Totally Tubular: The Tube Thread

The tubes are playing so good.
Can't believe the sound of metal on cymbals and and the ability to bring another level of sound from the same speakers and table, especially with percussion and vocals.


Very rich and resolute sounding even in the minor details. People describe distortion with a tube signal. I'm not hearing anything like that, but it could just be how we hear the sound. Eye opening for sure!

Eastern Sounds is in the house!

Cheers-

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Received the SICO tester today.
Wow, this thing is absolutely immaculate.
I'm guessing it was made some time in the 50s.
I hit it with some DeoxIT 5 and couldn't wait to see how it works.
Best news is that it actually works and comes with the manual.


12AU7 in the test bed.
First pic is testing for a short or leakage. Orange light is bad unless it's coming on in the #5 switch matching the filament continuity on the scroll paper below. Whew, I had to read that paragraph in the manual several times and then grab a beer to calibrate my thoughts. That was heavy.

Second pic is testing tube quality with flipping another switch. That's where I get a good strength signal on the roll chart. Ref top scale (A).

The 0-100 scale will allow me to match tubes on my own now within the scale readings.
That is very 😎

Seriously very nice piece of vintage gear that I am stoked to own and use.
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Jbraswell said:
Received the SICO tester today.
Wow, this thing is absolutely immaculate.
I'm guessing it was made some time in the 50s.
I hit it with some DeoxIT 5 and couldn't wait to see how it works.
Best news is that it actually works and comes with the manual.


12AU7 in the test bed.
First pic is testing for a short or leakage. Orange light is bad unless it's coming on in the #5 switch matching the filament continuity on the scroll paper below. Whew, I had to read that paragraph in the manual several times and then grab a beer to calibrate my thoughts. That was heavy.

Second pic is testing tube quality with flipping another switch. That's where I get a good strength signal on the roll chart. Ref top scale (A).

The 0-100 scale will allow me to match tubes on my own now within the scale readings.
That is very 😎

Seriously very nice piece of vintage gear that I am stoked to own and use.
View attachment 196435View attachment 196436
Click to expand...
my God, the aesthetic
 
kvetcha said:
my God, the aesthetic
Click to expand...
Yeah there's an engineer that deserves accolades for taste and some level of genius to make this machine come together. It's rather complicated but simple to use after some time reading.

And then the author to explain it to people like me.
This manual is holding on by a string.
I have zerox copies to use instead while this will go in a storage bag.

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Jbraswell said:
Received the SICO tester today.
Wow, this thing is absolutely immaculate.
I'm guessing it was made some time in the 50s.
I hit it with some DeoxIT 5 and couldn't wait to see how it works.
Best news is that it actually works and comes with the manual.


12AU7 in the test bed.
First pic is testing for a short or leakage. Orange light is bad unless it's coming on in the #5 switch matching the filament continuity on the scroll paper below. Whew, I had to read that paragraph in the manual several times and then grab a beer to calibrate my thoughts. That was heavy.

Second pic is testing tube quality with flipping another switch. That's where I get a good strength signal on the roll chart. Ref top scale (A).

The 0-100 scale will allow me to match tubes on my own now within the scale readings.
That is very 😎

Seriously very nice piece of vintage gear that I am stoked to own and use.
View attachment 196435View attachment 196436
Click to expand...
That’s a beautiful piece of equipment… the fact that it’s functional and useful is an absolute bonus! Congrats on the purchase!
 
Slimwhit33 said:
That’s a beautiful piece of equipment… the fact that it’s functional and useful is an absolute bonus! Congrats on the purchase!
Click to expand...
Thanks! It's working like a charm.

I tested some more tubes today. Found a short or leakage (can't really determine the difference) in a JJ that I didn't pick up from listening in the amp. All the more expensive NOS tubes have tested out strong, which is really good news.
 
kvetcha said:
The indicator light means “replace tube now,” so I’d hop on TubeDepot or Upscale Audio and get your order in. It may not have totally failed but it is outside the necessary spec.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. Is it safe to use the amp in the meantime? I assume it also means more tubes will go soon so get more than 1?
 
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