Enough Tubes For You?
- Thread starter MylesBAstor
- Start date
Thanks!
Second link did not work for me... The first, well, heck! I built a differential cascode tube preamp in college and sold it for enough to pay for a semester's classes. It had great specs, and the guy who bought it loved it, but others thought it sounded too SS. Go figure.
Still does not cover their OTL design, unless it is also differential with cathode-coupled outputs.
Modern tube preamps are much better in this regard IMO. Better circuits, running the tubes more conservatively in their linear region, etc.
I have heard tube preamps, with MC tube phono-stages that have blacker backgrounds than very well regarded solid state preamps. One from Vacuum State the other the EAR 912. And my friend probably has well over 5000 hours in the tubes in his 912.
Mep,
Sorry to say I disagree, as you know. It is much less a pain in the ass than sending a 90kg Krell to be serviced ...
BTW, I always use thin leather gloves when I grill with coal, do amateur carpentry or test tubes.
You say this in jest don't you because if this amp has to be serviced ... Extreme performance requires sometimes extreme logistics so if someone can afford the amp I suppose logistics are not an issue .. All good then
I have to say that hasn't been my experience with tube gear Mark. OTOH that's why I've owned cj. I've had three issues in 25 years of owning cj gear (and one doesn't really count since it was a blown resistor in a 8 year old MV75A1; hell that stuff happens in eight year old Krells too!). And my ART amplifier with 8 output tubes/channel has operated flawlessly since I bought them.
As far as preamps, I've never had issues with microphonics--but as we all know that greatly depends on the tube type selected and how hard the manufacturer drives them (esp. with output tubes in amps).
Phono sections are another story but I've had more of an issue with tube microphonics with NOS rather than new tubes. The worst tubes in my experience nowadays are the JJECC83s. Had three go w/in 100 hours. Switched to the new reissued Tungsols and haven't looked back since.
Personally, have known as many issues with ss as with tube amps. And I don't know anyone killed by a tube amp (remember the Rappaport solid-state amp?).
Funny, i hear people on their concerns about tubed equipment. That said [so far!] i have had one SS Class A amp (14 yrs old) end up with a capacitor problem that took forever to hunt down and fix (since sold)...and the amp on my Velodyne blew. Both SS! Tubed pre, DAC (still have both) and an earlier mid-powered tubed amp (also now sold) have been fine so far.
No I would think it's fairer to say that reliability is a function of the manufacturer and the product's design. It's just as easy to build a bad -- or even have a bad batch of a certain part --- for ss and tube products.
While I won't name companies publicly, let me give one example. A ss manufacturer had some years ago just switched over to using wave soldering techniques (at the dawn of wave soldering) and had countless issues with their ss amplifiers because of cold solder joints, etc.
The Russian military liked them long after we Americans abandoned them. Then again, I gather flying Aeroflot isn't exactly the same experience as, say, Singapore Airlines.
Wrong assumption - I am being serious. The Atmasphere MA2's are some of the more reliable and easiest to service amps in the world. The circuit is very simple and point-to-point wired - no PCBs. It is feedback free. As they are mono blocks if one has a problem you just take a multimeter and compare resistances and voltages between the two units and probably replace a resistor or a 47V zener diode - there is not much more to go wrong! . Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics can service them. Perhaps the MA3 is more sophisticated - but knowing Ralph Karsten way of being in audio I can bet he will not want to compromise in reliability and ease of service.
Hi
Is this the MA-2? ... This is a huge multi-chassis amp and I am sure it weighs more than 83 Kg ... So you want us to believe that it is easier to ship than a KSA-250? Come on Man!!! So you would feel comfortable bringing and I am quoting you "Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics" to service your >$150,000 possession? Rather than shipping it out to its manufacturer? Oooooooooooooooookay ...
Is this the MA-2? ... This is a huge multi-chassis amp and I am sure it weighs more than 83 Kg ... So you want us to believe that it is easier to ship than a KSA-250? Come on Man!!! So you would feel comfortable bringing and I am quoting you "Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics" to service your >$150,000 possession? Rather than shipping it out to its manufacturer? Oooooooooooooooookay ...
Hi
Is this the MA-2? ... This is a huge multi-chassis amp and I am sure it weighs more than 83 Kg ... So you want us to believe that it is easier to ship than a KSA-250? Come on Man!!! So you would feel comfortable bringing and I am quoting you "Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics" to service your >$150,000 possession? Rather than shipping it out to its manufacturer? Oooooooooooooooookay ...
http://www.atma-sphere.com/Products/#MA-3
Hi
I knew it wasn't the MA-2 and I rest my case about the shipping ..As for the quality and performance of the MA-3,I don't know.. Atmasphere has been there for a long time and proven their worth so ... I was addressing the logistics of servicing this unit and microstrip contention of ease of such ...including shipping for a unit whose total weith is a staggering 320 Kg about 705 lbs ...
I knew it wasn't the MA-2 and I rest my case about the shipping ..As for the quality and performance of the MA-3,I don't know.. Atmasphere has been there for a long time and proven their worth so ... I was addressing the logistics of servicing this unit and microstrip contention of ease of such ...including shipping for a unit whose total weith is a staggering 320 Kg about 705 lbs ...
Hi
Is this the MA-2? ... This is a huge multi-chassis amp and I am sure it weighs more than 83 Kg ... So you want us to believe that it is easier to ship than a KSA-250? Come on Man!!! So you would feel comfortable bringing and I am quoting you "Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics" to service your >$150,000 possession? Rather than shipping it out to its manufacturer? Oooooooooooooooookay ...
Frantz,
My original answer (that you quoted) was made to a generic Mep post about tubes versus SS maintenance and should have been taken with some humour. I answered with my MA2 experience. End of story. Re-read the thread and please do not distort my intentions.
And yes, I believe that a with the help of Ralph, any one used to work with tubes can service any Atmasphere amps, irrespective of price, most of the time. Just go tho the old Atmasphere forums and the OTL asylum and read the threads about this subject. I am not an expert and with the help of Ralph have carried upgrades of my MA2's several times.
Frantz:
If you can afford the amplifiers, I'm sure you can afford the shipping.
Indeed! and if it has to be repaired the owner would not give it to "Any one knowing basic electronics and triode basics" ...
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/atmasphere_ma1ii2.htm
Don There is a little box at the top for measurements. click there.
Greg
Edit: They use a a circlotron design:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circlotron
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Ralph's commentary is more interesting than the review. Not all is as it seems to be with transistor amplifiers.
Frantz,
You are free to re-use my sentence out of context - it seems you really enjoyed it and I feel happy for it - but unhappily it did not address the MA3.
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