Dusty Chalk

Well yeah -- quote anything out of context and of course it seems unambiguous. I thought I had already pointed out that there were several different isolated sentences, any one of them out of context would have seemed unambiguous. It's the fact that there were several conflicting answers amongst the documentation that makes it confusing. I would ask a different question if I knew what questions to ask. The thing is, I know very little about this sort of thing. I'm trying to ask the sort of questions that will lead to the kind of discussion that will lead to me asking more intelligent questions and ultimately, an education. I'd like to understand what Pete Millet is telling me when I start talking to him. Quoting from the manual without explanation is not helping. Silly you. This helped: So what parameters do I need to look at to determine how many amps of heater current the Wheatfield is capable of generating? Is there a way to figure this out from the schematic? Is there a way to figure out the bias voltage that's being placed on the tubes from the schematic? Presumably, the bias voltage is constant, so sticking different tubes in with different parameters will run them at relatively higher and lower percentages of their specs, yes? Are there any other parameters with which I need to be concerned?

Ha-ha, you live in your parents' basement.

Well, if you read the manual I linked to, it says 6AS7G. If you read the tuberolling FAQ, it says 6080/6AS7G in the subject header, then goes on to say that they've tried 6AS7, 6080, 5998, 7236, and 6528. If you read this page or the specs page, it says 7236 or 6080. So I already read them pretty carefully, Mr. "one reads more carefully". I was looking for a more definitive or carefully thought-out answer. He goes on to say that they started out with new production tubes and moved to NOS tubes due to noise issues. So I wouldn't trust what it came with, neither.

So how does one find out what tubes the Wheatfield was specifically designed for? The reason I ask is, when looking at his tuberolling FAQ, Pete Millet mentions several tubes: 6080 6AS7(-G) 5998 7236 6528(-A) ...and when looking these up in TDSL, they don't show up as substitutes for each other. I figure that the amp is sending the same bias voltage &c. to the tubes, but they all might react differently, having different ratings. Also, how does one look up the Zout on these? It doesn't show up in TDSL for all of them (nor in the linked data sheets). Is that the best way to figure out which ones are best for low impedance headphones? Right now, all I have to go on is 6258A (and according to TDSL, the CV9094), but I don't know why that one is best for low impedance headphones.

It appears to be both the rectifier and the power tube. I've only measured them once, so I may have only had one good rectifier before. I haven't been that scientific about it. I will be with my next tubes, though. And as Hirsch pointed out, my complaints may well be within the normal range.

No, not really, I'm really kind of pissed off at it right now.

So...was there a question in there? J/K You should definitely listen to it before you buy it. And roll that friggin' tube. I'm listening to an Ei Elite 12AU7EG (gold pin) into a pair of CCa's, and it sounds wonderful.

Daylight Dies/Katatonia/Moonspell Daylight Dies rocked. Katatonia were perpetually out of tune. 's'too bad, I really like them, and The Great Cold Distance is easily my favourite album of the year, so far. Moonspell were awesome but...and this is the first time this has happened for me (must be geezin')...I didn't get that endorphine rush of enjoyment that I get at concerts. They sounded great, they were energetic, but it -- and this may have been influenced by the audience of primarily hormone-addled post-teens -- it just seemed kind of juvenile to me. Oh, well, not selling my Moonspell albums just yet. Oh, last week: Odin's Court/Zero Hour Odin's Court -- very good prog metal. I thought they were going to steal the show, until the headliner came out. Zero Hour -- OMG. Bldiddle-diddle-diddlety...they were just unstoppable. If you take every fast lead guitar solo and strung it together, and threw in maybe one or two slow moments, that was Zero Hour. Shredtastic. My jaw was on the floor for the entire show. Combination of technical virtuosity and sheer stamina was mind-numbing. I'm not always in the mood for this kind of music, but shortly into the first song, I had this moment were I was just dumbstruck, and at the end of the night, I realized that that was also the same moment where I was put in the mood. I didn't even have the presence of mind to think whether or not I was in the mood for this or not, I was just blown away...my mind had a great big hole in it, grey matter seeping out the back... The bassist was the same way, the drummer was tight, the singer did the only thing any singer could do in similar circumstances -- give it everything you got and stay out of the way at the same time.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tori, as well as Kate Bush, but this was funny. "But...I thought you were dead!"

Speaking of looks, this is easily my favourite product from the Moth Audio catalog, based on looks alone (besides the nightlight, of course).

Yeah, that's one of my standbys.

All these "This topic has been moved to Drink" has moved me to drink. I have a very small window of opportunity to drink tonight at midnight, so I shall have one drink. This is a bar at a rock'n'roll nightclub that plays mostly metal and hard rock outfits. What should I drink? Last time this happened, I had a vodka sour. They do have a well-stocked bar, with plenty of liquors, but I have a feeling a fuzzy navel might be asking too much. I could be wrong. Perhaps a tequila sunrise? Ah, shit, never mind, I just remembered -- I took a 24 hour medicine instead of 12, I can't drink shit.

I had no idea.

...cough...choke...wheeze...

Want to? Yes. Will? No, not at this time.

So...you've already designed one, yes? Yes, I do.

I'm pretty sure it's OTL. (double-checks) Capacitor coupled OTL, according to this page. Oh, and I got the idea about using a 6528 in it based on Pete Millet's own HA-2 Tuberolling FAQ (which I linked to previously). It's explicitly suggested for low impedance headphones. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it can handle it. Not positive, but pretty sure...why wouldn't it? Because the draw might be more than the power reserves are capable of? So maybe I should supplement the power reserve caps? WRT email: No, it's there -- right on his front page. I guess I could email him, I just wasn't sure how approachable he was, and I wasn't sure how to ask the question. Actually, now that I think about it, I have another question to ask him, so I will definitely email him.

Stupid question: does it matter whether or not I "consider" that or not -- isn't a JAN tube a JAN tube -- not the same as "mil-spec" or russian military, or anything, but a JAN tube is very specifically a tube made for JAN. I don't understand this. I know what NOS means -- it means it was made a while ago, but hasn't been used yet. Are you saying that 6C33, although apparently still in production, has really been made a while ago, and is no longer being manufactured? Yeah, that's sort of a grey line, but perhaps if I explained where I'm coming from, my question will make more sense (and also explain why this distinction isn't really important in this case). I found a pair of tubes I bought a while ago, and they were labeled JAN. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is whether or not they're NOS or not (in addition to whether they're any good or not, but that's an easier question for me to answer -- just try them!). I remember not liking them and not using them for very long at all, so if I sell them, I want to know whether or not to advertise them as not-quite-new old-stock or not.

Thank you all for your helpful responses. Because mine keep burning out. And I know of at least one other owner that goes through a lot of tubes as well. I'm looking for the best option for (a) driving low impedance headphones and ( at a non-expensive rate. According to Pete Millet's HA-2 tuberolling faq (PDF), it says I should go for a 6528a -- Mikhail happen to get any of those that he would be willing to sell me? TDSL says I should also look at the CV9094 -- same question. Any other good recommendations for tubes for driving low impedance headphones? When I looked up all the tubes listed in that FAQ, and cross-referenced them in TDSL, I expected to see them come up as each other's substitutes. And yet, they did not. Any idea why? I'm also wondering if there are any tweaks that I can do to get them to not eat up tubes like Killdozer. Is there a way to lower the supply voltage? Do I want to do that? Is there something I can look at in the power supply, to make it more stable? Any other brilliant suggestions? A specific question to KG, 5687, and anyone else who would say "no" to #4 -- do you believe in current production tubes at all? I say this not to start that argument, but just as a reference point. I, myself, have heard some good new production tubes that I like (although I admit -- none of them were more powerful than the EL84, which KG has already told me sucks). I also ask because as a follow-up question -- is there a way to rewire and/or replace the socket so that I could put a good current production tube in there? Or an adapter? I'm probably just going to sell the fucker and be done with it, but it's such a nice complement to my Singlepower amp that I really would like that sound as an option in my headphone listening. Do you know what I'm talking about? Can I get an 'amen'? Would the 6080 be a good choice for low impedance headphones?

I know it runs them hot, is that the entirety of the reason, or is there more to it than that? Also, is it hard on the power tube, the rectifier, or both? Anyone know Pete Millet? Anyone want to ask him for me (diplomatically, of course)? Any good current production tubes for them?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no such thing as a new production JAN tube, yes?

Okay.

You're pretty agreeable when you're drunk.

Regardless, I will continue to use the word whenever appropriate, irrespective of its condemnation by the vocabulary police.

It was a Pass Labs one.