The Tubes & Testing

Tube Matching

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Tubes I test are usually (not always) year matched and also matched within tight tolerances generally within roughly a 2 - 6 % margin which equates to approx 1-3 Ma, especially for people using Audiophile Class A/B amplification but on occasions a little more (within acceptable limits) as perfect matches from batches of limited vintage tubes can be difficult. 

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​Burning In 

 Conditioning, Stability & Tone 

 

New 40 Tube Burn in Capacity. Galvanically Isolated Power Supply.

This method via Custom Made Power Supply with special surge protection via a Furman surge control unit. The surge protection function in addition to the Maximatchers internal short circuit function which shuts down an entire string of 5 tubes Fast. This avoids any potential issues associated with tube short circuits or power surges while burning in over long periods, protecting precious tubes. I will be elaborating more again on this section very soon as I am always further perfecting and learning. 

 

 

 

 

 

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​Why Burn In?

Thermal Expansion & Stability

Heat plays an essential role in the function of a vacuum tube

which goes far beyond temperature as evident by plate emission process.

​One of the main reasons why I do this is to detect early tube failures and bad tubes but also because I sell vintage NOS tubes that have not been used for decades and therefore the heaters / cathode, plate, grid including gases all need to be reactivated (standard factory process). This process promotes good tube health and longevity. I call this "Conditioning". I also provide Many tubes just simply tested (NOS) - NO burn in too. 

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​​​TONE!

My philosophy and experimenting have proven that burning in produces a more Dynamic, sweeter and more consistent tone from tube to tube. This process loosens up the initial response of the tube offering better dynamics and the more balanced tone right away however tubes can still further develop over time too, absolutely.  Isn't that awesome FET's don't :) The Choice for Burn in has always and will continue to be yours but is Highly Recommended!

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TUBE DRIFT 

New Tubes by their nature can present vastly different values but also fluctuate until they settle in, some brands do a lot more than others usually between 0.5ma - 5ma. Pre Test burn in ensures the heater filaments cathode and plate etc in addition to gases have stabilised as well as the grid and plate established an equilibrium after thermal expansion. This means the tube shouldn't fluctuate, ensuring significantly better testing / matching accuracy and a better performing tube that shouldn't really "drift" once installed in your Amp. Pics & Videos coming soon!

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​​​​​CONSISTENCY

Consistency, reliability and repeatability is important in science and for people. This is why 90 percent of the time every tube I buy the entire box, which is the same date, same batch, same manufacturer whether it's Vintage or New. I see a lot of year mixing, sometimes up to 5 -15 years  generally, this is ok though however there's sometimes changes in manufacturing techniques/materials over years/decades but recapitulating... consistency and reliability are important factors in vacuum tubes and as such I do my utmost best to honor this, and I will label tubes if they don't meet this criteria.

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STORAGE

Storage is a very important aspect for vintage and modern tubes.  I store all my tubes in airtight sealed boxes to preserve and protect tubes from environmental factors keeping them in the best condition possible for now and into the future.

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