cpt_paranoia
Addicted Member
Ruby Tubes Day...?
When an audio company craps on another and it backfires.
- Thread starter techguy0192
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- primaluna raven upscale audio
Ruby Tubes Day...?
markd51
Nyuk Nyuk
The man-shop with the "Grooby-Tubes", he was eastern european, hence his accent which could've been a classic skit on SNL, which made buying a $7 tube like finding the Hope Diamond! LOL Lots of fun. And he tested that tube for me before he handed it over.
Cheeborger, Cheeborger! LOL
Cheeborger, Cheeborger! LOL
Kevin Deal
New Member
Vintage tubes are toast. I have racks of them that need to be sorted but zero time.
Groove Tubes. Aspen Pittman, may he rest in peace. Big personality. Absolute shame how he passed. Back in the day hundreds of us, including Aspen, would go to the TRW Hamfest (electronics fleamarket) in El Segundo one Saturday a month. You have to get there before 6am, best with a flashlight. Bunch or ORB's (Old Radio Bastards) lined up to unload their junk. Then my best buds would go to breakfast at Stick and Stein and compare what treasures we got. The joke was if you bought a piece of lab gear, and the seller KNEW it was broke, he would sell it "untested". OMG so much fun.
The parking lot of Stick and Stein is where my dearest friend, the co-designer of the Ampeg SVT, laid eyes on the first PrimaLuna prototype. In the trunk of my car. He was still working as VP of a major pro-audio company and explained that like IP his brain was "property of" the company. But he'd look in my trunk. He's the best engineer I've ever met, and explained to me just how many things were right about the product. That was it for me. That was 2003.
Its very refreshing to hear from a current manufacturer of tube gear that actually seems tethered to reality. Refer to the Carver thread elsewhere on here for an example of the opposite. While I don't own any PrimaLuna stuff, I can at least say I appreciate useful factual input from the guy who owns the company, rather than just a bunch of marketing wank and pseudo-technical sounding terms.
I disagree entirely that all tube amplifiers are built from circuits that are "older than God". After that I didn't watch the video, but the stink kicked up by this thread piqued my interest enough to watch some more. At 6.38 we have the statement that cathode bias circuits "absolutely are not" auto biasing. Well, maybe that depends on your definition of auto bias, but the voltage across the cathode resistor generates DC feedback and a naturally "hot" tube which tends to draw more current will develop more voltage across the cathode resistor and the higher voltage will turn down the current flow - ie DC feedback is used to stabilize the operating point. That sounds like auto bias to me. Even wikipedia says "...cathode bias (also known as self-bias, or automatic bias) is a technique used with vacuum tubes..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode_bias
Yes, I know it's possible to design more sophisticated auto biasing circuits with servo control, but simple cathode bias is a form of auto bias. Btw, I doubt those auto biasing servos were around "before God".
Ok, I'll watch a bit more of the video to see what else crops up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode_bias
Yes, I know it's possible to design more sophisticated auto biasing circuits with servo control, but simple cathode bias is a form of auto bias. Btw, I doubt those auto biasing servos were around "before God".
Ok, I'll watch a bit more of the video to see what else crops up.
Well, I've watched some more but I'm getting bored now. He makes some valid points but also talks some nonsense too. Swiss wire? Is there something magical about wire made in Switzerland?
Anyway, I've had enough.
Btw, the Raven amp on the bench doesn't appear to be cathode (or auto) biased at all.
Anyway, I've had enough.
Btw, the Raven amp on the bench doesn't appear to be cathode (or auto) biased at all.
twitch54
Super Member
No doubt PL is a-ok fine but my side with respect to Rogue is simply....... made in the USA
Kevin Deal
New Member
Yes cathode bias doesn't require adjustments, but I would never refer to it as auto-bias and don't think most people would. There are downsides to it, but as I said it works great. New people need to be informed.
There have been many amps with servos, like the Classic series Audio Research. They never called it auto-bias though, because a Classic 60 needed closely matched quads as there's only one bias screw controlling them.
There have been many amps with servos, like the Classic series Audio Research. They never called it auto-bias though, because a Classic 60 needed closely matched quads as there's only one bias screw controlling them.
Semanon
Super Member
I’m liking this thread for the one-liners
A better description of poor soldering I’ve never heard. Thanks for giving it to the world.
According to my wife, I have the brain of a 12 year old. (She is not thankful).
Kevin Deal
New Member
Yea my wife said he insulted me. I was fussing with the headset and all and after the test he said "I have 12 year olds with hearing not as good" I said "Wow really that's great. You really think so?" He said either "Like a 12 year old" or "yurlikea12yearold" I'm not sure which.
Semanon
Super Member
If your HEARING is like a 12 year old, that’s a compliment. If your LISTENING is like a 12 year old, you might be in trouble.
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Kevin Deal
New Member
If your HEARING is like a 12 year old, that’s a compliment. If your LISTENING is like a 12 year old, you might be in trouble.
I suspect at the age of 12 many of these members here were just getting inspired.
1968 I was 10 years old, and hacked mom's console stereo hooking up box speakers I put my head between and played my sister's three albums over and over. Cheap Thrill by Big Brother and the Holding Compay, The Doors, self titled, Are You Experienced, Jimi Hendrix.
When Morrison sang Crystal Ship I didn't know what it meant. I just wanted to be part of it. "Before you slip into unconsciousness I'd like to have another kiss"
twiiii
Lunatic Member
If any of you attended a Mcintosh amplifier clinic back in the 60 thru 90's and were lucky enough to Meet Davie O'Brien you found him to be a real gentleman who would help you in any way he could. He never bad mouthed a product would take the time to explain why he was getting the results he measured on his test equipment. Even when people would bring in their 8B and model 9's that would not meet Mac's or Marantz's specs he would be very gracious. The Marantz dealer at the time who had been our VP at one time wrote a letter to Marantz complaining that Mac must be skewing the results. Mr Marantz replied in writing that no these were typical results for Marantz products with aged tubes and new tubes should be installed. And yes the MC 240 was a true 50 watt amplifier conservatively rated at 40 watts and the 275 was a 90 watt amplifier conservatively rated. I saw the letter. Mr Mac and Saul Marantz were true gentlemen who supported the HIgh Fidelity industry in many many ways. HH Scott and Avery Fisher seem to follow those precepts, too. Now when it came to Paul Klipsch and Ed from AR that was a totally different situation. Yes they were polite but could be very well entrenched with their positions and of course we all know about Paul's wicked sense of humor. The JBL and Altec guys were always making snide remarks about each other in a polite sort of way it seemed to me, too. It was some of the factory reps that seemed to enjoy stirring pot or spreading rumors and snide stories around. There was a particular Yamaha rep who will remain namelous that was always spreading half truths and down right lies.
When Crown was owned by the Church they were brutally honest about their products. Thats why they referred to the DC 300 as an amplifier that could put out 300 watts and a cloud of smoke. When I asked why my DC 300'a's and 150- a's would not meet specs at 4 ohms above 9000+ HZ I was informed the Unit was originally designed to a multi purpose power supply and was not intended to produce those high frequencies at full power. That's why I only used one driving 2 ohms up to 400 HZ, the other driving 8 ohms to 9,500 Hz and the D-150 A driving 16 ohms above 9500 HZ tri amped. When I replaced the amps with MC 7200's and MC 7100's the improvement in sound was quite noticeable, being smoother and less fatiguing. The same is true today using a MC 207's. The new MC 830 is even better in the highest two octaves also. All the amps mentioned are direct couple with out autoformers. My speakers don't like autoformers especially with long speaker lines.
When Crown was owned by the Church they were brutally honest about their products. Thats why they referred to the DC 300 as an amplifier that could put out 300 watts and a cloud of smoke. When I asked why my DC 300'a's and 150- a's would not meet specs at 4 ohms above 9000+ HZ I was informed the Unit was originally designed to a multi purpose power supply and was not intended to produce those high frequencies at full power. That's why I only used one driving 2 ohms up to 400 HZ, the other driving 8 ohms to 9,500 Hz and the D-150 A driving 16 ohms above 9500 HZ tri amped. When I replaced the amps with MC 7200's and MC 7100's the improvement in sound was quite noticeable, being smoother and less fatiguing. The same is true today using a MC 207's. The new MC 830 is even better in the highest two octaves also. All the amps mentioned are direct couple with out autoformers. My speakers don't like autoformers especially with long speaker lines.
rudolfo
Super Member
@Kevin Deal
Hi Kevin and love the Primaluna amps that I bought from You and Mcleod 2 years ago. Just want to let you know that its a real breakthrough in hi-fidelity plus buying from you which I know where in good hands. That counts a lot! Thank you for being there.
R...
Hi Kevin and love the Primaluna amps that I bought from You and Mcleod 2 years ago. Just want to let you know that its a real breakthrough in hi-fidelity plus buying from you which I know where in good hands. That counts a lot! Thank you for being there.
R...
Kevin Deal
New Member
Thank you. You are very kind. It's built to last a lifetime.
rudolfo
Super Member
Wow.,,, Those were the days. We use to go there still dark back in the early 80's. That's where I bought my first palomar tube transmission amp and a golden eagle desk mic. Hopefully theyre still sound. I really miss those days..
Kevin I wanna ask you something about those 2 car stereo guys in your neck of the woods called "Stereo One Warehouse" in La Fuente (1987). Whatever happen to them?
I grew up in Torrance but I moved to Oregon afterwards...
PS... I met you before long ago in the early 80's. I'm not sure if that was in pacific or Al and Ed's. At that time I was just going to junior college and most of my spare times I was just in stereo shops watching those golden years of hi fidelity dropped jaw and dreaming about it every night,,,,
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Macaroonie
Super Member
This reminds me of the turntable wars in the 70's 80's 90's ..........
