Can you have too many tubes?

Ellery911, now your compliments are embarrassing me :^).

I use all those tubes because the designer of each of those pieces of gear thought that was the quantity needed. I do have a lot of spare tubes in my inventory, maybe two hundred ?

Some are really great like Amperex 7308 CEP, which I never seem to get around to using because I love Telefunkens so much. I just purchased 18 Mullard XF2 EL34 from a contact and working on 15 more from a contact in West Germany.

I'm as hopelessly in love with tubes as I am with software. My listening room is full of LP's and my photo studio has boxes and boxes of tubes.

It is fun trying to explain to art directors and clients what "tubes" are.

"Do they still make those ???" is the usual question.

At that point I'm afraid to mention I still listen to LP's :^).

Albertporter, I now feel emasculated, as I can only "get it up" to 35 tubes in my system :-)
You're going after 33 Mullard EL-34's?!!! Did I mention that I am your long lost brother, cousin, nephew, uncle [pick one]?

Funny, I have shown some tubes [6AS7 power triodes from my Atma-spheres...Hi Ralph!] to younger people, and they have never seen a tube nor do they know anything about tubes!

I'm glad that you're a true audiophile and music lover. There are some dilettantes that might also have a "state of the art" system, more for show and "braggin' rights", rather than for the true emotional ecstasy that such a system can deliver.

And thanks for providing the excellent photo coverage from many audio shows. Much appreciated by this overweight hook-bill!

Only 200??? I bet if you added up all the ones in the studio........and that big trunk that you have.......

(Albert has a trunk of output tubes, sorted as to how each sounds, and can be swapped out depending on source material.)

.......it would add up to more than 200.

Right?

You're going after 33 Mullard EL-34's?!!! Did I mention that I am your long lost brother, cousin, nephew, uncle [pick one]?

Truth is, I am still planning a test with 2 pair of Air Tight ATM-3 mono's (instead of 1 pair of ATM-3's plus 1 pair of VTL 750's).

The pair I have now are tubed up with Tele drivers and Mullard XF2's EL34's. Another pair of Air Tights will REQUIRE 12 more Mullards minimum, assuming no careful matching or spares.

Add the fact that each of my four Aesthetix outboard power supplies require two more Mullards each (8 total) and you can see why 33 tubes are not too many.

Actually like AR_t says......it should add up to more than 200.

At least in my dreams :^).

Albertporter, my comment about the 33 Mullards was in no way meant as any kind of criticism. I was impressed with someone who would spend the time effort, and MONEY to go with the best...33 times, no less.

Enjoy...as I'm sure that you will!