2. amps-preamps
  3. 149946-72263

Bendix 6106 burn-in behavior

I've read that the Bendix 6106 can be a very good rectifier tube, but that it takes a couple hundred hours to burn in. And that during that time it can misbehave.
I've been burning in an NOS JAN Bendix 6106 for about 50 hours or so. Today I notice a slight hum on my phono channel, and the volume on the left phono channel is way down. However, on other sources, both channels are hum-free and have appropriate volume matching.
Do I have a bum tube? Or is this a normal behavior during 6106 burn-in? Preamp is Supratek Cortese with LCR phono stage. The seller has said he's willing to swap tubes to ensure my satisfaction...
Thanks, in advance, to anyone who has some experience to share.
Markus
128x128markusthenaimnut
racamuti's avatar
racamuti
362 posts
 
Hi Mark, Does Mick of Supratek endorse the Bendix 6106? I was under the impression that he does not. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?
Thanks, Tish

racamuti's avatar
racamuti
362 posts
 
Hi, I did a search and it looks like they are good to go (the 6106) although I did see a post that claimed you shouldn't use it in a Cabernet.
Thanks again, TISH
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,574 posts
 
@roberjerman is correct- unless the idea of 'burn-in' is extended to the idea that some percentage of parts will suffer 'infant crib death' due to manufacturing defects, as is apparently so in this particular case.

rodman99999
5,981 posts
 
Glad you got it resolved. Of course, being the highest-gain, and earliest, circuit of a preamp, a phono stage would be the most(noticeably) affected, by a misbehaving rectifier. How basic! I was hoping; getting old would take longer!
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut OP
353 posts
 
In my correspondence with Nick he did not directly advise me or suggest that the 6106 was incompatible with the Cortese. But I do recall reading a post somewhere to that effect. But he doesn't call it out on his substitution list, so maybe that should have given me a clue. 
More to discover