Vacuum Tube Applications

Does anybody here work with vacuum tubes? Some of the best audio gear in the world uses vacuum tubes.  I've had a project on the back burner for a while that I'm thinking about restarting, and then testing the market.  The project I speak of, is a battery powered 15W RMS vacuum tube guitar amplifier. (Class AB). 

Vacuum tube audio gear has always sounded better than solid state counterparts, although many people don't really know why. The human ear is very sensitive to harmonic distortion in music, so it makes one wonder why a vacuum tube audio amplifier with 1% THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) sounds better than a solid state audio amplifier with as little as .01% THD. The reason for this, is due to the physics of transistors vs. vacuum tubes.  A transistor amplifier will generate harmonic distortion that is composed of primarily odd harmonics.  Odd harmonics of musical notes, are not musically related to the original note, and therefore the harmonic distortion seems very out of place according to the human ear.  Vacuum tube amplifiers on the other hand, generate primarily EVEN harmonics.  An even harmonic of a musical note, IS musically related to the original note. It is the same musical note, only an octave or more higher. No matter how much harmonic distortion a VT amplifier generates, all that distortion is musically related to the original notes. The distortion of a VT amplifier, in fact, makes the audio sound richer with more depth.

Vacuum tubes are a great choice for Guitar amplifiers.... for certain type of music that is.  If heavy metal is your gig, VT amplifiers are not for you.  As a plus, Vacuum Tube circuitry will survive the EMP from a nuclear blast. I'm afraid your solid state amp will be fried.

Surely, someone else here still works with, and appreciates vacuum tube technology.

 I appreciate it as much as you too, I used to work on commercial sound back in the day and your spot on on the quality compared to today's stuff.

I think I read of a comeback attempt by some company.

I haven't worked with them in some time, but I was drafted into the US Army in the very early 70's as a 31E20 Field Radio Repairman during a time that tubes were still king and radios were the size of a backpack. The power tube was several times the size and weight of the newer models used today,

I grew up with tube amps and used to love my old Ampeg SVT. I was always taught that when you over drive a tube it just keeps building upon it's self as opposed to a transistor which drives until it reaches it's cut off point. Tubes have a much "warmer" sound, but the ideal setup for me is a hybrid amp with a tube preamp and a solid state power amp.

One of my first tube amps in the sixties, was a Heath Kit that came disassembled with all the parts and schematics and you built and soldered everything yourself.

 RE:

Top of the line VT audio gear is out of most peoples price range.  The Audio Note 'Onhaku' had a street price of around $70,000 the last time I looked.  Who would have thought that a 27 watt per channel stereo amp with a 5% THD would command that price, when most of the audio world was trying to build solid state amps with THD < .01%

In my ears opinion, even a cheap  VT amp sounds better than a lot of SS amps.

The problem is finding a source for the vacuum tubes.

 Common error. 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TM36H?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CKfIkoyjqr8CFc8F7AoduR4ATg

It's the price of them now ..

https://tubedepot.com/

Thanks, good to know.

http://www.ehx.com/browse/vacuum-tubes

http://www.svetlana.com/

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_musical-instruments?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Sovtek&node=11091801

VT manufacturing is up and running strong.  There are a number of manufacturers cranking out new tubes for audio applications, however if you need a re-tube an old radio, you might have a hard time finding certain replacement tubes.

Hammond Mfg. still makes output transformers

http://www.hammondmfg.com/claspg.htm

What's getting hard to find, are copies of old RCA or Sylvania receiving tube manuals with all the plate curves and design data. Newer tubes aren't documented nearly as well.  Fortunately I have a good library of VT data books.  Good vintage tube testers are also challenging to find.

It's fun stuff to work with.  When I was 10 years old, I was taking apart old TVs people threw away to salvage the parts. Had my mother known I was building 600 volt DC power supplies with those parts, she probably would have freaked out.

you could market them as EMP attack resistant and sell them to hardcore survivalist musicians :-)

seriously though, Im sure if your setup costs were not overwhelming, then you would be able to sell enough to make it worth the effort. Every good guitarist knows the benefits of a nice tube amp, so education about vacuum tubes would get peoples attention.

I remember when 7-11 sold tube testers.,, I was a little kid but I remember it. My dad was always fixing TVs, CB, and Ham radios, Arcade games.. stuff like that.

Was just talking about tube amps with my cousin this past weekend while I was over his house working on his arcade game,, he reached in and came very close to the Monitor yoke while I was in working in the cabinet.. after me explaining to him how close to instant death he just came, we got on the subject of old technology.

I been looking for an old Tube stereo amp for listening to music at home,, want to hook up a record player and show people that come over what real "good sound" is.

HL my dad is all into old tech stuff and he plays music,, he has a few old tube amps and stuff that he swears by.. he even has some old tube power amps for his ham gear that he has had since he was just a teenager.. I use to use some of that stuff when i got my licenses back when I was like 12.. back when you had to learn morse code to get one.. now anyone can get one after a simple few question test.

and you are right after the storm of all storms or the first emp attack from russia it will the the old technology users and ham radio operators we all turn to for help when we cant text our moms and make sure she is ok!

Vacuum tube testers have come a long way: http://www.amplitrex.com/about.html