mulveling
Responses from mulveling
| Tube amplifier - tube bias and time to warm up I was somewhat surprised that VAC Avatar's manual says nothing about tube matching, even output tubes matching. @inna VAC does recommend sourcing replacement tubes from themselves - which would include the necessary matching and low noise scr... | |
| Tube amplifier - tube bias and time to warm up Is matching output tubes necessary if I can adjust bias for each of four tubes ? Matching is not nearly as critical in that case, but still good to have. A bias reading is measured at just one point (idle), and you want the push / pull tubes to... | |
| Tube amplifier - tube bias and time to warm up Just speaking generally on push-pull tube amps: 0 mA is perfectly safe, unless the bias reading mechanism is severed (very unlikely) and it’s not actually sitting at 0 mA. In any case, you would see the KT88 plates start to glow orange (usually a ... | |
| Looking for a budget Step-up Transformer In that price class, the advantage of a passive SUT should be questioned, versus a Hagerman Piccolo (JFET based MC step-up). Certainly lower noise with the passive, but perhaps compromised sound quality due to the budget transformers. I’d just avo... | |
| 10 gauge power cord. Too much power for tube amp? Are power tubes or signal tubes more sensitive to incoming voltage issues, or amplifier power protection issues, which can lead to an amplifier shutting down? No, if anything they’re less sensitive to incoming voltage issues than solid state co... | |
| Which is better, a fussy speaker or a versatile one? What even is an "excellent room". That’s the most nebulous part of this abstract hypothetical. I find myself quite happy just avoiding obviously "terrible" rooms (also nebulous, but less so). I think a decent room can generally be made to shine wi... | |
| 10 gauge power cord. Too much power for tube amp? Not at all. As mentioned above, that sounds like a problem with your amp's circuitry or your tubes. | |
| I have an odd problem with microphony... Sadly, that is very common behavior for noisy small-signal tubes in high-sensitivity slots (preamps). Especially for older tubes with bigger plates. Phantom whistling, rustling leaves, comes & goes, etc. You either have to move the tube to a l... | |
| Big speakers, are they really the best way to get great sound? Most of us have had that experience - go to a show or dealer, listen to an ostentatious 6-figure dollars (or more) huge speaker, and think to ourselves "god this sounds mediocre or even outright BAD; I vastly prefer my own system!" This IS a good... | |
| Can you touch the tubes? You’re thinking of those awful halogen lamp bulbs popular in the 80s. Tubes are perfectly fine with skin oils on them. They really don’t care. You’re actually far more likely to damage tubes from them slipping through some silly cotton gloves. | |
| Deoxit Gold...Not Just For Tubes? but to tell the truth, I really dislike the sound of the system right after I use it. I just do it for maintenance purposes. That's why I mentioned the old tubes with steel pins cleaned to "gleaming". A couple of the tubes I've gotten like tha... | |
| Deoxit Gold...Not Just For Tubes? My old dealer (who I miss dearly), back when I was new to this hobby, recommended a once or twice a year chore of going through all a system’s contacts (RCA, XLR, spades, bananas) with deoxit. I don’t believe he used Caig’s (it was a cheaper brand... | |
| DAC's from the past, are any of them really worth much today? The Audiophilleo USB-to-SPDIF converter was popular ~ 10 years ago, and it sounded better (sometimes much better) than direct USB inputs of DACs at that time. It can also be used to support USB for older DACs - just stick it into the coax input of... | |
| Anxiety help needed. New instal of Hana ML Looks about perfect to me. Use your ears as your guide, at this point. The flat crimped part on these aluminum cantilevers may sometimes be a bit contorted, and might make things look a bit off kilter, even if the stylus is pretty well aligned. Yo... | |
| Anxiety help needed. New instal of Hana ML I have an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze that’s visibly skewed, certainly by more than a couple hairs. Align for the cantilever, and it sounds great. I know because I had another one with perfectly straight cantilever. If it starts drifting a lot then you... |