First let me say, I’m certainly not an expert. I’ve owned a CJ amp for the past 13 years. After talking to a number of very experienced CJ owners with a plethora of institutional knowledge on the CJ owners group, I switched to matched tubes several years ago. All four of the output tubes on my amp are matched even though they are individually biased. I also matched the signal tubes. If you are interested in purchasing matched tubes, it’s important to purchase tubes from a reputable supplier with all the required equipment to properly test and match tubes. Kevin at Upscale Audio is a reliable source in the USA. However, his prices are a little higher and most come with a guarantee. Rolling tubes can get expensive. I’ve found talking to people that own or have owned the same equipment for an extended period of time to be the most helpful and reliable. In the end, only you can determine if the added cost of matched tubes make a sonic difference in your system. Luckily in my case, CJ has an online owners group that is extremely helpful. Again, a number of non judgmental people with a lot of institutional knowledge and experience. I’ve never run across a rude or condescending person on the CJ forum. Hope this helps.
Calling All Tube Gurus
I know everyone loves to have their tubes come from the same date codes and manufacturers. But just how critical is this?
If you can determine that a tube was made in the same plant, has the same construction and date codes, how critical is it if the tube was made by Siemens and rebranded as an Amperex? Or let’s say the tubes has the same construction but were manufactured within a year or so of each other?
I’ve heard people say that if a manufactures tubes are not up to their standards, THOSE are the tubes they send out to the other manufactures for their branding. Fact or fiction?
Has anyone experimented to see how these variables actually affect their music? I realize everyone has their own tolerance to what is acceptable to them, and that it can also be system dependent, but I am curious to the findings any of you may have.
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- 24 posts total
- 24 posts total