[intoart]

I am new to tubes. When I started shopping for tubes, I noticed that some are sold singly or in batches, while others are sold as "matched pairs". These tend to be more expensive. Since my LD I+ uses two tubes, are matched pairs worth the extra cost? What is involved in matching them?

 

[cristox]

To keep it simple:

Each tube has electrical values that differs a little bit from tube to tube.
If you buy single tubes, those values can differ so much that there is an audible difference between the two channels.
Matched tubes are tested for their electrical values on a dedicated tube tester.
Then pairs (or even quads) are picked from the tested batch whose value differencies are are in the limits of something like 5% -10%.

I dont know if this is important for the LD1+.
Some amps need matched tubes, some don't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am new to tubes. When I started shopping for tubes, I noticed that some are sold singly or in batches, while others are sold as "matched pairs". These tend to be more expensive. Since my LD I+ uses two tubes, are matched pairs worth the extra cost? What is involved in matching them?

 

[nikongod]

It means that the 2 tubes are electronically VERY similar (within a tighter tolerance than is allowed by simply being labeled the same thing)

In some amps (specifically those with push-pull transformer coupled output stages, or balanced amps) it is ESSENTIAL, but in single ended amps it is not as important.

For that amp, I would save the money from matching tubes and get either better grade tubes, a second pair from a different factory, or more music

any of those 3 will give you larger results than matched tubes with that amp.

 

[Meliboeus]

Even if it's a slightly different question, i'll ask here just not to create another topic...i have just received a tube amplifier ( it's a single ended design, uses 1xecc81 and 2xecc82 ) , well the two ecc82s provided by the manufacturer are from two different brands, the amp was tested so i assume it is not an error, in fact even at a careful listen, there is not the slightest channel unbalance, is there anything wrong as long as they sound fine ? ( i doubt, if the tubes had significantly different electrical characteristics, it would heavily affect the sound... )

 

[Raylinds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meliboeus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even if it's a slightly different question, i'll ask here just not to create another topic...i have just received a tube amplifier ( it's a single ended design, uses 1xecc81 and 2xecc82 ) , well the two ecc82s provided by the manufacturer are from two different brands, the amp was tested so i assume it is not an error, in fact even at a careful listen, there is not the slightest channel unbalance, is there anything wrong as long as they sound fine ? ( i doubt, if the tubes had significantly different electrical characteristics, it would heavily affect the sound... )

I wouldn't woryy about it.