Tube Sockets
Moderators: zaphod_phil, CurtissRobin, colossal
-
- Occasional poster
- Posts: 401
- Joined: Fri 06/29/07 2:00 am
- Location: Spokane WA
Tube Sockets
What type of tube sockets do you prefer to use and why? I've only ever used cheap ceramic ones, but I wonder if there are any advantages to using celenex or other more expensive types.
0 x
- lovedat800
- Frequent poster
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Sun 02/17/08 2:00 am
- Location: Unknown
All i know is i asked the same thing before, and i wanted to buy ceramic because of the look and i felt that was quality. The answer i got is that for good quality buy Belton sockets and forget about ceramic. I was told they're the best, and one reason being the pin retainers don't stretch out and you don't have to re-tension them. To me that sounded like the main thing to be concerned with if not the only thing. so thats what i got. they are about a buck more each, but whats 5 or 8 bucks when you're building an amp.
0 x
-
- Occasional poster
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed 09/06/06 2:00 am
- Location: Out and About
-
- Verbose poster
- Posts: 1090
- Joined: Sun 12/12/04 2:00 am
- Location: City of Brothery Love
-
- Frequent poster
- Posts: 861
- Joined: Sat 11/11/06 2:00 am
- Location: Baltimore, MD
I don't like the "feel" of ceramic. The seem cheap to me, in terms of quality. I usually harvest old ones from derelict chassis' or buy on eBay. On eBay, you can, if you are careful, buy inexpensive, used and in good condition or supposed NOS any of the black or brown plastic-like material sockets -- micalex, phenolic, etc. Beware, on eBay you can get burnt, so don't spend more than you are willing to throw down the drain.
0 x
-
- Occasional poster
- Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat 10/29/05 2:00 am
- Location: Vancouver, WA
- Contact:
-
- Newbie
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Tue 06/01/04 2:00 am
- Location: Nuernberg/Germany
- Contact:
-
- Newbie
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Tue 06/01/04 2:00 am
- Location: Nuernberg/Germany
- Contact:
- Darryl
- Occasional poster
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Fri 04/01/05 2:00 am
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
- Contact:
-
- Occasional poster
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Thu 03/30/06 2:00 am
- Location: Halstead, Essex, UK
Bigger build i use NOS McMurdo sockets. Here in the UK they are very plentiful and often work out cheaper than ceramics. I have built an 18 watter with ceramics and not had any troubles but i do agree with Larry's view with regard to microphonics. I'm certainly sticking to McMurdo for my upcoming 18 watt build.
0 x
-
- Verbose poster
- Posts: 1676
- Joined: Thu 09/21/06 2:00 am
- Location: Upstate NY, USA
Is ceramic the same as porcelain? Jensen Transformers frequently put this advice on their high sensitivity mic pre schematics (http://www.jensen-transformers.com/apps_sc.html):
"Socket should be high quality non-hygroscopic type, such as porcelain, for lowest noise."
"Socket should be high quality non-hygroscopic type, such as porcelain, for lowest noise."
0 x