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In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: The last phonocorrector: “End of Life" Phonostage

Post Subject: Twitchy signal tube and amp interactionsPosted by steverino on: 1/22/2012

While I have found the Amperex globes act more consistently than the Bugle Boys I wouldn't call the Bugles uniformly bad. I wonder if they just don't match up with current amps as uniformly as the later Globes? I have a stockpile of GE longplates from the late 50s and early 60s. They are very good tubes IMO a bit analytical but have clean treble and overall transparency. While they work in most amps they simply can't function in a Herron phonostage that I have. They sound different there and actually started to make a bit of noise after a month or two in there. I though they were defective until I stuck them into a different amp and they worked fine. On the other hand Amperex and Mullards from the late 60s and 70s work fine there as do amazingly enough the 12AX7 LPS from Sovtek (the only Russian signal tube that sounds at all satisfactory to me as long as they are "picks of the litter"). I'm sure there are a lot of amp and tube interactions that are never officially "diagnosed".

Romy, Have you ever wondered whether the Parisian might have foisted that box off on you knowingly? That seems like a suspiciously low price for 180 Amperex tubes.

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