Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : )

Posted by McGruder (A) on August 5, 2006 at 13:09:47

I recently purchased a Blue Circle BC-3000 preamp, which has left me giddy with the increased realism in my system's playback. My preamp is currently using 2 NOS Tungsram 6922's which I think perform extremely well for my musical preferences. These are extended yet smooth with good dynamics. They also have lots of bass which I wasn't expecting. The midrange sounds organic and alive. Any concerns I've had in the past with clipped, rolled off, distorted tube sound have evaporated and left me wondering of the possibilities. I'm very happy with this setup.

I've only recently become aware of the acronym "NOS". That used to mean "horsepower" to me in the days of hopping up cars. Within audio circles, my impression is this classification of tubes is heavily favored for good audio. This concerns me because these supplies will eventually be depleted.

1st question: what happens to the quality of our audio when the supplies of these tubes run out?? Are we headed for grossly inflated tube prices until NOS completely depletes, and then "settle" for contemporary ones?? Does it make sense to stock up on these today to invest in better listening tomorrow??

My 2nd question concerns the tubes of today. Why can't we make tubes as well as they were made in the 50's through the 70's?!? Can't the high end audio industry support the manufacture of good quality, long lasting tubes like the coveted NOS? How good are the best new tubes of today, or should I say how much worse are they than NOS? What am I missing? Perhaps I'm misunderstood about NOS vs new tubes of today (I hope so).

3rd question: What is the life expectancy of typical tubes if listening for a few hours daily, turning the power off when not in use? Is this a component-dependent thing?

4th: What are the most reputable and best suppliers of tubes? I'm well aware of Upscale Audio now (boy the NOS tubes are expensive).

5th: What is "microphonic" sound. Upscale Audio has there 3 tiers for rating tubes. Are these ratings well conceived with regard to truly audible differences? How much better is platinum than gold grade?

6th question: What other tubes work well in the BC3000? I favor remaining linear or neutral without any obvious sonic personality and being able to hear into the details of the music, but also natural, organic sound is essential.

Thanks for any anwers to these questions...

Ken

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Topic - Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - McGruder 13:09:47 08/05/06 (18)

Coolers - Eduardio 08:55:01 08/07/06 (0)

Thanks for your responses... - McGruder 09:23:09 08/06/06 (0)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Frihed89 07:42:07 08/06/06 (2)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - McGruder 16:19:21 08/06/06 (1)

Sweep tubes and BC - Frihed89 01:08:29 08/07/06 (0)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Jimmy 14:45:52 08/05/06 (9)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Mechans 19:37:01 08/05/06 (8)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Jim McShane 12:27:14 08/06/06 (4)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Mechans 02:07:17 08/07/06 (3)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Jim McShane 07:22:40 08/07/06 (2)

NOS Indication........kind of - Jimmy 10:48:57 08/07/06 (0)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Mechans 10:25:46 08/07/06 (0)

I do not fully agree Mechans - Jimmy 21:04:49 08/05/06 (0)

Errrr......... - Jimmy 20:22:51 08/05/06 (1)

BTW- - Jimmy 12:14:38 08/06/06 (0)

Re: Help this pathetic newbie to tubes : ) - Eli Duttman 14:27:55 08/05/06 (2)

Eli- 'to the grave'......... - Jimmy 15:07:10 08/05/06 (1)

Adder......... - Jimmy 15:19:57 08/05/06 (0)

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