Vacuum Tube Equipment - Wonderful Vintage Audio Stereo Sound But Hazardous To Repair or Restore.

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I show you why vintage tube/valve electronics can be dangerous to work on. Also tips on using Photoshop during your restorations.
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@thorerik678 2 жыл бұрын

Worth mentioning is that since tubes use such high voltages to operate they routinely utilize power supplies with very large capacitances. Even when turned off they retain this high voltage and high quality caps with low leakage can retain a charge for days. Always discharge the power supply caps before replacing components. They taught me in the Navy to discharge the power supply voltages when off before attaching any test equipment. Attach your leads and then power on the equipment. It does take longer to troubleshoot but is safer. Also watch those tube extenders. It is easy for your fingers to slide down the side of the tube and make contact with the pin-outs.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Very good points! Thank you for sharing!

@mikecampbell5856 2 жыл бұрын

When I was in the Navy I screwed up and had 400 vdc plate voltage from a transceiver go right through my chest. Man did that hurt! I was sore for a couple of days. When I left the ship and went to shore duty, I worked on high power HF transmitters with 1200 vdc plate voltage. I learned my lesson and was very careful.

@jb678901 2 жыл бұрын

Glad I watched this one! I bought a Pioneer SX-82E (for $135 at a local on line auction). It hasn't a scratch...came with all the original documentation...and has known provenance as the seller acquired it from his sister-in-law following the passing of her father, who bought it new in 1965. It tested sat and works...but the electrolytics are ancient. Therefore, I am a bit hesitant to run it until it is revised. Tubes are all original. I opened the bottom cover and had a coronary...it's all point to point wiring that looks like a Gordian Knot surrounded by a neural network.

@jb678901 2 жыл бұрын

Never forget my first year on my boat (USN) while in the shipyard; the boat was in drydock for a few months. I was studying in the wardroom when we all heard the boom and smell from some electrical work in the 21 man berthing. The system was tagged out and the shipyard worker cut one of the power lines that fed the Fire Control System. The cut line had the correct tag, but the tag was placed on the wrong line by the ship builder. Unfortunately, the worker did not FIRST check the line with a Clamp voltmeter to see if it was live. He used a large wire (bolt) cutter and the power in that 3 phase 440V line vaporized the cutters up to the rubber handles. Thank goodness the man was standing on a rubber mat with gloves and protective gear. An incident I will never forget...the noise was substantial. Years later, while on business in Charlottesville, I was staying at a hotel where they were doing work outside in the parking lot just below my 3rd floor room. A worker was using a concrete pavement cutter and sliced through an electrical line to the hotel (nicked the gas line next to it , as well). I was in the shower at the time and did not even hear the faint evacuation alarm. In any event, he vaporized the cutter up to the rubber handles and suffered some second degree burns. When I realized the parade outside the hotel was not a parade and actually an evacuation, I threw on some clothes and ran for the exit stairs. Missed my flight. Consider myself lucky...if he had pierced the gas line I doubt that shower would've protected me. A close call...not as close as taking Flight 111 the day before its ill-fated crash, but still too close for comfort.

@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 2 жыл бұрын

Love Tube amps finally found ' a New Age' Tube integrated amp that i like better than my previous king Sansui G-8000 The Doge 10 MK-2b is a 59 pound beast Kt-120 power tubes , And the Circuit is built with very highend electronics ESA-Clarity Caps notch filters Nichicon caps Wima Omron Relays ALPS Blue Velvet Volume control Z-10 core still transformers And Top grade German PTFE Cabling . This amp sold for $6400.00U.S. under the Lua Brand while Doge made for them now for $2400.00 U.S. STR8 fron the factory its hard to beat ! And 'Full Warranty' no worries about fixing nothing for a long time I have had the amp for 2 years and it works perfect , I play the hell out of it everyday I have 4 different sets of Power/Pre Tubes also geez its Powerful Pushpull desighn never thought A tube amp could have this much weight to the sound ! ! And the Imaging is amazing ! Electric 🎸 Geez ! The sound just hangs in the Air and decays slowly into Oblivion And I agree stay away from Vintage tube amps unless you know how to work on them or have a lot of money !! Vintage wise Western Electric is King ! Since the 1920s those big theater systems were no joke !! Just me Opion

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for sharing. I've heard the Doge 10 MK-2b is a wonderful amp. I didn't know the details. Thanks for the info.

@MrDoneboy 2 жыл бұрын

Chris, I am more of a solid state repairer, but I really appreciate how you educate us, on the B Plus side of things!

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

LOL. Thanks, Dan!

@briang.7206 2 жыл бұрын

I was working on tube TVs as a young kid I'm surprised my dad let me do it. Mostly I changed tubes or did some adjustments. Really enjoy your videos.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing and for watching!

@maxpower78-15 2 жыл бұрын

Great stuff. Always happy to have another video from you. With your help, i now have the confidence to take apart my vintage sansui receiver to give it a proper cleaning and deoxit. Cheers

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know.

@antiqueexcavator9403 2 жыл бұрын

Glad I found your channel! I have some nice old stuff and bought and sold many of the examples you’ve shown. Great content!! Thanks!

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome aboard! Vintage audio gear is hard not to love.

@phonatic 2 жыл бұрын

Well done to give out a very strict warning, this is serious stuff that I won't touch. I have some tube gear both vintage and new, love them both as well. A good friend is taking care of these whenever necessary. Fortunately, I have bought way more Soviet tubes in the recent past than I'll ever be able to use up.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing.

@PentodeSensations 2 жыл бұрын

I own lots of tube gear, and I agree hahaha. It's already scary at 450V, which is standard for many models, but I have some gear running 600V (Traynor YBA1A, has the YBA3 power transformer). There's the Fender 400PS - now that thing is a monster. There's a voltage doubler for the plates for 700V; it has a 6L6GC driving an interstage transformer, feeding 3 pairs of GE 6550As, which each tie into their own dedicated 4ohm out winding; and the speaker grounds ties back to the cathode of each pair. Scary. Love the channel! Keep it up - I'll be a long time fan for sure :)

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the kind words and for commenting. Yes, tube electronics of all types can be dangerous. I tell you what else can be dangerous. A 220V AC electric clothes dryer. I was "screwing around" with one of those when I was younger and got bit. That was many years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.

@5argetech56 2 жыл бұрын

I still remember the Vacuum Tube testers they had in local drug stores and supermarkets. Mostly from RCA! Do you?

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

I remember the one's in Radio Shack. I can't say that I remember them in other local stores but I'm sure they were there. I remember also a TV repair guy coming to the house with his tube tester and a portable case full of tubes.

@MrFagedaboudit 2 жыл бұрын

I've been nursing a Marantz 8b since 1962, when I first took it out of the box. Unfortunately, as I get older my dexterity isn't great, so I'm wary of accidental damage, or accidental self-electrocution. (Been there, and my gear is 220v.) I will say however, that all the tube amps I've owned only sound better and better with age. My oldest is a 1933 Philco console, but the 8b is my honey for life.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for sharing. Wow, a 8B! You really have something special. The older tube gear is truly amazing. It can still hold it's own after all these years.

@MrFagedaboudit 2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict The warmth and detail just keep getting better with time, and especially noticeable at low volume, where solid state drops out. The 8b I received new as a birthday gift in '62. I enjoy it so much that I went out and bought an 8a in '75. Unfortunately, as your article points out aptly, over the past few years I've caused a lot of wear and tear through constant breakdown and reassembly with unsteady hands. Have upgraded my workbench with better magnifiers, micro vices, and lighting. Not going to wreck my 8b or get killed doing so, lol.

@LuisLopez-cs3qd 2 жыл бұрын

Another great video. Thank for back to me last video questions.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

You bet! Thanks for watching!

@wrenchaholic 2 жыл бұрын

theres an old lady i care for and her husband died years ago he had a huge dynaco tube amp. i already have the tube dynaco pre-amp and some powered tube 12" speakers from germany 1970s (cant remember the name right now.) anyways eventually i will own it all. I cant wait.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

The old Dynaco gear is timeless.

@jasonthewiczman5442 2 жыл бұрын

Knowledge is wisdom, thank you for making me aware

@bobbysparky4299 2 жыл бұрын

I'm just an old country Electrical Engineer, but I thought I'd give my 2 cents worth. I agree with VAA completely. I'd also like to add that I'm a firm believer in BUY AMERICAN. I went to the Western Electric website to price a set of matched quad 300b's and damn near had a stroke! I just wanted some good American tubes, I did not want to establish an annuity for their grandchildren! Think long and hard before you travel this road.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@Labor_Jones 2 жыл бұрын

I have a 60 year experienced Hi-Fi (etc) small Shop in a small town "MOVING" and I'm freaking out about owning mostly vintage Tube Equipment.... ..... I'm going to offer him $100 bucks to teach me proper soldering technique, how to use an old 'Tube Tester,' and stuff like that.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Good idea. In today's world there are fewer and fewer techs that are still in business. Your guy is moving but many are just getting to old to do it anymore.

@theirritatedirishman5440 2 жыл бұрын

Was taught to keep one hand or pretend to keep one hand in my back pocket. Eventually I started wearing one work glove on my least dominant hand. Aside from that a tube tester is not perfect cause a tube tester does not tell you if a tube is going to be microphonic or go goofy. “Emissions” is what 9 outta 10 testers test for and that’s really 1 of 3 things a tube should be tested for. Current is a major need to know but very often overlooked. So honestly a tube tester is good for 50% of a vacuum tube’s reliability.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

@theirritatedirishman5440 2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict : Thank you for the videos.

@bobbysparky4299 2 жыл бұрын

Please forgive my boorishness and ignorance, but could you tell me what the third property to test for would be. I glean from your response that emmisions and current are the first two. I thank in advance good sir.

@theirritatedirishman5440 2 жыл бұрын

@@bobbysparky4299 : 3rd is done by us humans and that is “Microphonics.” Thats done by playing through the device the tube is in and tapping the tube physically. A microphonic tube is not going to be determined by the tube tester. Granted many times, in many circuits capacitors can be microphonic. That’s the reason to try different brand caps and different tubes in the same spot to do process of elimination. I’m also not an electronic wizard. I just know what I’ve learned through the years and by trial and error. It also helped that very early on I had Kenny Fischer from Train Wreck and Dennis Kager from Sundown as close friends and teachers. Both very knowledgeable but both very different in opinions.

@bobbysparky4299 2 жыл бұрын

@@theirritatedirishman5440 This old man truly thanks you for your kind and prompt reply.

@jcarlson2727 2 жыл бұрын

Isolation transformer(s) with ground disconnect, quality DMM, scope, variac, dim bulb and tube tester are necessities for this sort of gear

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@splatlunch8812 2 жыл бұрын

im looking for someone in Toronto or GTA i can have restore some equipment i have from the 70s. I was under the impression you were somewhere east of me. I would prefer this someone be you . Regardless thanks for the videos , i really enjoy the information and appreciate the work involved.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm not an professional. Vintage audio is just a hobby for me and I only work on the equipment in my personal collection but thank you for asking.

@marka1986 2 жыл бұрын

Had a shop and worked on various electronics over the years. Tvs musical instrument amps, microwaves etc. You develop a sense to be careful. Not unlike working at a very hot grill. The first thing is to watch where your fingers are. If you're used to working with low voltage it's not a big deal to touch the circuit but with high voltage you need to keep clear.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@MikeSmithKF7LVH 7 ай бұрын

I have a Blaupunkt Sultan that I got from my uncle some time ago. It does power up and noise comes out, but something isn't right with it and the tuning doesn't really work well. Any advice for a novice one where to begin and how to proceed safely? Do you do repairs?

@user-qm7nw7vd5s 2 жыл бұрын

6AQ5 (x 2) / 12AX7 (x2) / 6BM8 (x4) and rectifier (whose name I forgot). I once own a stereo amplifier that used these tubes, it was sold by Radio Shack in the mid 1960s as a kit. The chassis was aluminum, and inside it was all point-to-point precision wire-wound resisters. It was lost during a move (movers lost the box it was packed in). Problem: I don’t know the brand or model number! Strangely, nowhere on the unit it, inside or out, was there any indication of who made it. I would love to find one to replace it, but without a brand name or model number, there is no way to search it. In your vintage experience, have you ever seen anything that fits this description? On the front, it had one row of knobs, no balance knob. Instead, each pot was clutched, you pull out the center knob and this allows for each channel bass, treble and loudness the be adjusted independently. The aluminum chassis was raw, with the instrument names (mode selector, bass, treble, etc.) stamped on in crude ink. It was clearly intended to fit inside a finished front panel, which likely had the name and model displayed. It was a breathtaking beauty, with sound quality out of this world. Any ideas?

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

To answer your question, no I haven't. There were so many different pieces of vacuum tube equipment manufactured under varying names and model numbers over many decades. Add to that many one of a kind units that hobbyists built themselves.

@planker 2 жыл бұрын

I love Tubes. I worked on stuff that landed on an aircraft carriers and patrolled the pacific. Klystron oscillators have an outer shell (plate) that will connect a stray screw driver with 250vdc. A magnaton that can pump out 158Kw @ 9.6Ghz. However your tube collection has nothing on my all transistor Yamaha rig.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

First of all thank you for your service! I've got several Yamaha pieces in my collection. My CA-2010 is a favorite - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aJZ0Z7Vo37femIk.html

@planker 2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict I stopped wanting after The M50,C50 I can honestly say they replaced a HK Citation amp @ pre amp. It was riddle with bad caps causing red plate and xfrm burnout.

@XX-121 Жыл бұрын

what i was wondering, on old tube amps, how often do you run in to problems with the transformers? and is that something that degrades overtime and effects sound quality or is it just one of those things that either works or it doesn't?

@vintageaudioaddict Жыл бұрын

I've never had a bad power or audio transformer in any of my tube equipment. I know that they can and do fail but I think for the most part the transformers are very reliable.

@westelaudio943 2 жыл бұрын

I've got zapped by plate voltage (300V I think) once. Did really hurt for a few seconds, ouch! Guess I still was lucky though. Since then I've been more careful and never got zapped by tube equipment again. Cheers.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Yes, getting shocked is no fun. I got bit by a 220V AC electric clothes dryer. Man, did that light me up!

@pauldow1648 2 жыл бұрын

So if some one had told Mr. Audio Addict that he should not buy and repair tube equipment because it was not a smart thing to do ! Would he need this information ?

@hectorantoniomendez2125 Жыл бұрын

Exactly!!!

@alanrogs3990 2 жыл бұрын

Many new tubes also come from China and millions of vintage US made tubes can be found here. If you want to get into tubes cheap then get an amp using 6V6 or 6BQ5 tubes.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for commenting

@ML-rm3vk 2 жыл бұрын

Sir do you like old dyanco 70 and pas three I purchased them 50$.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! Wonderful equipment. You got a great deal.

@SlowRiderDucati 2 жыл бұрын

Be careful with HV. I work on big particle accelerators and we use 750,000 Volt 1,000 amp power supplies. I was interviewing a fresh out EE for a power supply engineer. We went down to the sub basement and I showed him the power supply. He got confused and asked where is the power supply? I told him he was standing inside of it. The capacitors are the size of small cars etc.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you don't get a second chance with that equipment.

@froggyjumper1709 7 ай бұрын

750 000 Volts at 1 000 amp shock would be painless I suppose.

@jaismohamad1497 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah. I got shocked by my hybrid tube amp. I was like a zombie for a week. Man it hurts, it really hurts. It happened in 1974.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

When you get shocked IT IS something that you remember.

@jaismohamad1497 2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict until the day you die they say. 😁😁😁

@jamesrobinson9176 2 жыл бұрын

My fisher rules my house.

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

It always amazes me how gear this good was around in the early 60's.

@Monza62000 2 жыл бұрын

i have that same u testem tube tester ..got it for 50 bucks full of tubes,,,,

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Man, you got a deal!

@Monza62000 2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict yep it work ok ...but i worked on an have lots of tube radios ..cbs ect ect,,,i grew up on tubes ,,like you said dc will kill you ,,

@marka1986 2 жыл бұрын

The most unpleasant shock was coming into contact with the TV horizontal output in a TV.

@Monza62000 2 жыл бұрын

@@marka1986 yes thats rf

@zulumax1 2 жыл бұрын

@@marka1986 Shango066 said that is much worse than the shock from the picture tube HV anode. The pulses coming off the horizontal will give you a nasty painful burn that will hurt for a long time. Shango066 is a KZfaq channel

@joemartin6439 2 жыл бұрын

Just get someone to work on my Fisher 800-C

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Your Fisher 800-C is a wonderful receiver when operating properly.

@KlaweKlapki 2 жыл бұрын

Got pas 2 and st 35 and dont anything more

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Dynaco made some really wonderful tube audio gear.

@christophermarshall5765 2 жыл бұрын

You made a mistake with solid state equipment. Some power transistors, such as the TO-264 Motorola MJL series flat pack transistors punch out 200 watts, with 250 volts power. That's more than 100 volts!!

@vintageaudioaddict 2 жыл бұрын

Any voltage in any piece of electronic equipment plugged into your mains can be dangerous.

@zulumax1 2 жыл бұрын

Would that be pro audio PA gear? Most amplifiers in home audio are limited to under 98 volt rails such as Dan D'Agostino designs.