gs5556
Responses from gs5556
| Do vacuum tube test values reflect sound quality? You really cannot tell anything about sound quality from test numbers. In fact, test numbers can be misleading. For example. if you test two tubes of the same type and one has a higher transconductance than the other, it is assumed that tube will ... | |
| Can you do anything to make power tubes last longer ? Check the heater voltages. If they are above spec, the tubes will fade a lot quicker. Most of the time this is due to high wall voltage above 120V (or 240V) so you can't do much about that other than a transformer. If the wall power is okay then t... | |
| What does 90% of the Absolute Best Sound Cost? Problem with price comparisons is not every dollar goes to sound quality. For starters, you have to adjust for dealer and distributor markup. Then add the large overhead and marketing costs for large companies. Fancy milled cases also add a premiu... | |
| Preamp Output Completely Different with Tube Amplifier versus Solid State Amplifier By looking at the specs, the First Watt has an input sensitivity of 530mV for a 1-watt output at 8 ohms and the ATM-300 has an input sensitivity of 290mV for a 9-watt output at 8 ohms. That is 29dB gain vs a 15dB gain for the First Watt. Also, I ... | |
| Question about high current amps versus "not high current amps" Amplifiers are not about power. Power is consumed by the load, whether it's a resistor, a motor or a speaker driver. The amplifier is an energy source and does not necessarily follow Ohm's Law. As an example, if you short a 9-volt battery with a 1... | |
| Stereophile review of the new Wilson Watt/Puppy Did the reviewer use the word "reticent"? Because it means the speaker is restrained or holding back when it comes to pop and rock, as compared to jazz and orchestral. Doesn't make sense to me either as orchestral has a much wider dynamic range... | |
| I hate to say it, but now I think maybe I like my amp in ultralinear mode versus triode UL mode is a pentode in "partial triode" mode. The screen and plate are operated at the same voltage and when the screen is tapped at the load (plate) it's triode mode and pentode mode when the screen is tapped at the B+ of the transformer. In bet... | |
| Issue with Krell KSA-250 What I would first start to look for: Check for DC at the wall outlet. Check if the transformer cover can be moved by hand, if so then look at the bolts holding down the cover. Remove the cover and see if the rubber or elastomer bushing is still ... | |
| Why tube rectification? Tube rectifiers develop a larger forward voltage drop than silicon rectifiers (up to 50 volts for the tube vs about 2 to 3 volts for the diodes) so that may have quite an effect on the amp as it will change the operating parameters. I would vote N... | |
| Pass Labs XA30.5 Fuse Issue/Question You should play the amplifier through another set of speakers before calling the seller or Pass. Tripping a mains fuse at higher playing volumes makes the Harbeths the prime suspect. | |
| Speaker wire impedance? Speaker impedance? Keep in mind the test leads on the DMM are not resistance-free and the DMM itself has a tolerance at different ohm readings, but usually don’t state or promise any tolerances when measuring below 500 ohms. Measurements in the milliohm ranges shoul... | |
| No More Fake Reviews - So Who’s Gonna Tell Us What To Buy? If a reviewer states that he was given or purchased the product at a discount then to me the manufacturer wrote the review. | |
| Are REL the most Musical Subs? I have a pair of S/510's with Tannoy Autograph Mini's in a near field setup (7 feet away) with the subs far removed from walls and corners. The integration with the Tannoys is perfectly seamless, even following their field of imaging and making th... | |
| DC Offset Issue in Don Sachs Preamp Definitely call Don. But before you do, disconnect all inputs into the preamp and cycle it on and off to rule out the signal source as the problem. Without a schematic it is difficult to guess what the problem is. | |
| Crucial TUBE question Did the tube glow at all? The pin configuration of a rectifier puts no voltage to the KT150 plate and does not complete the heater circuit. In other words a tube with no voltage to glow the base or the top. No glow means no power and therefore a d... |