Is the GAT / ET5 hard on tubes?

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by Coppy

Well, I just ordered a couple of NOS Tele ECC88s for Mr. GAT. Diamonds, gold pins and all. Found them on sale at Tube Depot last week. Maybe I'll learn what all the fuss is about. They had better be dead quiet.

Wish me luck...
Bob

I've been over there at TDepot a few times now pondering buying a couple of those on-sale Tele ECC88s...I guess it's inevitable.

[Coppy]

Better hurry. The sale expired yesterday but since I've bought other stuff, they gave me the price today. They seem like good folks to deal with.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by medwardo

Thanks for the thread here, guys. I've been wondering if there's been something wrong with my pre as it does go through tubes. Sounds like it is pretty normal.

I've had the pre for about a year and I am now on my 5th tube. The pre is only on when I am listening to it. I'm guessing that I have > 600 hours total on the unit by now. Unit is well ventilated and all that.

It does sound like some amount of tube "rush" is normal, so I may have just assumed that the tube was bad, when it wasn't...just those stray electrons bouncing about in advance of the tube's ultimate demise.

I've tried CJ EH 6922, EH Gold 6922, & GL. I loved, loved the GL's midrange, but it went crackly on me in about a month. The last EH Gold lasted maybe two months before getting noisey.

Oh, the stock 6922s in my ET250S are factory and are dead quiet still after a year or so.

Sigh...tubes are glorious sounding indeed, but kinda high maintenance.

Thanks for the tips about the mfg date.

Curious as to what is going on as I've had my Premier 17 almost two years without any tubes going bad whatsoever. Also, the Ediswan input 6922s in my LP70S power amp will be three years old in January, still no issues.

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by Coppy

Better hurray. The sale expired yesterday but since I've bought other stuff, they gave me the price today. They seem like good folks to deal with.

haha yea, I hopped over there...the sale had expired. I called them and the person I spoke with said he'd gotten approval earlier today to sell a set at the sale price. I guess we know who that happy customer is.

So I've got a set on order as well at the good price. I've purchased quite a few tubes over the years from them.

Oh yea, a good outfit for sure. I still enjoy watching their build-your-own-guitar-amp videos now and then,

[Joe Appierto]

Glad you were able to get them at the sale price, Bob. You're in for a treat, the Telefunken ECC88s are just plain excellent.

Edit: You too, Ray. Think I had a brain fart there.

[medward0]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Curious as to what is going on as I've had my Premier 17 almost two years without any tubes going bad whatsoever. Also, the Ediswan input 6922s in my LP70S power amp will be three years old in January, still no issues.

Thx, Puma Cat. Yea, me too. And a bit worried, I must say.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by medwardo

Thx, Puma Cat. Yea, me too. And a bit worried, I must say.

It certainly sounds unusual. I think Rayooo was saying he'd been through a fair no. of tubes on his ET-5 as well. Something with the current ET/GAT topology perhaps?

My CT-5 currently has the Reflektor 6H30 DR "super tube" which is reputedly reknown for going tens of thousands of hours. My understanding is that one of it's primary requirements from the Soviet gov't was extreme durability.

[Myles B. Astor]

Well I hope the DRs are better than the EBs. I've had three EBs go in my ART amps. I did try the DRs but I really don't think they sounded better than the EBs. In my sytem, the DRs were among other things definitely edgier.

So far the latest ERs seem to be holding up. I'm beginning to think that many of these Russian tubes have real reliability and longetivity issues

[chessman]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

It certainly sounds unusual. I think Rayooo was saying he'd been through a fair no. of tubes on his ET-5 as well. Something with the current ET/GAT topology perhaps?

My CT-5 currently has the Reflektor 6H30 DR "super tube" which is reputedly reknown for going tens of thousands of hours. My understanding is that one of it's primary requirements from the Soviet gov't was extreme durability.

Stephen, where did you buy your DR's? I have been thinking about trying them in my BAT VK-52 SE in lieu of the regular 6H30's.

[Myles B. Astor]

Originally Posted by chessman

Stephen, where did you buy your DR's? I have been thinking about trying them in my BAT VK-52 SE in lieu of the regular 6H30's.

I got mine from a tube dealer that I've dealt with before from Turkey. The prices were reasonable and the tubes came in two or so weeks from Russia. I'm not sure the one's sold by Parts Connexion are real as they look different from any other DR and don't sound that good to me.

I also picked four up on audiogon from someone who had just sold their BAT gear and was also selling their backup tubes.

The DR IMHO might work better in a system that leans to the dark side but definitely wouldn't use them in a lean system.