Best tube/sonics

[ailouros6]

Hey there.

Say we built a cost no object tube stage,oriented for the best sonics.

For the time,i have tried
E810F
E180F
D3a
E280F
6e6p

loaded with a 4:1 intestage tranny.
Fixed adj bias.This stage is IT driven,so there is no problem driving the tube.

I have tried several Operating points,with every tube have it's own sonic pros and cons.


So,here is the question.
Will i gain anything trying some C3m/C3g or E80cc tubes?

Has anyone done any comparisons regarding any of these tubes?


Any suggestions?

[Miles Prower]

This is asking the unanswerable question. You're not going to get any sort of consensus since everyone has their own ideas as to what sounds best.

Originally Posted by ailouros6

loaded with a 4:1 intestage tranny.
Fixed adj bias.This stage is IT driven,so there is no problem driving the tube.

I have tried several Operating points,with every tube have it's own sonic pros and cons.

I'm going to assume that you're not using gNFB here. If you don't include gNFB, your performance is going to depend on your passive and active components, moreso than with a solid state design. VTs are such low gain critters that how a particular circuit performs is more dependent on the active devices used. (Transistors, particularly BJTs, have so much gain that operation is almost exclusively dependent on circuit externals, and it doesn't make much difference what transistor you use so long as it can process the signal frequencies fed to it.)

FWIW: In any IT coupled stage, it's always best to use a driver with the lowest possible r(p). This makes the most of the IT's primary inductance. Those E80CCs have an r(p)= 10K, and that seems to be a bit high for working with an IT.

[ailouros6]

Hello Miles

Thanks for the reply.
You are right about the fact that each one has it's own taste about good sound,and especially about tube sound.

You are also correct about the e80cc.I didn't do my homewok done right.There is too much high rp.

About gNFB...I avoid gNFB or any whatsoever.I always try to use the best active and passive components,and try to get the best linear O.P
Also,because all the equipment is inductive-coupled,gNFB is a forbidden animal.

Any similar tube like the above you want to recomment?I am always looking for any new tubes to me.

Thanks
SD

[Miles Prower]

Originally Posted by ailouros6

Any similar tube like the above you want to recomment?I am always looking for any new tubes to me.

6DR7 -- This one has both a high gain, small signal section, and a large signal section that looks good for driving the primary of an IST. Both have pretty good linearity.