I am wanting to add the glow of tubes to my Listening Room just for looks. I know how to do this using the hot pins on the tube and correct voltage. What I'm asking, is what are the best tubes to display for looks in your opinion? Thank you for the help
Stabilizer tubes can produce a very nice glow. They can also be modulated with audio, for instance to add vibes and color to bass, vocals and percussion.
Beautiful Glowing Tubes - Jimmy's Junkyard
Beautiful Glowing Tubes - Jimmy's Junkyard
This is a classic, but mecury vapor rectifiers are quite toxic.
1000W Amplifier Philips EL6471 at full power - YouTube
1000W Amplifier Philips EL6471 at full power - YouTube
I like the idea of voltage regulator tubes they can look very cool. I must run some up on the tube tester I'm building.
Ken's Tube Tester
During the 1960s I constructed quite a few tube amps and those fitted with EL36, EL509 etc. also used a regulator tube for screen grid voltage. Quite a sight, especially at full power. Back then, most power supplies were capacitor-input as with choke input also a bleeder was needed. Nowadays it's possible to build a choke input power supply that doesn't need a bleeder.
My favorites left FU13/813 and right GU81m.
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Nothing compares to the one I had designed. 4 channels, each with line output tubes in PP, light bulbs directly attached between Vb and an anode. Bulbs were overdriven as a way to get a faster response which worked very well (also for bulb manufacturers). 1st channel was bass and bass drum, 2nd channel for male voices, 3rd channel for female voices and 4th for high-pitched percussion (cymbal, hihat, maracas etc.). The contraption was supposed to enliven dance parties but most guests preferred lying on the carpets and enjoying the spectacle.