kurorin
New Member
I´m going to participate in Röhrenfieber Meeting 2022 just in some days. I received an invitation from Josef, who is in charge of the organization, the person behind the website roehrenfieber.com, passionate DIYer and very generous audiophile, always answering with his knowledge even been very busy.
E406N Josef Haindorfer amplifier, Austria
I'm not professional of the HiFi industry or similar. Just I´m an audiophile like my hobby, lover of valves and recently friky interested in european valves. Even I´m not a DIYer, I´m very clumsy to build anything like an amplifier and enough ignorant in electronics to kill myself with such high voltages (400V-800V). I prefer to continue being a user who loves the beautiful music and sounds. Of course I want to learn more, understand more valves sound, especially the Direct Heating Triodes in Single Ended in pure Class A. And I love the work of such wonderful people who built fantastic pieces of audio. Machines of music. I love handmade work with passion and talent like in the old times. Just is not about romanticism: the best gears in audio until now I found in a crafts work of people what for me are some little electronic genius.
71A-12A Kenji Mizushima amplifier, Japan
So I was in contact with Josef for some weeks talking about amplifiers and valves with the coincidence that he and his austrian audiophiles friends are starting again the meetings after these hard last years.
In Schlierbach we will meet with advance DIYers and professionals with work in speakers, horns, turntables, tonearms, DACs, of course amplifiers and so on. And because I can´t collaborate with my own DIY work, I offered my humble contribution through a small 2013 handmade Japanese amplifier with a “strange“ valve almost unknown but already one of my favorites: 12A (112A, 012A). Let´s say that it is very special because it has just 0.2 watts of power. Yes, just 0.2 watts. And with one of the best sounds, fantastic sound, out there. But later we will talk about this amplifier and this valve. I don't know if they have schedule space to have an audition. It is just my best effort expecting to help with such friendly HiFi group.
I hope this thread starts contribution and comments about the DIYers work, european valves and what happens in this Austrian Meeting.
Josef told me he expect I´ll not be disappointed with the Meeting, but I´m sure not because I´m not going looking for same what we find in big HiEnd Shows, with the last on market but the opposite: what we don´t find there. Maybe looking for the roots.
What do I expect to find in this Meeting? Well, like I told you my first idea was to learn about rare to find valves not because they are rare, but because they could have a really great sound almost lost today. Unluckily forbidden for circumstances like the pass of time and the Second War World, what destroyed almost all these wonderful tubes. Tells the History that Allies after won the war ordered to destroy all the radiocommunications gears under death sentence and, with it, all the tubes around were destroyed as well, saving just some of them.
Another characteristic of european tubes, say the japanese, were the differences in power valves` construction in between every different factory, in addition to each country. So there is no valve that sounds similar to the other because they were simply different valves just with equivalent or only similar electrical specifications. Unlike the tubes from the USA where they quickly came to homologate constructions and standards, so they are different but less differences. Maybe for that reason some friends in USA say that valves sound similar as well (not my experience anyway).
Finally there are problems getting to know these tubes because there are no amps to play them (Where you can buy an amplifier to listen the spectacular pentode connected in triode Mazda PEN45 if is not in Japan?), they have different pins or connections, and they may have close but not equivalent electrical specifications. I mean, mostly problems to know this valves. It is almost valve archeology. To top it off, hardly anyone has heard them so we can get good surprises, but also disappointments.
Once again, were japanese who rescued many of them. They bought almost all the old valves they found in the USA and Europe, mostly in the 80s when they were at the top of the economy and also in full boil of SET amplifier designs. Nowadays it is easier to get these tubes in Japan than in Europe, as well as the best (and sometimes only) amplifiers for these tubes are found in Japan.
My knowlege is mostly about japanese sounds and gears and it is curious that what I know of Europe old sound I learned following the eastern masters and tubes amplifier market. Now is time to meet the european style and we will start in the heart of Austria.
R120 Josef Haindorfer amplifier, Austria
I have been lucky enough to know and hear in exceptional conditions some of the best sounds that an amplifier can deliver: English, French, Dutch, German valves, just not in european amplifiers. The Japanese say that European power tubes are better for classical music while American ones are better for jazz, which is a gross but symptomatic generalization.
Josef works with german valves in particular. I am interested in knowing several and since I listen in low power (between 0.2 and 1.6 watts) now I also want to find tubes worked between 3 and 10 watts approximately. Just hearing peculiar sounds for the first time already makes me very curious. Telefunken's lines of higher power triodes were primarily under the designations RS (Röhrensender) for transmission tubes, and RV (Röhrenverstärker) for professional audio valves, or PA as we call it today. Of course there are many others and just knowing a few I'll be more than satisfied.
In addition to tubes there are also circuits and transformers. Josef has knowledge and work with japanese circuits and he uses some of that schematics in amplifiers. I think it will be a great mix between european knowledge with touches of japanese and international design.
What else can we find in Röhrenfieber? Well, we will have seven rooms each offering different audio systems and also a common room for small meetings, conferences, relax drinks and coffee. Audio systems are mostly analog, different turntables, tonearms, cartridges and we will also have Studer C37 valve reel to reel with Telefunken M15A. There will be something digital but it is not the focus in general.
In amplification we will -of course- have Single Ended and Push Pull valves. The tubes seem to be all or almost all European.
Own records are welcome for testing so I am also bringing two records pressed recently in Chile, a country that is also re-releasing vinyl records, so I can imagine could be different and enough interesting.
Schhlierbach HiFi DIY Meeting 2021, Austria
The official information is at roehrenfieber.com. This thread is just my opinion. My idea is to report later how this interesting meeting of European tubes has been, what are the adventures that we will have with our Austrian friends and in general the details of what happens in the event. First of all, it is about making new friends, enjoying the passionate work of DIYers, getting to know new sound proposals and continuing to feed our spirit with what we like most, which is beautiful music. And I'm sure that will be totally fulfilled. Of course we will also drink cool austrian beer. Prost!
E406N Josef Haindorfer amplifier, Austria
I'm not professional of the HiFi industry or similar. Just I´m an audiophile like my hobby, lover of valves and recently friky interested in european valves. Even I´m not a DIYer, I´m very clumsy to build anything like an amplifier and enough ignorant in electronics to kill myself with such high voltages (400V-800V). I prefer to continue being a user who loves the beautiful music and sounds. Of course I want to learn more, understand more valves sound, especially the Direct Heating Triodes in Single Ended in pure Class A. And I love the work of such wonderful people who built fantastic pieces of audio. Machines of music. I love handmade work with passion and talent like in the old times. Just is not about romanticism: the best gears in audio until now I found in a crafts work of people what for me are some little electronic genius.
71A-12A Kenji Mizushima amplifier, Japan
So I was in contact with Josef for some weeks talking about amplifiers and valves with the coincidence that he and his austrian audiophiles friends are starting again the meetings after these hard last years.
In Schlierbach we will meet with advance DIYers and professionals with work in speakers, horns, turntables, tonearms, DACs, of course amplifiers and so on. And because I can´t collaborate with my own DIY work, I offered my humble contribution through a small 2013 handmade Japanese amplifier with a “strange“ valve almost unknown but already one of my favorites: 12A (112A, 012A). Let´s say that it is very special because it has just 0.2 watts of power. Yes, just 0.2 watts. And with one of the best sounds, fantastic sound, out there. But later we will talk about this amplifier and this valve. I don't know if they have schedule space to have an audition. It is just my best effort expecting to help with such friendly HiFi group.
I hope this thread starts contribution and comments about the DIYers work, european valves and what happens in this Austrian Meeting.
Josef told me he expect I´ll not be disappointed with the Meeting, but I´m sure not because I´m not going looking for same what we find in big HiEnd Shows, with the last on market but the opposite: what we don´t find there. Maybe looking for the roots.
What do I expect to find in this Meeting? Well, like I told you my first idea was to learn about rare to find valves not because they are rare, but because they could have a really great sound almost lost today. Unluckily forbidden for circumstances like the pass of time and the Second War World, what destroyed almost all these wonderful tubes. Tells the History that Allies after won the war ordered to destroy all the radiocommunications gears under death sentence and, with it, all the tubes around were destroyed as well, saving just some of them.
Another characteristic of european tubes, say the japanese, were the differences in power valves` construction in between every different factory, in addition to each country. So there is no valve that sounds similar to the other because they were simply different valves just with equivalent or only similar electrical specifications. Unlike the tubes from the USA where they quickly came to homologate constructions and standards, so they are different but less differences. Maybe for that reason some friends in USA say that valves sound similar as well (not my experience anyway).
Finally there are problems getting to know these tubes because there are no amps to play them (Where you can buy an amplifier to listen the spectacular pentode connected in triode Mazda PEN45 if is not in Japan?), they have different pins or connections, and they may have close but not equivalent electrical specifications. I mean, mostly problems to know this valves. It is almost valve archeology. To top it off, hardly anyone has heard them so we can get good surprises, but also disappointments.
Once again, were japanese who rescued many of them. They bought almost all the old valves they found in the USA and Europe, mostly in the 80s when they were at the top of the economy and also in full boil of SET amplifier designs. Nowadays it is easier to get these tubes in Japan than in Europe, as well as the best (and sometimes only) amplifiers for these tubes are found in Japan.
My knowlege is mostly about japanese sounds and gears and it is curious that what I know of Europe old sound I learned following the eastern masters and tubes amplifier market. Now is time to meet the european style and we will start in the heart of Austria.
R120 Josef Haindorfer amplifier, Austria
I have been lucky enough to know and hear in exceptional conditions some of the best sounds that an amplifier can deliver: English, French, Dutch, German valves, just not in european amplifiers. The Japanese say that European power tubes are better for classical music while American ones are better for jazz, which is a gross but symptomatic generalization.
Josef works with german valves in particular. I am interested in knowing several and since I listen in low power (between 0.2 and 1.6 watts) now I also want to find tubes worked between 3 and 10 watts approximately. Just hearing peculiar sounds for the first time already makes me very curious. Telefunken's lines of higher power triodes were primarily under the designations RS (Röhrensender) for transmission tubes, and RV (Röhrenverstärker) for professional audio valves, or PA as we call it today. Of course there are many others and just knowing a few I'll be more than satisfied.
In addition to tubes there are also circuits and transformers. Josef has knowledge and work with japanese circuits and he uses some of that schematics in amplifiers. I think it will be a great mix between european knowledge with touches of japanese and international design.
What else can we find in Röhrenfieber? Well, we will have seven rooms each offering different audio systems and also a common room for small meetings, conferences, relax drinks and coffee. Audio systems are mostly analog, different turntables, tonearms, cartridges and we will also have Studer C37 valve reel to reel with Telefunken M15A. There will be something digital but it is not the focus in general.
In amplification we will -of course- have Single Ended and Push Pull valves. The tubes seem to be all or almost all European.
Own records are welcome for testing so I am also bringing two records pressed recently in Chile, a country that is also re-releasing vinyl records, so I can imagine could be different and enough interesting.
Schhlierbach HiFi DIY Meeting 2021, Austria
The official information is at roehrenfieber.com. This thread is just my opinion. My idea is to report later how this interesting meeting of European tubes has been, what are the adventures that we will have with our Austrian friends and in general the details of what happens in the event. First of all, it is about making new friends, enjoying the passionate work of DIYers, getting to know new sound proposals and continuing to feed our spirit with what we like most, which is beautiful music. And I'm sure that will be totally fulfilled. Of course we will also drink cool austrian beer. Prost!
