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Tube Audio Design owners-hello!

Tad-60

Here's mine. I replaced the power tubes with EH 6CA7s only because I was planning on selling it but now that I'm keeping it I'm thinking about rolling in a set of Golden Lion KT88s. The Maggies are sounding pretty good right now.
DSCF8864-L.jpg
 
Ive been using the tad-60 and tad-150 for seven years. Mine do not use up tubes very quickly at all. I thought the midrange stuck out too much when I first got it, and changed the supplied el34 tubes to 6ca7, big help. Then I went to 6550s even better. Finally about 5 years ago I put in reissue genalex kt88s- perfect!!! My favorite hands down. I tried a lot of 12ax7 tubes for the tad60, and amperex bugle boy were my favorite. The jj sounds great there too. Paul seemed to really think highly of the Chinese 12at7s the tad150 came with. Mine sounded great, so I left them. Changed them out yesterday to mullard cv4024, and l love them! Clarity is superb! My tad 60 came new with ge 5star 5814s, which sounded great. Clear top RCA sounds great there too, as does the black plate RCA 5814, that's what's in there now. Just heard that Paul passed away, a real shame. Great guy, very talented and was really patient and helpful with questions about his gear, no matter how trivial! He will be missed.
 
59cyclehum said:
Ive been using the tad-60 and tad-150 for seven years. Mine do not use up tubes very quickly at all. I thought the midrange stuck out too much when I first got it, and changed the supplied el34 tubes to 6ca7, big help. Then I went to 6550s even better. Finally about 5 years ago I put in reissue genalex kt88s- perfect!!! My favorite hands down. I tried a lot of 12ax7 tubes for the tad60, and amperex bugle boy were my favorite. The jj sounds great there too. Paul seemed to really think highly of the Chinese 12at7s the tad150 came with. Mine sounded great, so I left them. Changed them out yesterday to mullard cv4024, and l love them! Clarity is superb! My tad 60 came new with ge 5star 5814s, which sounded great. Clear top RCA sounds great there too, as does the black plate RCA 5814, that's what's in there now. Just heard that Paul passed away, a real shame. Great guy, very talented and was really patient and helpful with questions about his gear, no matter how trivial! He will be missed.
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Welcome to AudioKarma! :)

I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the 6550's, I've wanted to try KT88's as well someday (when I wear out the SED 6550C's I've been using since 2007.) I imagine the bass would be stronger.

I'm currently using a Mullard re-issue 12AX7 and JJ ECC82's. I've used RCA Cleartop AU7's and liked them a lot, too.
 
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thanks folks! Currently I am running a biamp system with my TAD1000's in the HF/mid position. I have kt66's in the front end, and siemens/mullard mix as power tubes. They sound great! I rolled a pair of 50's nos tungsol 12ax7's, and have to admit they sound as good if not better then the pricey sylvania triple mica 5751's I had in there before. My tad 150 sig has been replaced by a fisher 400cx, as I wanted to go all tube all the time, and the combo of vintage american/new chinese american gear really works. But I miss the windows and the remote- and paul.
peace
chuyck
 
Hey Chuck,

I promise to care of it like it was my own child:D

I think i will enjoy those tubes glowing thru the windows as well.:music:
 
Very Satisfied TAD-60 owner here. Tried Gold Lion KT-66 and then KT-88.
Loved both. I kept the 88's because one of the 66's blew. I reaaly want to try the Shugang Treasures.

ONe big diff was when I put an old telefunken smooth plate in the 12ax7 spot. Paul suggested this as his fav 12ax7. He redid an old fisher for me and we spoke many times. He was a sweet knowledgeable man and would always respond lightning fast. He is missed.
 
breifly, damping is the amp having control of the low freq. spkrs by not letting them be "floppy" (my term) but rather tighter sounding and able to follow low freq. signals with less distortion.. I think.
 
I always assumed Rudy recommended solid state amps with high damping factors due to the heavy cone material he used. Sort of a wool/paper substance. My limited understanding and simplistic explanation is that damping is a direct feedback from the woofer to the amps outputs. Moving heavy cones requires more energy, and give back more when going back the other way.

I had a Twangfest one year and we tried probably 10 tube amps on a pair of Tobin Modded 302A Urbans and it was "meh". Then we connected a Pioneer SX650 and it instantly turned audiophool on us.:music: My explanation is surely all screwed up, but maybe one of the smarter dudes will straighten us all out.
 
Oh, I do know that damping numbers can be manipulated on tube amps by applying more or less feedback.:scratch2:
 
I equate the damping effect of a speaker to an electrical motor's spindle being turned by hand and producing it's own current. Sort of like it's own electrical brake.

If that makes any sense to anyone else :screwy:
 
so the TAD 100's have a feedback control on the top. It is a rotary 24 position dial. Could this be to dial in the damping factor? is more feedback greater damping? or...?
 
jaymanaa said:
Oh, I do know that damping numbers can be manipulated on tube amps by applying more or less feedback.:scratch2:
Click to expand...

So by reducing the feed back of a circuit, you effectively give the speaker the ability to move with back EMF more easily? That must, at least partially, explain the difference I hear when using more or less FB with the pot...cool, thanks Jay for that little tidbit of knowledge (again) :thmbsp:

I notice that the sound "tightens" up when I increase the FB...especially with my 604's. The volume also decreases. The sound definitely becomes sharper and a little less "boomy" (and flatter) in comparison to little or no FB, somewhat like SS, IMO.
 
Fran604g said:
The thing I like about the 60 is it can be used in triode mode, penthode UL mode
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I'm in a accuracy mood... I've read references often to Pentode and UL as being similar or somehow connected.... no such thing exists. UL is more similar to Triode then Pentode. Pentode, Ultra Linear and Triode are all different ways of running a tube.


A true troide tube has its screen internally connected to the plate it can only be run as a triode.

A pentode/tertrode can be run similar to a triode by externally connecting the plate to the screen via a resistor usually 100 ohms.

A pentode and tetrode tube can have the screen connected/powered (pentode connection) by a tap off the B+. This is pentode mode.

A pentode or tetrode having its screen connection powered off a special tap of the output transformer usually at about 40% this is Ultra Linear....


The plate curves of Triode and Ultra Linear are very similar while Pentode is technically a big step back although a "dirty little pentode" sure can sound great!
 
well, true triode tubes don't have a screen at all :) Theres something fun about a power tube with 4 pins on the base.
 
NOSValves said:
I'm in a accuracy mood... I've read references often to Pentode and UL as being similar or somehow connected.... no such thing exists. UL is more similar to Triode then Pentode. Pentode, Ultra Linear and Triode are all different ways of running a tube.


A true troide tube has its screen internally connected to the plate it can only be run as a triode.

A pentode/tertrode can be run similar to a triode by externally connecting the plate to the screen via a resistor usually 100 ohms.

A pentode and tetrode tube can have the screen connected/powered (pentode connection) by a tap off the B+. This is pentode mode.

A pentode or tetrode having its screen connection powered off a special tap of the output transformer usually at about 40% this is Ultra Linear....


The plate curves of Triode and Ultra Linear are very similar while Pentode is technically a big step back although a "dirty little pentode" sure can sound great!
Click to expand...

You're right, of course, and I apologize for my inaccurate description(s.) Sorry for any confusion I may have.

I should have said, "triode mode or UL mode." The way the amp switches are labeled for these two different classes of operation is with a "3/three" and a "4/four" to differentiate between the two modes.

Paul also suggested a "*NEW SINGLE ENDED CLASS A BIAS" operation, that I always assumed to mean, "use in triode mode." But I see now that that may not be correct? I never thought of using the amp biased in "SE class A bias" in "4/four" UL mode, and always biased it this way in triode mode. :scratch2:

EDIT: I just got my head out of my butt and remembered there is such an animal as SEUL. For some reason I never put the TAD-60 and SEUL together in my mind, man can I be stoopid sometimes. :(
 
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Paul was a very good friend of mine and I always told him I thought the single ended thing he was pushing on those amps was a gimmick. A transofmer is wound completely different for single ended operation then PP operation (at least to do it techinically correct). It will work but is a huge compromise in performance. But like all things in audio if the listener/owner of the system enjopys it then it can not be wrong! Were not listening to our systems to please anyone but ourselves!

Paul was one heck of a guy and I miss him.
 
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