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Tube Rolling - Any tips or caveats

I recently purchased an ARC SP-16 and have decided that I would like to upgrade the tubes, essentially I will begin tube-rolling.

I purchased some NOS tubes to replace the phone stage tubes, but before I do, I was wondering if anyone has any tips or caveats regarding tube rolling. Things such as:

- Should I A-B test different tubes, swapping in/out quickly?
- Can I mix & match brands, or NOS vs. New etc...?
- Should I start from source and move downstream (ph-stage, Line stage,... power amp) or vice versa?

In general any tips would be welcome.
nick_sr
slikric3000
638 posts
 
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clio09
3,360 posts
 
Get the lowest noise tubes you can afford, especially for the phono stage. Your priority should be to locate reputable dealers, then look at their stock. Don't necessarily focus on the name brand. A properly tested tube with excellent test specs will make a big difference. People like Andy at Vintage Tube Services and Roger Modjeski at RAM Labs are great places to start. They are the only two people I'll deal with.
markpao
523 posts
 
I'll add be sure to buy from a reputable person or dealer. If you plan to do lot of tube rolling you might consider a tube tester. The most important thing is to make sure your tube doesn't have a short. Most testers should be able to test for shorts, even an inexpensive one.
xti16
1,525 posts
 
- Should I A-B test different tubes, swapping in/out quickly?
1 - I would not swap tubes quickly especially NEW/NOS because I have found they need a couple of hundred hrs to break in.
Can I mix & match brands, or NOS vs. New etc...?
2 - If you can manually adjust the bias you should be OK BUT I would not mix brands (although it may produce some interesting results). I have found different brands of the same tube types have their own distinct sound.
Should I start from source and move downstream (ph-stage, Line stage,... power amp) or vice versa?
3 - I have an integrated amp so I have no experience here
brf
1,715 posts
 
Get VERY familiar with the sound of your pre-amp with stock tubes. Make notes of the areas that you would like improve i.e. more impactful bass, extended highs etc. Once you have a list of attributes that you wish to improve, research for a tube that exhibit said traits or post on this forum for tubes suggestion i.e. looking for a 12AX7 with extended highs etc. When searching for NOS tubes you must have a game plan and an objective, otherwise it becomes an expensive guessing game.
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