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Post by mward on Dec 24, 2006 8:17:44 GMT -7
I won an Amperex Bugle Boy EF86 on ebay for a ridiculously low price given what they are currently going for in other places. It arrived yesterday and I put it in my Route66 and A/Bed it with the old tube to see how it sounds. It sounds different, my wife noticed too, it doesn't necessarily sound better. It's more open, I guess airy would be a good word, maybe a little brighter? This is kind of like cigar tasting... I taste hints of leather and chocolate... or burnt leaves, I'm not sure which. So yeah, it sounded different, but the old Winged C Svetlana sounded good too, albiet a bit darker. I wouldn't mind either tube in there, and actually prefer the svet for some things. I realize this is in opposition to the NOS tube uh, snobbery, that goes on some times. I paid 10$ for the tube so the cost of entry wasn't so bad. The change is about a 10$ change too, so I'm okay with it. If I had paid 100$ for the tube, I would be irritated. Or I would be willfully deceiving myself into saying it sounded way better to avoid cognitive dissonance. I don't know, either way, yeah, it's different, no, it's not titanic. If I were recording an album, I seriously doubt the difference would make it through all the processing to the end user. If I were playing in a bar, same thing. Too much other stuff going on. If I were playing Jazz to be recorded on vinyl for psycho vinyl buffs, yeah, they might notice. But only if they've got one of those fancy 900$ needles on their turntable.
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Post by billyguitar on Dec 24, 2006 11:33:03 GMT -7
Preamp tubes and rectifier tubes last a good long time so I don't think those are a bad buy at all. Actually EL84s are the only ones that are a bad buy because they wear down so quickly. Big bottle output tubes last much longer for some reason.
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Post by hdahs143 on Dec 29, 2006 8:49:09 GMT -7
I think you did great. Considering that brand new plain jane 12ax7's sell for $15-20 apiece, and that retail on the Bugle Boy you got is around $70, it's a great way to taste different tones without breaking the bank. Especially with the EF86's where the NOS quality is a big factor.
Harold
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