[rosgr63]

His brothers are having a hard time cracking the NBA. One of his brothers got invited to join the Bucks summer league team. The other plays in the minors for Dallas.

Giannis has been my favorite player for years. Very humble and gracious. When he develops a consistent outside shot,he will be unstoppable.

Indeed a very nice person who never forgot his friends and family now he's at the top.

 

[mordy]

Today I received a pair of RCA 1950's 12SX7GT tubes. Both of them have two irregular silver colored blotches on top - the other 50's pair I have are clear tops:

Is this normal or cause for concern? Does it mean that the tube is used or new?
Haven't seen this before.

 

[Phantaminum]

Today I received a pair of RCA 1950's 12SX7GT tubes. Both of them have two irregular silver colored blotches on top - the other 50's pair I have are clear tops:

Is this normal or cause for concern? Does it mean that the tube is used or new?
Haven't seen this before.

The single 12SXGT tube I owned had those same blotches. From what I remember is that testing those tubes can lead to this but still measure new or above new. It could also mean that they have been used but unless you have a tube measurement kit you won’t be able to tell.

 

[whirlwind]

His brothers are having a hard time cracking the NBA. One of his brothers got invited to join the Bucks summer league team. The other plays in the minors for Dallas.

Giannis has been my favorite player for years. Very humble and gracious. When he develops a consistent outside shot,he will be unstoppable.

Giannis is a beast, I like him a lot too.

I'm pleased you like it I thought you would.

It is a game changer in the GEL3N amp....better than my GEC U18/20 to my ears.
It sounds killer with all of my headphones also.
This is going to be one of my favorite tubes of any kind.
Thanks again.

 

[2359glenn]

Today I received a pair of RCA 1950's 12SX7GT tubes. Both of them have two irregular silver colored blotches on top - the other 50's pair I have are clear tops:

Is this normal or cause for concern? Does it mean that the tube is used or new?
Haven't seen this before.

That usually means the tube is used and has many hours on it. It is caused by the filaments.
But just because it is used doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it.
Most US made 6SN7 type does this you can't notice it in Sylvania's with top gettering

 

[myphone]

Mordy, like others have stated. This is an used tube.

I noticed marks of this size on new 12SX7s as drivers in my Atma-Sphere Amps after 6 months of regular use, 2-3 hours a day. Mark size had not changed much after that.

These tubes functioned fine for many years in the amps. When I changed the tubes after 10 years of use, they Still worked well and were measured about 70-80%.

 

[mordy]

Hi Glenn and myphone,
Thanks for the information about the used tubes. The seller wrote that “Original box has been damaged, replace with another shipping box” and it did not occur to me that the tubes are used. IMHO this statement is misleading, but looking over the listing there is nothing said about the condition, but the word "original" seems to indicate that the tube is NOS.
Here is the fine print that I did not see until now:

1. 
   
   
   1. 
      Goods will be Random Shipping
      
      1. ✰Sorry that we don't have equipment to test those tubes.
         ✰If tubes were useless when received, we can refund payment or resend.

 

[rosgr63]

Giannis is a beast, I like him a lot too.


BTW Giannis = Yianni (the famous composer) = John

It is a game changer in the GEL3N amp....better than my GEC U18/20 to my ears.
It sounds killer with all of my headphones also.
This is going to be one of my favorite tubes of any kind.
Thanks again.

You are most welcome, thanks for trusting me.

 

[rosgr63]

Today I received a pair of RCA 1950's 12SX7GT tubes. Both of them have two irregular silver colored blotches on top - the other 50's pair I have are clear tops:

Is this normal or cause for concern? Does it mean that the tube is used or new?
Haven't seen this before.

The silvering is the so called anode boil off.
A sign that a tube is used.
Some tubes can get a slight silvering after testing at the factory where they were made.

There is nothing wrong with them.

As long as they are safe without shorts or leakages they will be good to use.

 

[whirlwind]

The silvering is the so called anode boil off.
A sign that a tube is used.
Some tubes can get a slight silvering after testing at the factory where they were made.

There is nothing wrong with them.

As long as they are safe without shorts or leakages they will be good to use.

I am about to give this NOS ECC33 some anode boil off....as I have rolled it in my amp.


Everyone can trust Stavros if he says a tube is NOS.
I have been interested in some tubes on e-bay where the seller claims they are NOS, but do not provide a picture from the top.
Some have on a request to do so. If a tube test really good, I don't worry much about it, other than NOS tubes have a much better chance of being quiet I think, but who knows, maybe not.

I have pretty much had the same set of RCA 42EC4 in my GOTL since I got it...that has been a few years now and they are still going strong.
I need to check with Glenn to see if he has any RCA ones left....they have been the hardest ones for me to find, and I like the little volcano type glow at the top of the tube better than most other brands.

Tubes last so much longer than what people believe they would.

 

[mordy]

I am about to give this NOS ECC33 some anode boil off....as I have rolled it in my amp.


Everyone can trust Stavros if he says a tube is NOS.
I have been interested in some tubes on e-bay where the seller claims they are NOS, but do not provide a picture from the top.
Some have on a request to do so. If a tube test really good, I don't worry much about it, other than NOS tubes have a much better chance of being quiet I think, but who knows, maybe not.

I have pretty much had the same set of RCA 42EC4 in my GOTL since I got it...that has been a few years now and they are still going strong.
I need to check with Glenn to see if he has any RCA ones left....they have been the hardest ones for me to find, and I like the little volcano type glow at the top of the tube better than most other brands.

Tubes last so much longer than what people believe they would.

I think Glenn and myphone mentioned using the same tubes for 10 years.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Off topic question:

Have you ever compared the sonic differences of the 7802s to the TS 6080s?

Hey Monster, figured I would reply here since it's sort of a GOTL thing. Sorry for the book you are about to read.

Having listened to them both several times, I could give a vague description of the Tung Sol 6080 vs the 7802, but I haven't done an AB. I'm happy to though, I have both, I'll see if I have time today or tomorrow. Right off the bat though, the difference is large when it comes to soundstage, dynamics, resolution.

They do have a very similar internal construction, only difference I see really is a finer grid on the 7802 and some extra support rods. Maybe shinier copper on the 7802 grid rods? I'm splitting hairs HA!



One thing to keep in mind, the only circuit I have ever seen the Tung Sol 7802 used in with listening impressions is a cathode-follower OTL, like the Bottlehead Crack, Woo Audio WA3, etc. In those circuits, the output tube provides near 0 gain no matter its amplification factor, whereas in the GOTL, The 7802 will operate at a gain of 9 and a transconductance of 20,000 and the 6080 at a gain of 2 and a transconductance of 7,000.

From my reading, the higher transconductance of the 7802 vs 6080 in the Crack(atwoa) cathode-follower circuit will have a negligible effect on the output impedance, so I don't think the better sound can be attributed to that, but I'm still not sure if the higher transconductance is contributing in any way to why the tube sounds so good in a cathode follower or if there is another reason. It's hard to say if comparisons are still 1:1 in the BHC vs GOTL.

I'm very curious myself if it will carry over to the GOTL or not, maybe Glenn can help based on the specs, but I won't know for sure until I have the GOTL!!! When I do, this will be one of the first output tubes I try.

 

[whirlwind]

Here is a pretty cool find I came across last week while searching for some tubes...thought it was pretty neat, so I bought one and it arrived today.

Not a tube, but tube related, lol.

 

[mordy]

Hey Monster, figured I would reply here since it's sort of a GOTL thing. Sorry for the book you are about to read.

Having listened to them both several times, I could give a vague description of the Tung Sol 6080 vs the 7802, but I haven't done an AB. I'm happy to though, I have both, I'll see if I have time today or tomorrow. Right off the bat though, the difference is large when it comes to soundstage, dynamics, resolution.

They do have a very similar internal construction, only difference I see really is a finer grid on the 7802 and some extra support rods. Maybe shinier copper on the 7802 grid rods? I'm splitting hairs HA!



One thing to keep in mind, the only circuit I have ever seen the Tung Sol 7802 used in with listening impressions is a cathode-follower OTL, like the Bottlehead Crack, Woo Audio WA3, etc. In those circuits, the output tube provides near 0 gain no matter its amplification factor, whereas in the GOTL, The 7802 will operate at a gain of 9 and a transconductance of 20,000 and the 6080 at a gain of 2 and a transconductance of 7,000.

From my reading, the higher transconductance of the 7802 vs 6080 in the Crack(atwoa) cathode-follower circuit will have a negligible effect on the output impedance, so I don't think the better sound can be attributed to that, but I'm still not sure if the higher transconductance is contributing in any way to why the tube sounds so good in a cathode follower or if there is another reason. It's hard to say if comparisons are still 1:1 in the BHC vs GOTL.

I'm very curious myself if it will carry over to the GOTL or not, maybe Glenn can help based on the specs, but I won't know for sure until I have the GOTL!!! When I do, this will be one of the first output tubes I try.

Are both these tubes graphite tubes?
Are the specs different for a regular 6080 and a graphite one?
The 6528A has an amplification factor of 9 and a transconductance of 37.000 and the 6336B of 2.7/13,500 - is that a similar scenario?

 

[mordy]

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