Posted by Albertporter on December 01, 2002 at 15:49:02:
In Reply to: Wolcott? Is he is smart enough to TEST the worlds best amp? posted by Terry Koehn on December 01, 2002 at 10:01:26:
Perhaps you should re-read my post. Replacing the factory tubes with NOS is an improvement at every level. The actual cost of NOS tubes must be weighed against performance received and the amount of time before failure.
Many NOS tubes would be worth their price even if they failed as frequently as original equipment, at least to those of us that value performance. Some Mullards still survive today, even after their initial use in factory equipment like the Dynaco 70 produced in 1962. No tubes today are built to the standard of lasting 40 years, regardless of price. We cannot turn back the clock and when these are gone we can discuss the merit of the remains. Until then, I will use the highest quality parts obtainable.
As to circuit calibration, this is not a factor unless the tubes installed do not meet original specification. There are tube substitution books as well as web sites on the subject, and good quality tube testers (such as I use) are available at Audiogon and EBAY.
As to the decidedly off topic BMW discussion, if you link to Dinan web site, you see that gas mileage is not effected by the chip upgrade. Under most driving conditions the mileage is increased. Even if performance was at the cost of gas mileage, this is not a parallel to audio. NOS tubes cost more, but electrical consumption is not greater. In addition, the user receives improved performance with fewer replacements.
As for white papers, these are technical explanations of design and do little to describe sound. Many designers are able to craft thoughtful and beautiful explanations of their product with subsequent listening sessions being completely disappointing. No doubt there is a wonderfully written white paper on the Bose 901.