some problems arise in doing this, and are dictated by CUSTOMERS and designers who know nothing about amp design except what they study, prove, and read. Simple Common Sense is often left out.
(1) Is WATT RATING. It is ASSUMED that more watts= more power into a speaker. But, it might mean that it's nothing but more watts burned-up and not converted into actual music. In any case, the less power the amp produces, the better the speaker, speaker cables, and amp wiring and layout have to be in order to properly drive the speaker. You can see how this works-- if you want to use cheap, thin copper wiring in an amplifier, then MOST of the power will be burned up in the amp, or delayed musically in such a way that it will produce more heat than music even when it DOES get into the speaker. The bottom line of this is simple: if your amp is cheaply built, simply apply more watts and hope some of it gets through. The customer dictates this approach when he refuses to pay for good amp engineering which costs money, but really works.
(2) Is "tube charts". Customers love to read these things, the assumption being that one should design for a "flat load-line". Well, that's nice. Looks pretty on paper. Even fools a few people. Just one problem: tubes SOUND BEST at the RIGHT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, period. End of discussion. Regardless of "tube charts and curves". Regardless of anything else at all.... . Period.
For the NOS 45, the right temp. on normal types is reached at 245 volts across the tube, and at 28 ma. plate current. That WILL NOT give you a full two watts, and, if the amp is built efficiently (yes, expensively), then it will drive some tough loads easily, and reproduce the full musical bandwidth.. That doesn't mean you can short it out with a 89 db/watt speaker and expect music. For that, you use 1500 watt Solid-State unit, and forget tubes.
So, as you can see, tubes get Hot-Rodded by many who use them. They do this for several reasons: (1) It's the cheap way to force some output thru the cheaply built amp. (2) It looks good on paper-- they are scared "it won't be linear" if they stray from those tube charts straight-line sections-- but this is baloney. Also, music IS NOT linear, and neither is hearing. (3) It used to sell tubes in the tube-era, and few today realize that those old figures are meaningless today. (4) Customers want more watts/per dollar. That is just STUPID. Today, we have many examples of excellent, uncolored musical speakers that run at under 1/4 watt. Together with the latest studio A/D-D/A converters, it's been the greatest advance in audio in the last 5 years.
---Dennis---
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- RE: Jeff, Thanks - tube wrangler 04/12/1023:25:43 04/12/10 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
