Hi,
I have seen Yamamoto gold plated teflon sockets selling quite expencive. Are they worth the money ? Does somebody have experience with these sockets ? Do they really improve the reproduction of sound, so that they are worth paying 20 times more than usual ceramic sockets ?
Regards
Dejan
I have seen Yamamoto gold plated teflon sockets selling quite expencive. Are they worth the money ? Does somebody have experience with these sockets ? Do they really improve the reproduction of sound, so that they are worth paying 20 times more than usual ceramic sockets ?
Regards
Dejan
No, yes, and no. They are very pretty but a bit of leakage isn't going to matter in a power valve.
Unless you are amplifying kilovolts or microwaves then leakage is nothing to worry about. I would consider buying some of his sockets for rare tubes that are no longer made, like the 316A.
so, guys, if I understand you correctly, the answer is: no ?
I must say that the price for these sockets is so high (I can buy them in Germany on Internet for about $43 a piece) that it hurts ... So they have to do MOJO Magic in order to pay themselves back ...
I must say that the price for these sockets is so high (I can buy them in Germany on Internet for about $43 a piece) that it hurts ... So they have to do MOJO Magic in order to pay themselves back ...
Leakage can be important for an input valve operating at high impedance, such as the input valve of a valve microphone. Elsewhere, ceramic is just fine, and much better than phenolic.
The real justification for buying Yamamoto (as astouffer says) is when nothing else is available.
The real justification for buying Yamamoto (as astouffer says) is when nothing else is available.
These are superbly made sockets with excellent contact integrity and a strong aesthetic appeal. I used both the UX-4 and octal versions in the audio chassis of a custom 300B stereo amplifier I used to make. Given the price point they were appropriate, as to whether or not they contributed anything tangible to the sound I'd say that was doubtful.
I have never used them in anything I have built for my own use as they are just too expensive and I would rather spend the money where it might make an audible difference to my design. I use modern and surplus ceramic and micanol (filled plastic) type sockets in my own stuff and have never had an issue.
The most important thing is contact design, look for something that grips the pins tightly and has a reasonable amount of contact area.
Good vintage sockets will generally provide a reference for what represents good design, and you can look for similar in modern sockets.
I have never used them in anything I have built for my own use as they are just too expensive and I would rather spend the money where it might make an audible difference to my design. I use modern and surplus ceramic and micanol (filled plastic) type sockets in my own stuff and have never had an issue.
The most important thing is contact design, look for something that grips the pins tightly and has a reasonable amount of contact area.
Good vintage sockets will generally provide a reference for what represents good design, and you can look for similar in modern sockets.
dejanm said:
Sadly, i have no direct experience. What i do know is that input sockets and binding posts costing 20 times more than the cheap stuff are often worth the asking price. So, why would tube sockets be any less important?
dejanm said:
You have teflon sockets that look similair at diyhifisupply.com at half the price, and if you order for more than 100$ you will get them without shipping cost. I am no in association with them just happend that I already ordered. No not teflon 🙂 cermaic ones.
Pred
I have two of the 9 pin sockets, gold plate, that I'm not going to use. I did solder wire to it, so they are not completely unused. the're the 9 pin teflon at welborn labs site, 9PCHCD:
http://www.welbornelabs.com/sockets.htm
man these were $88 a piece! I'd be willing to part with these for half? $44 for the pair.
I also have glasshouse boards to go with them:
http://www.welbornelabs.com/sockets.htm
man these were $88 a piece! I'd be willing to part with these for half? $44 for the pair.
I also have glasshouse boards to go with them:
Attachments
I will say that these are high quality sockets and well made...
As for how they effect performance of audio.... I would say that it depends on the application... If you have small signal tubes then the effects are small to negligible...
If you are using a 211 or an 845, then examine the AC voltage swing on your load line....This can have roughly a 2000V AC swing, which now puts a sever gradient upon the dielectric, thus having an affect on high frequency performance...
I would also say that pentodes in octal base would have more of a affect....due to the higher source impedance...
Chris
As for how they effect performance of audio.... I would say that it depends on the application... If you have small signal tubes then the effects are small to negligible...
If you are using a 211 or an 845, then examine the AC voltage swing on your load line....This can have roughly a 2000V AC swing, which now puts a sever gradient upon the dielectric, thus having an affect on high frequency performance...
I would also say that pentodes in octal base would have more of a affect....due to the higher source impedance...
Chris
They flow.
Ceramic and plastic sockets made in 1930'th still look like new. What will happen with teflon sockets?
Ceramic and plastic sockets made in 1930'th still look like new. What will happen with teflon sockets?
pred said:
I have seen them ($19 per item) ... but I assume that these are chinese copies and I have heard some not very nice things about chinese sockets. But I would appreciate very much if somebody can post concrete experience with these sockets ...
Joseph0 said:
I need 2 x 9-pin (for 5842) and 4 x 8-pin (for KT88). Therefore, I will have to pass your offer. But thank you anyway for it ...
For KT-88, the best socket out there is probably military surplus EBY brand micanol. The contact integrity in unmatched and since the KT-88 probably has a micanol base anyway, Teflon probably won't help.
John
I have been using those china made telfon sockets for a while already. They costed me around USD12 each for Octal or UX4 in Hong Kong. Depend on your application, if you are using PCB, don't bother to use them. I would recommend using them on power tube with point-to-point wiring. The major difference between them and the traditional ceramic sockets is not about electrical leakage but the amount of mechanical vibration. As you know, power tubes, especially those direct heated ones like 300B, are quite susceptible to external vibration. These telfon sockets allows a 300B to sit solidly up-right and yet their elasticity offers better mechanical damping than ceramic. Another bonus I find during the course of using them is that telfon is such a slippery material that they don't leave scratch on the center-pin of your expensive power tubes as you insert or remove them. The contacts were so designed that they can make good contact with the tube without applying too much contact pressure. I would call this a very well-engineered and user-friendly feature. Just imagine, how horrible it is to force a expensive tube into a tight socket and breaking the centre-pin when pulling it out.
The assembly qaulity of the China make is not as good as the Japnese one so a helpful hint when using the china made telfon sockets: always check the tightness of the lock-nut on every single pin. Always retighten them until the spring washers become fully compressed. Then apply a thin coat of solder between the thread and the nut to further secure them.
Sonically, I find they do not make any tonal difference from the ceramic or plastic one but they do improve very much on the stereo imaging and sound field stabilty.
I got some photos of how they look in my 300B SE amp. I will post them later.
Regards,
P.S. try to stay away from those small 9-pins telfon socket. Their pins are so close together. It is nightmare to work with.
The assembly qaulity of the China make is not as good as the Japnese one so a helpful hint when using the china made telfon sockets: always check the tightness of the lock-nut on every single pin. Always retighten them until the spring washers become fully compressed. Then apply a thin coat of solder between the thread and the nut to further secure them.
Sonically, I find they do not make any tonal difference from the ceramic or plastic one but they do improve very much on the stereo imaging and sound field stabilty.
I got some photos of how they look in my 300B SE amp. I will post them later.
Regards,
P.S. try to stay away from those small 9-pins telfon socket. Their pins are so close together. It is nightmare to work with.
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