Why do old tubes sound better than current tubes?

you know. that old time sound. tubey.

Does Flo Rida or the Black Eyed Peas sound better with NOS tubes?

Certainly, particular designs, system synergy and personal taste could favor any one particular tube over another. For small signal tubes, I have generally found that older production tubes sound better, and also last much longer.

The big problem with older tubes is that one hardly finds truly new, or barely used, old tubes on the market these days. I've bought tubes that are claimed to be NOS from supposedly reputable sellers that test pretty mediocre on a good, modern tube tester (Amplitrex). Also, there is such a wide variety of voicing of older tubes that it is easy to come up with simply wrong tubes for a particular application.

In everything that I've heard, for my taste anyway, I've been able to find alternatives to the manufacture chosen tubes that I prefer. Almost always that alternative has been older varieties for small signal tubes. But, then again there are a LOT more older choices.

I own modern 2a3 power tubes that do sound VERY good (EML meshplates and solid plates) so I can say that there is good current production of those tubes. A friend has AVVT 300bs that are quite good and distinctive (not as mushy on the bottom as most 300bs, new or old).

I've got some of those expensive, NOS EL 34s. Maybe I should auction them off since I replaced them with current production 6AC7 because they sound much better to me in my amp. I like syrup on my waffles, but not my music. ;-)

My amp, pre and phonostage are the same as Doug's. So, ditto what he said.

Does Flo Rida or the Black Eyed Peas sound better with NOS tubes?

Nothing would make these guys sound good on anything other than an MP3 player, IMO. ;-)

" I've bought tubes that are claimed to be NOS from supposedly reputable sellers that test pretty mediocre on a good, modern tube tester (Amplitrex)."

So are they real NOS tubes or not? PErhaps NOS tubes are just not always the cats meow? They are old after all. Most electronic devices decline with age.

"Also, there is such a wide variety of voicing of older tubes that it is easy to come up with simply wrong tubes for a particular application. "

I think one must be willing to experiment with lots of different tubes to find the best. Buying overpriced NOS tubes just because they are NOS will break the bank sooner and perhaps actually prevent one from finding the right tubes perhaps?

Does Flo Rida or the Black Eyed Peas sound better with NOS tubes?

"Nothing would make these guys sound good on anything other than an MP3 player, IMO. ;-)"

I use stock 12AX7 tubes in my ARC sp16 tube pre-amp and BEPs sound just they way they should to me and mega miles better, no comparison, than on an Ipod with earbuds which typically has very limited dynamics.