Tubes

You are welcome. This is why we call it a "community". There is a lot of information and opinions out there. I try to temper mine with experience rather than blind allegiance or romantic notion.  This can be a really fun hobby but also painful at times. I would hate to see anyone make the mistakes I made! Fortunately I have a forgiving wife (and one who does not ask a lot of questions!)

I would also like to add that tubes / tube changes cannot correct a poorly designed piece of equipment.  I have looked at schematics on some pieces of equipment and could not make sense of what I saw. Some tubes were tied into others and some not at all and the values and such of the resistors used were "scary" so again, a tube is not going to correct something that is flawed to begin with. Sort of like trying to put lipstick on a pig, you will still have a pig.
I agree with some of the other posts that yes, tube changes can have an impact. I would be lying if I said no. That said, I am also saying in a veiled politically neutral way that not all pieces of equipment are created equally so what might bring significant changes to one person's gear might not have the slightest affect on another's.
Does that make any sense?

As a man who owns all tube gear and has for 25+ years, the whole tube arena is not for novices. No insult here because I too, was one of those who learned about tubes the hard way; spending way too much, or not enough, seduced by NOS tubes when in practice I never really tried anything that is current, assuming NOS was just the best. Not always so. NOS tubes can be noisy, fail quicker (heck, a lot of them are older than me and that is saying a lot) and OVERPRICED. And yes, I meant to do all capital letters. Several very smart men who know a lot about tubes have mentored me over the years. Some of the best things they have taught me is where amps are concerned, the small signal tubes have more of an impact than the large power tubes. Not that power tubes cannot make a difference but in a matter of percentages, the smaller signal tubes can make a 50% difference or more compared to power tubes. Before you drop a fortune on NOS tubes, listen to some new production tubes. Jim McShane, a very knowledgeable tube man told me that new production is often better than NOS. I agree. I use several new production tubes that are as good if not better than NOS, and what is better yet, is that they are quiet.
There is so much to know about tubes. Tubes are like cables. There are the believers, non-believers, and also tubes can be tone controls. I would start out with the small signal tubes first, go with current production tubes first, and see what you think before dropping way too much on NOS tubes. As a side note, i own over 800 NOS tubes of various brands, sizes etc. and many times when you look inside my gear you will see a current production 6922 or 12AX7 because those are better. And believe me, I have a lot I could choose from that would be applicable to the equipment and its tube complement.
Sorry to be so long winded but tubes questions are not questions with easy answers. If so I would not own 800 tubes and not have been a student of tubes for 25+ years, No easy answer on this thread, at least IMHO.

OKay - I lied.  I am back. And this is not about tubes so relax:

gguy767, you said something interesting to me in one of your posts. You wrote this:
"I think I'm a tad more of a music lover than an audiophile."

Interesting as I said. What is your definition of an audiophile and what makes an audiophile less of a music lover? I love to drive. I have some nice cars that make driving much more fun. Does that make me less of a lover of driving because I have an object that allows me to accelerate more quickly, corner better, stop better etc? Does owning a piece of equipment that allows me to enjoy the music better move me out of the category of music lover and into some murky area of "audiophile"?
Curious I am....

As long as I am being long winded and opining away, I would like to add one more thing and it is this: where a lot of people recommend going with NOS tubes for their or others tubed gear, how people are actually running NOS power tubes? Who out there is using a gob of GE 6550 tubes, a gaggle of Gold Lion KT88 or a multitude of Mulland EL34s? If there are as many of those who as compared to those using the small NOS signal tubes I would be amazed. So for the sake of argument, those of us who are not made of money or have a time machine, we have had to make due with current production 6550, KT88, EL 34, 6L6 tubes and so on. Does anyone feel like they are suffering as a result? I am just saying that as a group if we are willing to use current production power tubes, where and when then does it matter where the NOS tubes come in and current production moves out? Small signal, rectifier, etc? I just know I cannot afford let alone find an octet of original Gold Lion tubes that my amps once used so it is necessary for me to use current production and I still enjoy what I am hearing.
End of the sermon...

To dmk_calgary

Ah, tubes. An area as dangerous as cables. I see from reading some of the replies that at least person believes that I prefer new production over NOS. Not always the case. What I am stating is that there is almost a prejudice that new production can in no way compare to NOS. I have been most pleased with the Gold Lion re-production of the small signal tubes. And before people jump all over me I also know that the original Genelex company did not always make small signal tubes in some of the sizes currently offered. That said, where I am most satisfied with the Gold Lion re-issues is that they are quiet, and to my ears, give me at least 90% of what several NOS tubes do. For instance, the Gold Lion  re-issue 6922 tubes give me the same sonic qualities that I have heard with some older (70's) Amperex 6922 tubes. The Gold Lions are not inexpensive though one can shop and find decent prices. Many reputable sellers offer warranties on the tubes as well.  I have also had some good luck with the TungSol re-issues and though I hate to use the name TungSol as I know it is just a Russian tube with the TungSol name, I again find the tubes to be pleasing to listen to, quiet, and pretty darn reliable. I have dropped some serious money on NOS tubes only to hear tube rush, microphonics and other issues. Some reputable sellers like Brent Jesse and Vintage Tube Services do their very best to try and eliminate those issues, but the fact remains that many NOS tubes are from the 1940's. I have read numerous times about the Sylvania 6SN7WGT metal base tube as one of the best 6SN7 out there. I did find a pair from a man who I have dealt with in the past. He sells good tubes and he actually loaned me a pair before purchase. Thank God he did that for the tubes were horribly microphonic and frankly, un-listenable. I think how horrible it would have been to drop the $300 (cheap at the time) for the pair.
So, like so many things in audio, it is synergy, opinion, and what works for you. My main point again is this: if one does not have a perspective on tubes and tube performance, just don't jump on the NOS bandwagon because a tube is NOS. Try new production, see what you think, and then perhaps try a pair of NOS tubes. One just might be surprised...