Caveats, in relation to "tube rolling". First, in my experience mediocre sounding gear does not become wonderful sounding gear via tube rolling. If you don't like the sound of your preamplifier, don't expect to transform it by buying expensive "rare" tubes. Maybe that which is already "good" can be made a little better, at best. However, with some understanding of circuit design, sometimes changing a capacitor or the basic topology, here or there, can make a big and permanent difference. Second, keep an open mind. Sometimes you will be surprised by a Chinese or Russian made tube compared to an NOS Euro or US made tube. Also, in some rare cases, you can substitute one TYPE for another which can be a big step up, but you need to know that the replacement tube will be connected to the circuit the same as the discarded tube. Any time you can get rid of a 12AU7 or ECC82 in favor of a 6FQ7 or 6CG7, you will be happy, but in some cases you will need to do some soldering. (6FQ7 and 6CG7 are electrically like a 12AU7 but filament current and voltage and connections need to be considered.)
Newb Tube question
Having recently acquired a Pro Ject Tube Box S2 phono stage, I'm liking what I hear and am wanting to learn more about tubes.
I see reference to the plates inside the tubes... "short plate", "long plate", "smooth plate", etc.
Is there any sonic difference with the different plate characteristics, or is the quality and manufacturer more important?
Are there brands to seek or avoid?
Just curious... Don't know if my lower-end *system or my 65 year old ears are capable of resolving the difference between tubes anyway.
Thanks!
*System:
Emotiva BasX PT-100 preamp, Emotiva BasX A300 power amp, Zu Libtec speaker cables feeding Maggie 1.6's, Morrow interconnects, Technics sl-1200 mk2 w/ Nagaoka mp-200 cartridge and before-mentioned Project Tube Box S2 phono stage.
I see reference to the plates inside the tubes... "short plate", "long plate", "smooth plate", etc.
Is there any sonic difference with the different plate characteristics, or is the quality and manufacturer more important?
Are there brands to seek or avoid?
Just curious... Don't know if my lower-end *system or my 65 year old ears are capable of resolving the difference between tubes anyway.
Thanks!
*System:
Emotiva BasX PT-100 preamp, Emotiva BasX A300 power amp, Zu Libtec speaker cables feeding Maggie 1.6's, Morrow interconnects, Technics sl-1200 mk2 w/ Nagaoka mp-200 cartridge and before-mentioned Project Tube Box S2 phono stage.