2. amps-preamps
  3. 1076495259

Exposed to tubes?

I have my first tube amp in my system, a BAT VK-60. I am finding that with my VR4jr's the amp only sounds slightly better than my old DNA-1, don't get me wrong it sounds better but not by as large a margin as I had expected. Am I crazy or was the DNA that good? I'm glad I have the BAT because it is an improvement overall but boy the DNA really held it's weight against the higher priced competition. The amp is a monster but beautiful to look at with the tubes glowing.

The problem I have is with the exposed tubes, we don't have children yet but we do have two curious huskies that love to "sniff" everything. I would like to find a cage for the exposed tubes that can be removed at will when the dogs are out of the room. I would also like to find a clear plexi-glass cover for the amp to control the fur & dust when the amp is not in use, I saw them advertised in Stereophile once but can find by who.
fishwater
ykk's avatar
ykk
124 posts
 
Check this out for dustcover:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1073666633&read&keyw&zzdust+teres
gjrad
145 posts
 
A much cheaper alternative, but only effective against dust is to go to a fabric store and find a silk like material and have them cut it so it completely covers your amp. I have Joule Electra Heaven's Gate mono amps which are at least as big as your VK 60. Been using them for for about 6 months for my all my amps and they work great keeping dust out plus it really does not look bad. Cost for 4 pieces about $3.50. For best results wait until the tubes in the amp cool off. Cheers
fishwater OP
178 posts
 
Yes, I have to run adapters to the BAT. I am waiting for my new pre-amp (Audible L2) but that will be single ended as well so I either have to continue use of the adapters or find some cables for RCA to XLR. I still don't think this will be as effective as fully balanced but it is all I can do unless I buy a different pre-amp.

The JR's are incredible, I have never heard any VSA speakers before these & (obviously) bought them sight unseen but it was worth it. They have incredible dynamic range while remaining fairly nuetral. Overall they are the best of all the speakers I have had so far (2Ci sigs, HR Kestrals & Tyler reference monitors) The VSA's are as close to a live experience as I have found yet in audio.

I have thought of fabric covers for dust protection but the tubes remain hot for sometime after use. A plexi dust cover & a steel mesh are the best fixes for my situation.
eddaytona
216 posts
 
One sniff on hot tubes should end the problem with the dogs.
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