Schiit Lyr Tube Rollers

[Guidostrunk]

Well. You learn something new about tubes , everyday.

So, since my tube rolling, came to a halt back in April. My Valvos , haven't left the Lyr since.
That's 8 months , since I've taken them out. Lately, I've been getting the itch to do some more rolling. My setup has changed considerably since I found my beloved Valvos.
For the last two months or so, something just didn't seem right. I wasn't having that HOLY SCHIIT & WOW, moments like I once remembered.
So I started thinking that maybe I'm getting bored with the sound. Or maybe the tubes , weren't actually NOS, when I got them and they're losing their oomph.
Well last night, getting ready for the New Years celebration , with my family. I decided to clean up all my components. Disconnected everything. Wiped everything down thoroughly and put it all back together.
In that process, I removed my Valvos , cleaned the pins(Deoxit), and put them back in. Something that I haven't done when cleaning all my gear. I generally clean my gear once a month because I'm anal like that. Lol.
Well once I got everything back together, I popped my Valvos , back in, turned everything back on, and waited for about an hour for everything to get toasty.

At first, listen. WOW & OMG! I seriously thought I was losing my mind(I'll never rule that out though lol). It's as if I put a new set of Valvos in like in the beginning. Everything that I absolutely loved about these tubes , was back with full authority. I couldn't believe it. I even had the wife listen to confirm what I was hearing. Her reaction was exactly the same as mine.
So , I wondered how could this be? Then I stumbled upon this article, regarding tube maintenance:

http://www.tweakshop.com/Tube%20care.html

In this guide there's one particular, sentence , under "Cleaning Vacuum Tubes". Something as simple as re-inserting your tubes, for better connection. So after reading the article, I guess that tube connections, over time , start to lose their connectivity due to oxidation. Which makes sense when you think about it. Cars get battery terminal issues all the time from the same thing. And most of the time during the summer, I do a lot of listening outside on my porch, for the serenity factor.
I can't believe something that simple , made that big of a difference. Well , from now on, I'll incorporate my tubes into my regular cleaning process. Lol

Man I love this hobby. You always learn something new along the journey. I'm still in awe, over this whole thing. Unbelievable!

Happy New Year, my tube rolling friends.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Derailment, post.
I absolutely recommend this album! Crazy good binaural recording made specifically for headphone listening.

 

[billerb1]

You've inspired me Sammy.  I've never cleaned my pins other than scraping the steel pinned ones with a blade every once in awhile.
How about THAT for science !!!  Anyway I think it's about time I took the Deoxit plunge.
Happy New Year everybody.
 
EDIT:  So what's the best stuff to buy...where...and best method ??  Steel and gold pinned ???
Thanks for the help all.

 

[tvnosaint]

Me too. I'd been thinking about investing in some deoxit. Time for some snake oil and elbow grease. I'm certain to have tubes that have never been cleaned and the lyr is 5 years old now. Warranty expired so I can open it up and have a go at it.

 

[ThurstonX]

  You've inspired me Sammy.  I've never cleaned my pins other than scraping the steel pinned ones with a blade every once in awhile.
How about THAT for science !!!  Anyway I think it's about time I took the Deoxit plunge.
Happy New Year everybody.
 
EDIT:  So what's the best stuff to buy...where...and best method ??  Steel and gold pinned ???
Thanks for the help all.

 
I recommend this one: http://smile.amazon.com/Hosa-SKGXMDBULK-Deoxit-Vacuum-Survival/dp/B007K8M9JA
 
The skinny socket cleaning brush is handy, and the DeoxIT Gold in the kit is only available in the kit.  I've searched for it as a solo product, but couldn't find it, and CAIG ignored my email about it.  The "red" soaking solution is OK, but I used it up quickly (tough to get back in the bottle), so I use the method at the link Sam provided (wooden swabs + 99% isopropyl alcohol) for the initial cleaning.

 

[billerb1]

   
I recommend this one: http://smile.amazon.com/Hosa-SKGXMDBULK-Deoxit-Vacuum-Survival/dp/B007K8M9JA
 
The skinny socket cleaning brush is handy, and the DeoxIT Gold in the kit is only available in the kit.  I've searched for it as a solo product, but couldn't find it, and CAIG ignored my email about it.  The "red" soaking solution is OK, but I used it up quickly (tough to get back in the bottle), so I use the method at the link Sam provided (wooden swabs + 99% isopropyl alcohol) for the initial cleaning.

 
Thanks Tony.  Ordered it.  Having them bill Sammy for it.
 
(gold and steel pins??)

 

[ThurstonX]

  Thanks Tony.  Ordered it.  Having them bill Sammy for it.
 
(gold and steel pins??)

 
LOL.  I use the same method on all my tubes: alcohol (then one for me), followed by DeoxIT Gold.  I never used the DeoxIT "red" soaking solution on gold-pinned tubes.  I'm not sure it's necessarily bad for them, but for some reason I thought it a bad idea.  Maybe someone else can chime in.  Or you can just skip the DeoxIT red and go the alcohol route.  I couldn't find 99% isopropyl or the wooden swabs locally, but got both from Amazon.
 
Glad to hear your Mullards are starting to work for you.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Hahahahahahahaha.

Thanks Tony.  Ordered it.  Having them bill Sammy for it.

(gold and steel pins??)

 

[Guidostrunk]

When I bought the Deoxit kit, I only used it in the beginning, when I got new tubes , to clean the pins up before rolling them. Lol.
I still can't believe the difference with clean pins, and fresh contact. It's literally night and day.
There's no doubt that I'll be pulling the glass , more frequently. I haven't put my cans down since.

Unbelievable! Lol

LOL.  I use the same method on all my tubes: alcohol (then one for me), followed by DeoxIT Gold.  I never used the DeoxIT "red" soaking solution on gold-pinned tubes.  I'm not sure it's necessarily bad for them, but for some reason I thought it a bad idea.  Maybe someone else can chime in.  Or you can just skip the DeoxIT red and go the alcohol route.  I couldn't find 99% isopropyl or the wooden swabs locally, but got both from Amazon.

Glad to hear your Mullards are starting to work for you.

 

[tvnosaint]

I was just using canvas and alcohol when they arrived. Looking in to a better way.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Haven't used the red either. Gold only here. Since I seen nothing mentioned in regards to gold, with the red stuff, I passed on it. Had pretty much the same opinion, as you.

LOL.  I use the same method on all my tubes: alcohol (then one for me), followed by DeoxIT Gold.  I never used the DeoxIT "red" soaking solution on gold-pinned tubes.  I'm not sure it's necessarily bad for them, but for some reason I thought it a bad idea.  Maybe someone else can chime in.  Or you can just skip the DeoxIT red and go the alcohol route.  I couldn't find 99% isopropyl or the wooden swabs locally, but got both from Amazon.

Glad to hear your Mullards are starting to work for you.

 

[ThurstonX]

The small nail polish-size bottle of DeoxIT Gold will last a long time.  Since I often go 10 months or more between any given pair, I usually just clean and treat them every time; certainly when it's been that long.  It's a simple task, so WTH.

 

[tvnosaint]

Ordered the red, gold and lube for faders.

 

[billerb1]

This is all your fault Sammy, you lunatic.

 

[spyder1]

I have used white vinegar as a soaking solution, when cleaning grimey pins of used pulls, (est. 4hr) that test Strong. Then swab, with tap H20, and finally Deoxit Gold GX100L-UV. Clean vacuum tube pins does have a positive effect on SQ. A soft bristled brush is needed to scrub between pins.