It’s true about some of the new tubes Some are really good but you may have to go through a few mediocre ones to get a great one.
Why Can't Modern Tube Manufacturers Make a Proper Tube?
Current tube manufacturers, at least the ones I have tried should be utterly ashamed at their ineptness, apathy, ignorance, or whatever it is that makes them seemingly unable to make a tube properly.
And I never knew what I was missing before I tried reclaimed tubes from the 1950's, an era where people build things instead of ruining things.
The present manufactures are said to have the actual machinery to make tubes for which they have examples in hand and schematics on file, but they just can't do it.
Is this a case of Idiocracy? Are people just stupid today? The world and all creation do follow the 2nd rule of thermodynamics so I guess this is the case.
Listening to Black Plate RCA’s and Mullards in my system, even for a short time made it glaringly obvious that modern manufactures are embarrassingly inadequate. There is absolutely no comparison.
Why can't modern tube manufacturers make a proper tube?
1. lack of IQ?
2. Apathy?
3. Lack of Materials?
4. Lost knowledge?
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I won’t toss the baby out with the bath water. There are actually some terrific current production vacuum tubes as well as some not so terrific. I would not generalize. I have used current production EML 300b tubes in my SET mono blocks for many years. First pair lasted nearly 12 years with very heavy hours of use during that time. Simply splendid sound quality and zero reliability issues. The 101D DHT tubes In my preamplifier are current production Psvane.W.E. Replica. Again, splendid sound quality and very reliable under very frequent/heavy usage. So it depends on which current production tubes one is referencing. The amplifier’s rectifier and driver tubes are 1950s vintage. Same era (1950s) of tubes in my DAC. I’ve been very happy with this mixture of current and vintage tubes n my audio system. The sound is intoxicatingly natural. Charles |
many current production tubes are fine. some new production sound better than some old production. |
I'm generally not a fan of new production preamp, rectifiers . or 6L6s . The exceptions being Sophia Electric 6SN7s and 274B tubes which are very nice sounding tubes. (haven't tried their 12au7s or 12ax7s). I have been pleased with new production Gold Lion and Psvane KT88s , and Psvane & Linlai 845s. Not a fan of JJ, Electron Harmoniz, or Tungsol regardless of tube type . Otherwise, I use old stock preamp, rectifier, 6L6GCs and 7189As |
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