NOS tubes for Sonic Frontiers Line 1

Jea48: I posed the same question to SF tech support yesterday before I read your response. I'll post their answer when I receive it.

Does anyone have a "good" source for a few Amperex 6922 usa PQ's.Thanks>

They came today in the mail. The Herbie`s HAL-0 9 tube dampers. Sound, Tightened up everything. Cleaner, more focused. I do think I lost a tag of the bloom, but I think It needed to.

Sirspeedy, If you have not read "Joe`s Tube Lore" I highly recommend you do. Go to, Audio Asylum...FAQ...Tubes...Joes Tube Lore...6DJ8, 6922, 7308 saga part 1 and part 2. Great info.

I bought my Amerex PQ tubes from "Sam 1104". He has used NOS, and new NOS, NIB 6922. You can see his adds on Audiogon. Send him an email, He knows Tubes!

Jim

Here is the reply from SF Tech support concerning what happens during standby. It seems to match up with what has already been posted here and on the AA thread referenced by Jea48, but it's always good to hear it from the source.

First response:

Standby mode leaves the filament of the tubes running, so when voltage is applied to the plate (i.e. when switching on operating mode) the tube is of course already warm. When voltage is applied while the tube is cold, the cathode gets stripped of electrons rather quickly (especially if signal is applied at that time). Kind of like heating and circulating engine oil before cranking the motor in freezing weather.

Second response when I asked for clarification on a few points:

When a tube is running, voltage is applied to:

1. filament, because tube needs heat to run

2. plate, to give the tube a charge

3. grid gets negative bias - think of it as the spring on the accelerator pedal without which the engine would self-destruct

There are other grids in output tubes but just covering the basics here. In standby mode, only voltage #1 is applied. Standby mode increases tube life simply by keeping tube warm all the time. The rest of it is off.

In HT pass-through, tubes are in operate mode in case you want to change inputs back and forth.

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Hopefully this was informative for someone other than just myself. I'm still not 100% clear on whether or not leaving it in standby mode cuts down on the tube life. For example, does 1 hr. in standby mode = 1 hr. of music listening? If not is there a ratio? My tubes supposedly have a 10K hr. life expentancy, is that 10k of music listening or just on?

Well I am now looking at an early 60s matched pair of Siemens E188CC 7308 gold pin NOS tubes. I want to see if I like a warmer sound. Any opinions? This tube rolling could become addictive.
Have any of you experimented with the placement of tube dampers on the tubes? 1/3 down from the top, verses half way down from the top, in the middle. I swear I can hear a difference with the Herbie's tube dampers. 1/3 down tighter, half way down warmer. Is it my imagination??