Anybody having trouble with TS Preamp tubes??

muudrock

muudrock

Active member
Anybody else experiencing trouble with them? Primarily in V2 slot in the modules. I just got 6 of them last week and 2 of them appear to be bad, at least in V2. Super low volume output from the module and noisy as hell. Take it out and replace with a Sovtek and perfect. But tried both of the tubes I thought were bad together in V1 and V2 of the EG3/4 and it works?!!?! I'm confused. :doh:
Opinions?
 
Yes, I have had problems with them. The one's I've gotten from dougstubes.com have been fine though. Mine seems to have been when I get them from other places. I had four go bad within minutes. Aggravating.
 
Ok, so I'm not crazy. I got these from The Tube Store. I find it odd that so many would be failing.
Nick, I don't know if v2 is a cathode follower. Maybe someone that knows will chime in.
 
My bad one's were from Tube Depot I believe. I got two, they went bad, had to ship them back for two more......they went bad too. Hard to believe, but it happened.
 
Despite the fact that the Tung Sols that work sound very good...It still kinda pisses me off that they're using the Tung Sol name on re-worked russian tubes. :(
 
Now you are seeing what amp makers go through trying to have good, reliable tubes in our amps. Just because a tube is new and has a cool old name on it guarantees NOTHING. We sometimes get knocked for using sovtek 12AX7WA and sovtek 5881 tubes in our modular amps. They very seldom fail and your amp keeps working and you are happy....and they happen to sound pretty good, too. It looks really bad when you get a new $2,000 amp and a tube goes bad right away. Most people don't think "it's just a bad tube, no big deal". More likely the thought is "I just paid a lot of money for this and my EGNATER amp broke", not my Tungsol or ?? tube failed. The point?...tubes will fail no matter whos' name is on them.
 
bruce egnater":3nrmxia7 said:
Now you are seeing what amp makers go through trying to have good, reliable tubes in our amps. Just because a tube is new and has a cool old name on it guarantees NOTHING. We sometimes get knocked for using sovtek 12AX7WA and sovtek 5881 tubes in our modular amps. They very seldom fail and your amp keeps working and you are happy....and they happen to sound pretty good, too. It looks really bad when you get a new $2,000 amp and a tube goes bad right away. Most people don't think "it's just a bad tube, no big deal". More likely the thought is "I just paid a lot of money for this and my EGNATER amp broke", not my Tungsol or ?? tube failed. The point?...tubes will fail no matter whos' name is on them.
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I totally agree here Bruce. I've never knocked you guys for using what works, sounds great, and is reliable. I personally think you guys are erring on the side of caution. I think it's a VERY smart move honestly. The Sovteks do sound great. I could easily be happy with the Sovteks for sure. I think in V2, they are a great tube for sure. For me, the NOS JP 5751s offer some interesting change especially to headroom and feel on the low-mid gain modules. The chinese tubes add some characteristics to the high-gain stuff that I like in V1. I still use the Sovtek's in my Mod50 for the chassis, and they are performing perfectly! :)
 
I'm a huge tone snob, and even I think the Sovtek WA sounds great in V2 of most of the modules. It also sounds great in V2 of the seminar head. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
I hear you Bruce. I also think the Sovteks sound damn good. As much as we play with power tubes, those damn Sovteks sound pretty darn good IMO. I also picked up a set of the wafer base Sovtek 5881/6L6 and they are very good as well.
 
Buckeyedog":1rdv6ws2 said:
I hear you Bruce. I also think the Sovteks sound damn good. As much as we play with power tubes, those damn Sovteks sound pretty darn good IMO. I also picked up a set of the wafer base Sovtek 5881/6L6 and they are very good as well.
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My Svetlana and Sovtek 6550s sound good too!!! :)

I think apart from V1 in the modules, for me I could stick w/ Sovtek the rest of the way. V1 is super critical for me in the BMAN, VX, SL2, and EG5. BMAN / VX I really dig the 5751. SL2 / EG5 I really dig the Chinese 12ax7a. Everything is, I'm cool with stock. But I'm a tone freak like Gene...hence the drawer full of tubes!!! Luckily, the tubes I have gotten have been good for the most part. I've had a few issues here and there, but for the most part the tubes I've been running have been reliable.

Eric
 
moltenmetalburn":3pix3i4s said:
I have all tung sol reissues in all of my amps and I have had no problems at all, got em from tube depot, maybe there was a bad lot?
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I think there must have been.

Jason, LOL man...........gotta love this stuff!!
 
Well I hope it's just a bad lot. I'm sending them back for replacements. I have a ton of Sovteks laying around so I'm good there. I've just never experienced so many bad tubes in a row. I think the TS sound a little different than the Sovtek, but not enough to sacrifice for the bad tubes.
On the flip side, alot of guys are having trouble with the EL34 quality and I've been running the same set of GT E34Ls for what seems like forever and not a problem.
 
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