Wasn't there a German band the Telefunkadelics? |
What do you mean I'm wrong! Mazda, Mullard and others did make tubes every bit as good as Telefunken. It's a fact and you need to get even weller educated to understand. |
I don't know that telefunken tubes are the best or not. Only that I trust the brand and would expect a good product option there whenever needed.
This has nothing to do with how they "sound" or not. Only that I trust the brand to build a high quality product to proer specifications meaning the device will probably work well as designed. It could still sound like crap. How anything sounds, good or bad, is a completely subjective determination made by individuals. I would only assert that by using a quality device, the chances of sounding good to more people is greater than otherwise. |
I'm a US born and raised engineer that worked many years for a German company both in the US and in Germany. We lived just shy of 3 years in Germany. I've read this thread and wanted to weigh in with my experiences. We had two boys, 9 and 4 at the time we moved there. They both would move back to Germany in a heartbeat. I cherished the experience, it was a life dream fulfilled for me. I would sum up living in Germany is like going back in time in the US to maybe pre 1950's. What I mean is that we shopped for bread at the bakery, meat at the butcher, medicine at the drug store, etc. The big supermarkets had arrived but not caught on so much. The social aspect was fantastic. With one son in the local Kirchekindergarten we were soon invited to peoples homes in the neighborhood. My wife never felt lonely. She had tea somewhere with someone almost everyday. In Germany, their living rooms are the outdoors. People gather together everyday at parks, pubs, restaurants. Stores closed at noon on Saturday and didn't reopen until Monday morning. Focus on the weekends was socializing, not shopping. Hard at first but we got used to it. We missed the socializing as soon as we moved back to the US. My wife learned minimal German but got along just fine. She loved it there. Food was excellent and actually cheaper than in the US. We learned to shop every few days as the milk would spoil and the bread turn green by the 3rd or 4th day- ie. no preservatives. Cheeses and fruits were the best. Medical care was top notch and very reasonable.
Working: First, regarding the socialist side of things. My take home pay was less than half after taxes. VAT was 16% and that was on everything- even if you bought a house! An engineer with <5 years experience had a slightly better standard of living vs. an unemployed person. That's what the other engineers told me anyway.
As for technology: My opinion is that German companies are world class at manufacturing and quality. Their culture, their desire to organize and plan everything (including vacations) to the nth degree and their desire to maximize efficiency in everything they do makes them tops in their industries. One the other hand, because of that culture, they are not so great at creativity and design. We Americans are the best at that. I showed them a thing or two about design and development while working there. I also learned a lot about planning and organizing. We Americans are at an elementary level regarding planning and organizing as compared to the Germans. That tried my patience at first but eventually I caught on. One thing that frustrated me was that once a plan was established, it was nearly impossible to change it. Even when testing showed issues, deviation from the plan was not allowed. It took a huge effort to change directions. I learned to plan well up front. |
Great post Tonywinsc!! Just what I would say if I still had the energy to do so.
One caveat, If you factor in state and real estate taxes
it is no more expensive to live in Berlin that here in the Twin Cities. Less if you don't have a car which you really don't need in Berlin.
There is no price on the human scale life is lived in Germany. |
I am sure that Germany is a nice place to live, I would love to have the opportunity to live there myself, and there is no doubt the US is facing huge problems; and yet there are 618,227 people who were born in Germany living in the US according to the Pew Research Center and 192,676 people born in Germany have immigrated to the US since 1986 according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
Schubert, why do you live here instead of Germany since you dislike the US so much? |
Let me just add that if the same percentage of Americans moved to Germany it would amount to 2.4 million Americans moving there. |
Tomcy6, why do you ask such a stupid childish question? |
Excellent mature question Tomcy6.
One resorts to personal attacks when trapped in a corner/discussion. Pathetic! |
Schubert,
You're one of a kind buddy. No offense meant or taken.
John |
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The Quality of the Telefunken Tubes was (or is) based on extreme quality control of all parts, a connection with engineers and mechanics how to get the best possible results. Telefunken Tubes have different materials to guarantee the 10000h (or more), they were designed for shorts signal paths, they work with lower temperatures and the engineers found new solutions to reduce the gas pressure inside. They were made in a time, where maximum quality was the goal (comparable with old Mercedes Cars). This is also the reason why Reissues are ...well Reissues. Unfortunately there are also a lot a fakes in the market.
Some impressions
Telefunken E88CC
excellent details, transparent, accurate, 3 D effect, realistic and dynamic
Telefunken E188CC
sweet and clear, 3 dimensional, high resolution, dynamic
Telefunken CCA
perfect 3D resolution, clear and fine details, powerful and tight bass, dynamic, superb realism, transparent, sweet and airy sound |
"Unfortunately there are also a lot a fakes in the
market." To date; no one has counterfeited the diamond,
molded into the bottom glass of the authentic(nine pin
miniature) Teles. Easy to spot a phony, or tubes that may
have been rebranded. In the case of Tele's octals(ie: EL34);
it takes a knowledge of their distinct cathode/mechanical
structure to avoid getting burned. A bit of hilarious
Telefunken history: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqvvu9ZZfmY) |
BTW: Don't give me any static about the stereotyped tubes, in
that video! =8^) |
I was told materials used in making NOS tubes are no longer available or banned so quality suffers.
Telefunken 12ax7 and 12au7 ribbed plates are my favorite. Telefunken e88cc is very good but I prefer 60's Siemen e88cc. In my components, Siemen e88cc even best 60's Siemen grey plate Cca. |
What I do see with Telefunken 12AU7's that is different from all but triple mica tubes is a mica ramp situated between the plate spacer posts and the getter. |
