Strange tube phenomena

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dragon1952
dragon1952 Posts: 4,896
edited January 2006 in 2 Channel Audio
Have you ever heard a tube sound 'slower' than another? That's the only way I can describe it, as if there was a pitch control and the speed was turned down a notch. I have a favorite 12AX7A I use in my integrated but today I decided to experiment with 2 others I had laying around, both 12AX7A's also. All are Amperex, and all say Made in Holland and all look identical but have different print. My favorite has worn orange print and a Heerlen factory code, one is an orange globe with no codes at all and one has red print with 7025/12AX7A/ECC83 and some other factory code. Both the new ones I tried sounded sluggish or slower in speed. I thought it was just my ears but when I put my favorite back in everything seemed normal again. The 2 new ones I tried I believe were NOS and are probably not broken in yet but I'm not sure if that could be why or not. Can 'non-broken in' tubes sound slower? It was very strange.
2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Inakustik Reference USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited January 2006
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    Wow, Dragon is this type of delusion that I can look forward to in 5-6 more years? :D

    If so, i've got to get alot more listening in while my mind is still in sync "left to right". That condition must be pure hell!!!

    Born in "58,

    DG
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,896
    edited January 2006
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    Go ahead....kick a man when he's down. Bully! :p

    It happened just like I said...that's my story and I'm sticking to it....final answer. :cool:
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Inakustik Reference USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited January 2006
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    I had an 12AX7 EH go totally wild tonight in a driver config in my preamp tonight. It sounded like wind storm until I traded it out, swirling and swooshing up and down like white noise going up and down the musical scale. Rolled in the Sovtek LPS for the quiet after the storm.

    Never have noticed what your are hearing tho. Good luck with it.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
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    Could be a dirty pin / socket that made that tube start to 'spit' D man.

    Could the 'slow' have been a lack of bass control, sloppiness? I've had that happen rolling different or new tubes....
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,896
    edited January 2006
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    RuSsMaN wrote:
    Could the 'slow' have been a lack of bass control, sloppiness? I've had that happen rolling different or new tubes....

    Yeah...it's more likely that it was some tonal difference that made it seem like it was slower. I'm very familiar with the CD I was playing though and whatever it was was very evident and in a really wierd way.
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Inakustik Reference USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • cmy330go
    cmy330go Posts: 2,341
    edited January 2006
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    Must be the season for tube trouble. I had a KT88 slowly going out in my integrated the other day. On some music you could barely tell. But with anything that had heavy bass passages it would make the vocalist sound like they were gargling peanut butter.

    Dragon,
    I'm by no means a pro at this tube stuff, but after hearing what I did the other day, I'm convinced anything is possible. I believe ya man! :)
    HT
    Mits WD-65737, DirecTV, Oppo DV-970HD, XBOX ONE, Yamaha RX-A1030, Parasound Halo A23, Rotel RB-985, Music Hall MMF-7, Parasound PPH-100, LSi-15, LSi-C, LSi-FX, LSi-7, PSW-1000, Monster HTS2600

    2 CH
    Parasound Halo P3, Parasound Halo A21, Sutherland Ph.D, VPI Classic 3 w/ 3D arm & Soundsmith Aida Cartridge, Arcam CD72T, B&W 802 S3, Monster HTS2500,
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited January 2006
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    Yeah, I've experienced the "slow" tubes. Same thing can occur with speaker cables.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited January 2006
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    I suspect the tubes in question are seriously unbalanced (transconductance) between the triode sections -- even if they're "matched" by other parameters.
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited January 2006
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    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    I suspect the tubes in question are seriously unbalanced (transconductance) between the triode sections -- even if they're "matched" by other parameters.

    Great call Blue...
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,896
    edited January 2006
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    Cool....I'm not crazy after all! Yeah, never thought of that MD. Sounds logical to me. I'll continue to burn them in though hoping they just need that.
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Inakustik Reference USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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