Welcome to my Webspace
A quick Musical Bio.
My first concert at AMS - Sousaphone - 1972
Played Electric Bass in High School Jazz Band - 1978 to 1979
Me and my Gianinni AWN-20 3/4 Student Guitar - 1981
Twice Arian Music Award Recipient 79' & 80'
I memorized my Music, that made it fun to play
Marching Band as well
Loyal Antilles Pirate
AHS - Class of 1980
MY EARLY TUBE YEARS
First Tube Amp
Pulled from a Dictograph Mono 6V6 Console
Detailed specifications on RadioMuseum Website (link below)
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/dictograph_10w_amplifier_chassis.html
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER - P.E.
BSEE - Class of 1986
Now, let's enter a wonderful realm of Tubes and Music
Open your Doors of "Tube Perception"
TDoor #1 - Hand Made Equipment
Door #2 - Classic Gear Repair/Schematics
Door #5 - Modifications & Side Projects
Door #7 - Electrical Hazard Notice
Door #8 - Basic Tube Measurements
My "most popular" Power Tube Reviews
Audio Applications
Sometimes these are used for Voltage Regulation Duty (OMG!)
I will upload more YouTube Videos of my DIY amps soon
KT-88/6550 - Cavernous lows & very polite highs, trash metal crunch, surprisingly good with Horns
KT-66/6L6/5881* - Layered, tonal Tube, great for HiFi & Guitar, many nice variants
SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION IS THE 7355 TUBE* (RIP) - Small 6L6 variant, brilliant design, out of production (eg. Harman Kardon)
KT-77/EL34/6CA7 - Midrange Guitar screamer, with a good edge, crystal clear HiFi, nuanced
EL-84/6BQ5 - Musically engaging, great with Classical music, smooth operator, vocals crisp and clean
7591/7591A/7868/6GM5 - Sweet sound, deceivingly smooth at high power, current production Russian
7027A - Nice Warm but Detailed sound, used when Tubes roamed the earth (RIP)
8417- Audio Power Pentode, late bloomer, akin to a V8 and Oil Price Hikes, long out of production (RIP)
6F6 Russian - Old Car Radios, absolutely fabulous tonality, best kept DIY secret (US RIP), listen...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTS7HkzkWhE
6V6/7408 - Lighter version of 6F6, filaments not as hungry, can be bright at times, glassy
6AQ5 - Mini 6V6 in most regards (RIP) out of production
6CM6 - (RIP) also out of production, fantastic Jazz and Vocal, listen...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrj1FGQ7e5Y&t=1s
E80L/6227 - European 9 Pin Pentode. 10,000 hour PQ version, on my short list of tubes to use
2A3 - Glorious Single Ended Holography - L.S..D. friendly I suppose
300B - The trusted voice of pure Class A - the golden S.E. standard - Expen$ive
Common Small Signal Voltage Stage Gain Tubes
Line Stages, Tone Controls, Phase Splitters & Buffers
ECC83/12AX7 - High-Mu, Dual Triode everyone knows something about
ECC81/12AT7 - Medium-Mu Dual Triode, common in Guitar amps, seen in HiFi amps (Fisher SA300)
ECC82/12AU7 - A true chameleon, Low-Mu, versatile, ubiquitous, handy
12DW7/7247 - Half of a 12AX7 plus Half of a 12AU7cool tube (Dynaco S35, EICO 2036)
ECC88/6DJ8/6922 - Frame Grid design, with a Love/Hate HiFi reputation, love 'em HOT (Audible Illusions)
ECC85 - Used sparingly in Audio, very sweet, much more common in German Amps
EF86/6267 - A small Pentode Tube, everyone needs to listen to, most never have (Mullard 5-20)
6C4 - This is half of a 12AU7, small and petite, very cute, used in Hammond AO-28 Preamp (RIP)
6SN7/5962 - The bulldog of Small Signal Gain Stages, robust and musical
6J5 - This just half of a 6SN7 (think 6C4), killer tone, a best kept secret, out of production (RIP)
6N7 - Rare metal audio tube, Stromberg Carlson Theater Amps
6SL7/5961 - Less seen in amps, Cary Audio used them in the 90's (SE300)
12BH7 - Robust dual triode, awesome & beefy, great good driver tube (Hammond AO-28)
ECC99 - The new kid on the block, speaks with an accent, nouveau 12BH7, please use them!
6C45P - A best kept secret for Phono Stages, used in DIY for those in-the-know (Transcendent Sound)
6N1P - More robust than a ECC88/6DJ8, great driver for DHT Triode Tubes (ShermanAudio Kismet)
7199 - Out of production tube (RIP), Pentode/Triode, Russian version so-so (Dynaco ST70)
6AN8 - Out of production tube (RIP), Pentode/Triode (Dynaco MK3, some Japanese Amps)
DARN TUBE RECTIFIERS
"THE UNFAIR REPUTATION"
NONE OF THE SOLID STATE "SOUND"
NO PLATE STRIPPING (Oh-Lala)
SHOCK ABSORBING, ELASTIC, & RELIABLE (Reliable WTF?)
THE ORIGINAL "SOFT START"
TUBE RECTIFIERS RULE, I LOVE THEM
LOWEST DELAY TIME, PRIOR TO FAST RECOVERY DIODES
GZ34/5AR4 - 5V/2A Superman of tube rectifiers, general purpose (Dynaco ST70)
GZ37 - A somewhat filament hungry 5V/2.8A variant of the GZ34, British, rare & expensive
Type 80 Globe - Paleo Rare Tube Rectifier, too much for me as well, for museums
5Z3 - Also rare, museum stuff, not for DIY, unless there is extreme nostagia
5Y3/5Y3GT - Neutral 5V/2A, very reliable when operated within their maximum ratings, quick-on
6X4 - Lighter 6V/.6A version rectifier, mostly used in Preamps (Scott LC21)
5V4 - Rare now, 5V/2A sweetie, nice for medium powered amps 20 to 30w
12X4 - A 12V/0.6A version of a 6X4, same tube, different filament (Dynaco PAS)
6CA4/EZ81 - Like a 6X4, but not as popular, 1amp, think VOX (Leslie Reverb Cabinets)
5U4/5U4G - Robust Rectifier 5V/3A, tall, dark and handsome (US Navy)
5R4GY - That Sexy glass bottle, 5V/3A often seen with Brown Shorts (JAN)
5R4WGB - Potato Masher Rectifier, totally ready for Dinner and Battle (Military Grade)
6AX5/6X5GT - Popular 50's-60's 5V rectifier, similar to 5Y3 in ratings, 5V/0.6A from the 50's
274B - Western Electric, high end tube, available today, must be nice, Expensive as F, $$$
Common Vintage Amp "mistake"
EL-84/6BQ5 is not always a substitute for 7189
And NEVER replace in an amp designed for 7189 an EL-84/6BQ5
I call this "Cheapskate City"
(Images above are from Duncan's Amps)
Now back on the subject of the 7189
If you own and operate a pure 7189 amp
There are still a few out there
The Russian 6n14n-EB Tubes are tough as nails
Also if you operate a stock Dynaco ST35 on 123-125 VAC
Use NOS 7189's (RIP) or.. Russian 6n14n-EB tube or.. EL-84M
My ST35 DIY version can safely operate both tubes
Mine sports a "Dual Primary Hammond Plate and Filament Transformer"
At the flip of a switch I can go from 115vac to 125vac
(Same on my Mullard 5-20 amps)
Note: Real US 7189 Tubes are all RIP now, out of production decades ago
The remaining NOS stock out there, is most likely smoked-out
Unless real 7189 Sellers are honest, and have tesed 7189's for sale, in a real circuit
Power Tubes can measure perfect on most Tube Testers, but fail in use
The proof is when you put them in a real amplifier circuit at full operating conditions
Put the light's out and look for RED PLATES
In my experience, the Russian 7189 variant tubes
They don't even break a sweat at 450 Volts DC
SO HERE ARE LINKS TO GOOD 7189 RESOURCES
https://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=148527
https://www.dougstubes.com/nos-6n14n-eb.html
https://upscaleaudio.com/collections/power-tubes/products/russian-6h14-7189
http://www.mcshanedesign.net/tubes.htm
Here is an awesome video
MR. KEVIN DEAL
"THE HIGH PRIEST OF TUBES"
UPSCALE AUDIO
THE TUBE TABERNACLE
MY GO-TO PLACE FOR EXQUISITE LOW NOISE TUBES
One of the few remaining Dinosaurs, from a Neo-Technic age
When DIY Audio and HiFi ruled
Some Tube Trivia
KT stands for ?
Shhhh... "Kinkless Tetrode"
Google it, good fun
ShermanAudio is fundamentally all about MUSIC
Continued appreciation of music, artists and tubes
Respecting brilliant desigs and designers
Respecting original schematics
Restoration Roadmaps
Designers design
Users enjoy
You either drive the Formula 1 Car
Work on them,
Or have earned the knowledge to do both
Unless you are a Tube Designer
The best policy is;
RESPECT ORIGINAL SCHEMATICS, PLEASE
Be wary and skeptical of "the killer modification"
Audio Forum advice, can often be misleading and costly
Be wary of the dozens of keyboard jockey's
Who know it all and are looking to comment on everything (i.e. Trolls)
Not only in this Hobby, but most of the Internet today
Trolls write with limbic reactionary anger when faced with real knowledge
The type of people who have an opinion about every single Country
But never visited any of them
A wise man once said:
"You are not upsetting the person,
You are upsetting their Demons"
Note that Mr. Paul Klipsch (RIP)
Paul had a hidden lapel pin, that He would flash
Then came the T-Shirts !!
https://www.klipsch.com/bullshit-slogan-background
SO QUESTION IT ALL
EVEN WHAT I SAY HERE
MY SKIN IS VERY, VERY, VERY THICK
MY ARMOR CONSISTS OF;
ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, TIME, PATIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, KINDNESS & VIRTUE
A shot of my Guitars currently on duty (front to rear)
Giannini GNF-8R CEQ
Fender Newporter
Giannini AWN20 (3/4) 1975
Epiphone Invader Electric
None are expensive intruments
All allow great musical expression
Guitars and Singing are fun
For relaxation and a tolerant audiences :)
"Tube Curious" & "Campfire Guitarists"
Welcome Home !
Jaco Pastorius (RIP) said;
"Let's Gig"
78rpm, 45rpm, 33-1/3rpm, 16rpm
Reel to Reel, Cassettes, EL-Casettes
Betamax, VHS, CD, HDCD, MiniDisk, SACD
DVD, Music DVD, BluRay, Streaming
All music formats welcome
But the true survivor of Time, the Vinyl Record
The Library of Congress is living proof
The LP's will be playable in 500-800 years
When properly archived and stored
There is even an LP on the Voyager Probe
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/sounds/
Now who said Time-Travel is impossible ? Who said that ?
Just insert a VHS tape and press PLAY
Old formats, old books and past history
They transport one back to an original experience
and many lessons forgotten
When was a Movie ever better than the Book?
Have we forgotten the power of our imagination?
Imperfections, they are part of Art, Science and Humanity
Cranky nay-sayers utter
"Tubes Distort"
I calmly respond
"Yes they can"
Open receptive minds...
Allow for the safe passage of Open Hearts
International Business Travel Side Note
Presenting the Master Percussionist
Mr. Billy Cobham
One warm Thursday evening many years ago
I was attending a company business dinner
Platea - Local Bar - Cuidad de Panama - Casco Viejo
"Palindrome" - "Glass Menagerie"
"One Word" from Birds of Fire, amazing
His music transcends the ordinary
Billy plays from within a parallel universe
E
My Vintage Gear Commandments:
No 'fuzzy' Vintage Preamps allowed
No 'Off Balance-Noisy' Balance Controls
No mistracking Stereo Volume Controls, full stop!
No "ideas" accepted without mathematical proof
No 'hummy-buzzy' vintage equipment
Thou shalt not preach, other than from;
Thou shalt measure and calculate and then prove
Thou shalt listen for, test to isolate, identify, and replace out of tolerance components
Achtung! thou shalt not use or operate "un-molested" vimtage gear, verbotten
Thou shalt read and learn basic electrical theory:
Ohms Law
Thevenin & Norton Theorems
Maintain Calibrated Tube Testers
Make your own custom test jigs
Np Bias allowed except for Screen Voltage or Cathode Current
Do not flame, bite or pertetuate false dogmatic ideas
There is no such thing as 'Evil' Feedback
Safety first
Prevent Electric Shock
& Soldering Iron Burns
Always use Eye Protection
My New Maxi Preamp II - Awesome
Answers the comon question
"Do they still make Tubes?"
I always offer a Hot Mug
Of Mountain Grown - Pure Puerto Rican Coffee
for visitors to my Music Room
(now located in Rochester, NY)
MY ONLY POLITICAL STATEMENT
P.R. is one of our planet's last remaining Colonies
(Fantasy) ELA = Estado - Libre - Asociado
(Reality) CDC = Colonia - Dependiente - Capturada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920
Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Marianas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Marshall Islands
PLEASE COLONIES, ORGANIZE TODAY, FORM A UNITED COALITION
PETITION THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO
REPEAL THE JONES ACT
JONES ACT IS OBSOLETE
