I have just put some nos ecc83 valves in my preamp, when I turned on the power one ecc83 glowed very bright and then returned to the same brightness as the other! I did not turn the preamp off and when I played a record thru it both channels sounded just ok. Left it on and after about 15 minutes the sounds started to get a whole lot better, and after an hour it sounded bloody amazing!! compaired to the jj tubes they replaced that is.
I am worried that the initial start up problem is showing that the valve is faulty and if I continue using it it will burn out or damage the preamp in some way.
I have done so much reading about valves (tubes?) in the last few weeks and somewhere along the line I have a vague recollection that some valves do strange things when first powered up. Hope you guys are going to help me here. I am really hoping you are going to tell me that all is normal because what I am hearing is amazing me! I am playing a first pressing of "Bridge over troubled water" at this moment, played many many times before and I hearing things in this recording I have never heard before! The amps have been powered now for four hours and its still getting better! The valves in question are by Mullard with yellow labels and cost a lot of money. This is my first attempt at tube rolling and if all is ok I have other nos valves to replace the stock EH, JJ, and chinese valves fitted in the amps. I have Mullard ecc88 and 81, RCA 6sl7 and 6sn7, mullard rectifiers and GEC kt88, all nos I am told.
I am so pleased with what changing just a couple of valves has done I just brought a valve tester on ebay. I also know of a local junk shop willing to sell me a huge box of (God knows what) valves for SMALL money. But I think this tube rolling thing is going to end up costing me BIG money-Yes?
I am worried that the initial start up problem is showing that the valve is faulty and if I continue using it it will burn out or damage the preamp in some way.
I have done so much reading about valves (tubes?) in the last few weeks and somewhere along the line I have a vague recollection that some valves do strange things when first powered up. Hope you guys are going to help me here. I am really hoping you are going to tell me that all is normal because what I am hearing is amazing me! I am playing a first pressing of "Bridge over troubled water" at this moment, played many many times before and I hearing things in this recording I have never heard before! The amps have been powered now for four hours and its still getting better! The valves in question are by Mullard with yellow labels and cost a lot of money. This is my first attempt at tube rolling and if all is ok I have other nos valves to replace the stock EH, JJ, and chinese valves fitted in the amps. I have Mullard ecc88 and 81, RCA 6sl7 and 6sn7, mullard rectifiers and GEC kt88, all nos I am told.
I am so pleased with what changing just a couple of valves has done I just brought a valve tester on ebay. I also know of a local junk shop willing to sell me a huge box of (God knows what) valves for SMALL money. But I think this tube rolling thing is going to end up costing me BIG money-Yes?
