Tubes need zero burn-in...zero.
Soundstage, layering and tube differences
Within tube types, say el34’s, can anyone explain why one brand of tube like SED C’s have deep layered soundstaging and another, such as the Mullard reissue el34’s ,are more 2D? I just replaced my 10 year old SED’s with the Mullards ( which still need burn-in), but they are not nearly as 3D in my amps and are reported to be such.
Do some tubes resolve the actual recorded room acoustics better or is it a matter of harmonic distortion giving the illusion of soundstaging and 3 dimensionality??
Do some tubes resolve the actual recorded room acoustics better or is it a matter of harmonic distortion giving the illusion of soundstaging and 3 dimensionality??
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Tubes need zero burn-in...zero.Whether they need it or not, there is always an exception to the rule. My new Psvane 6SN7 Globes absolutely needed at least 20 hours to go from bright and scratchy to trasparent and holophonic. Further my 4 pairs of new Shuguang Black 12AX7LS were unremarkable until they opened up after 10-20 hours. |
you call burn in whatever you want any electrical device, connection, circuit, will ’settle in’ over some time...whether it is seconds, minutes, hours, days... it has to do with physics of matter, electrical flow, heat/heat dissipation w.r.t. tubes, they definitely have different sonic characteristics (frequency, amplitude, and phase differences)... not to mention your equipment interacting with the tube (driver and buffer circuits, components within those circuits), transformers, power supplies... each design/component operates as a system... nothing works in isolation |
you call burn in whatever you want Well said. |
"Tubes need zero burn-in...zero." ???? Don’t know your opinion of Brent Jessee (one of the most respected names in NOS tubes), but- here are just a few sentences (verbatim), from a letter that he includes, when you receive tubes purchased from him: "New tubes need a break-in period before they can exhibit their true sonic character when used in audio circuits. Preamp tubes especially benefit from a good break-in. This period may vary widely, but NOS vintage tubes usually need at least 48 hours of use, sometimes up to 100 hours. New current production tubes need 24-48 hours typically. Good break-in can be accomplished by either leaving your tube unit turned on for 2 days in a no signal condition, or you can just enjoy the tubes for several hours each evening and they will be broken in after several weeks." An opinion from another highly regarded (personally, at least) source: https://tctubes.com/power-tube-testing.aspx Upscale burns theirs in for 72 hours, before testing: https://upscaleaudio.com/pages/test-equipment interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=jwmDf5bSRMQ |
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