The Blue Glow of Tubes

organ
organ Posts: 4,969
edited May 2011 in 2 Channel Audio
Just wondering if any of you have ever experienced an increase/deacrease in the amount of blue glow on your output tubes?

I'm talking about the good blue glow that appear on the glass, NOT the glow of gassy tubes.

Reason I ask is because the other day, with all the lights out, I took a close look at my pair of SED EL34 while they were singing and don't remember ever seeing them having this much blue glow. Pretty much the entire glass area around the plates had a strong glow. Last time I checked was when I first purchased them almost a year ago and don't remember that much glow. Been using them pretty much daily for almost a year.

I've been into tubes for so long but never really payed attention to their glow. I've seen more intense blue glow around the net especially on some KT88.

Anybody else experience this change with your output tubes? Is it normal to have an increase in that healthy blue glow as the tubes get used?
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited May 2011
    Same thing-- lights out-- blue glow--tubes out --tested- fine--back in--blue glow-- that was weeks ago--still playing well-- they glow now just like they did when new--but I must admit that I've never really noticed it so much as I have lately,mine are SED EL 34's too--I think mine have always had the glow-- just more noticable with the lights out.Almost mezmerizing.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited May 2011
    Mine always glow blue, but thats the Butler design. He does a good job explaining the blue glow at Butler Audio's web site and how he incorporates it into his design.

    http://butleraudio.com/idea.php
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  • Outfitter03
    Outfitter03 Posts: 563
    edited May 2011
    komamjutt reported.
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  • venomclan
    venomclan Posts: 2,467
    edited May 2011
    tonyb wrote: »
    Mine always glow blue, but thats the Butler design. He does a good job explaining the blue glow at Butler Audio's web site and how he incorporates it into his design.

    http://butleraudio.com/idea.php

    Me Blue Too.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited May 2011
    SED's seem to do that more than the other EL34's I own. It's kinda cool and totally normal. They say the Bendix 5992's do this as well only to larger degree. I would love to run across a quad of 5992's to run in place of 6V6's that didn't break the bank. $400-600 for a used quad is too much money for the rig in question.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited May 2011
    I think all you guys need to stop eating the leftovers from way in the back of the fridge!!
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited May 2011
    Fongolio wrote: »
    I think all you guys need to stop eating the leftovers from way in the back of the fridge!!

    Why ?? Thats where I hide all the good stuff.:tongue:
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited May 2011
    Thanks for the replies guys. I noticed the same thing too, compared to other EL34's. I tried just about all of them and the SED have the most blue glow. Glad to hear it's normal.

    Thanks again.
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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited May 2011
    I am running a Quad of SED 6L6GC's in my NS-40 and they have a nice Blue glow.when i had a Sonic Frontiers SFS 80 i had a Quad of SED 6550's in it and the power tubes really had a intense Blue Glow going on.all of the SED power tubes i have seen have this glow
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2011
    It's interesting that he quotes himself as to how awesome his product is....and the blue glow explanation is moreso a full on marketing statement. I'm wondering if it's possible to mention his business name in every sentence...more than he does already. It's almost comical.

    Tubes are available elsewhere and everywhere in the same tolerances and standards mentioned....you just pay for them in the same way.

    Butler is the first joint I've read about to offer any kind of 12v tube gear, which is just cool, regardless of how you look at it.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited May 2011
    Yeah Mark, he does get a tad bit full of himself at times. Regardless, he's a pretty smart dude and makes a good product. I guess whoever does his marketing feels a need to put the name in every other sentence for some reason. I've come to know in my travels that most really smart people are somewhat quirky when it comes to normal things or communication. Seeing that I've had his 2250 for around 6 years now without so much of a hiccup, I'm willing to overlook the ego part.:smile:
    HT SYSTEM-
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    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited May 2011
    I like the blue LEDs on my SS gear. :wink:
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  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited May 2011
    When you guy's see the "blue glow" do you also get the "MUNCHIES"? LMAO sorry couldn't resist!
    Main Rig:
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited May 2011
    The blue glow in the glass envelope is fluorescence (actually, probably phosphoresence, which is like fluorescence but the emission is longer-lived) of impurities in the glass being struck by stray electrons; it is benign. It is not uncommon to see blue fluorescence in output tubes dance to the music as it were.

    I sort of like it, myself.

    cheap Chinese ValveArt branded 2A3:

    DSC_0001.jpg

    Russian Sovtek branded 2A3:

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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited May 2011
    BlueFox wrote: »
    I like the blue LEDs on my SS gear. :wink:

    thanks for sharing. if you read the quote at the bottom of post #1 its a abstract comparison between tubes and solid state. TUBES RULE !
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited May 2011
    not too much blue glow in the new kids on the block - nominally "2A3" but more like a 300B with a 2.5V filament :-P

    newampdark.jpg
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