Thanks for the comprehensive explanation. The answers to my question are no, and Peter Q. (which I already knew).
My comment wasn't aimed at the warranty as such. Just the small print that makes the 5th year of the warranty not a very good one as, according to the small print, you pay 80% of rrp and get less than one years (potentially even less than 90 days) warranty on the second set.
That's a good callout. So put on as many hours as you can on new production WE's. It is in one's best interest for potential production defects to show as early as possible. They should be good for 40k hours, so net net...don't be afraid to use them!
I agree with this. Any manufacturing defect in a tube is likely to manifest very soon after the tube is powered up. Things like inadequate vacuum, loose debris inside the tube that can cause an arc or short. Filament damage from rough shipping. These issues will cause failure in a matter of hours. Mostly tube failure several years into using the tube is usually not the fault of the tube. These causes are generally from current or voltage. Examples would be heater voltage is too high, thermal overload from running the tube too hot. The could be from an increase in plate voltage due to a failed resistor or environmental conditions such as the ambient temperature of the room being too hot. A resistor in the amp can be blown from too high of an in-rush current which can cause the tube to fail. I would say any company that warranties a tube for more than one year has to know that in most cases, >1 year failure is not likely due to a manufacturing defect with the tube. The fact that WE is willing to replace tubes at years 2-5 with any discount at all is testament of extremely good will.
Yep, same here, in my case in the Oto. After being very satisfied with Telefunken ECC83, I obtained some ECC82 and the experience is the same. No matter what tube is in the ECC83 position, the TFK in the ECC82 sounded as you described. The funniest thing happened when I used all three TFKs (2xECC83 and 1xECC82) - my dear Oto transformed into a perfectly accurate, compressed, flat and boring solid state. Like others here my best experience so far is with Telefunken in ECC83 and Brimar (CV4005) in ECC82, the Siemens (darker but controlled, kind of vintage sound) or Amperex (faster and brighter).
And now I swapped the power tubes in the OTO for the first time. Have not rolled the power tubes for over twelve years now, and back then it was on a Jolida push-pull. Got some very reasonably priced later edition Mullards (1985) on eBay, checked the matching with a friend's help, plugged them in... and realized what a silly thing I said on this forum a while ago that the stock tubes in AN are possibly good enough Quick impression so far, is that these tubes bring the best of the tube legendary characteristics in fluid musicality while still maintaining the clarity and pace. I did not expect that level of a change from the power tube block. Live and learn. The combo now is 4xMullard E84; 2xTelefunken 12AX7 (ribbed); 1xBrimar 12AU7. Similar to what several others reported. Friends say that Siemens E84Ls, and older Mullards are better still... More to learn.
Having been down this experimental road with a few ecc82 variants, my favorites are early-mid 1960s Mullard made in the Blackburn UK plant (Mitcham plant second choice). Or, Mullard CV4003. My apologies if this is redundant, but Joe's Tube Lore is a very good guide. Yes, it's only one man's opinion, but I have found his impressions to closely align with mine (and many others' through the years). AudioAsylum.com -- Joe's Tube Lore
I will be getting a brimar soon too. Live and learn absolutely! Thanks for sharing your oto tubes and insight into rolling.
Another interesting thing I noticed is that while these 1985 Mullards are clearly preferable to Sovteks at the daytime listening volumes, at low midnight listening volumes Sovteks work better. At such low levels, with Sovteks I can still get drawn into music, while Mullards make a background sound that is smooth but dull. When tested, Sovteks ran 15% higher current. Maybe due to that.
I guess it all depends upon what you consider to be 'properly working'. Given many reviewers consider the AN products to be 'broken' when subject to measurement, I assume that 'properly working' aligns more with your subjective idea of what an amp should sound like.
If he were talking about an "ideal" amplifier, and all amplifiers were ideal and working properly, then they all might sound the same. However, there is no such thing as an "ideal amplifier". Therefore all amplifiers can't sound the same because all of them are imperfect in different ways. An "ideal amplifier" is one that takes an input signal, and makes it larger without changing it in any way. An ideal amplifier adds no noise. An ideal amplifier has infinite bandwidth. An ideal amplifier has infinite input impedance. The output impedance is zero. The amplifier can provide an infinite amount of current and proportionate output voltage. The ideal amplifier can drive any load without any stress or strain whatsoever. Since this amplifier does not exist and will never exist we will never know what it sounds like. Kind of a conundrum. Lol.
Strictly for review masochists, Jeff’s latest opus (sneak peak so probably only 50%) Review Sneak Peek: The Audio Note (UK) Io I MC Phono Cartridge, AN-S4 Step-Up Transformer, AN-V Silver Interconnects, and AN-SPe Silver Loudspeaker Cables: An ‘out of this world’ listening experience! - Jeff's Place
So Jeff will be comparing AN silver cables—-AN-V and SPe—-to Duelunds? Give me a break. That should be a quick and easy TKO.
Somebody needs to get some new pics in their reviews. Keeps cycling the same ol' same ol'. Yes Jeff, we've seen your Tannoy's. Yes Jeff, we've seen the Tannoy's crossovers. Yes Jeff, we've seen those picture's of Daniel, Andy and Darko ...
I dunno - I love looking at those Tannoys and all the other Tannoys in that series. I think Audio Note needs to be auditioned in blind level matched conditions because people buy with their eyes. Many other speakers because of their size and number of drivers make the AN E look less substantial.
I read somewhere that Sound Anchors used to make speaker stands for Audio Note before Audio Note decided to make their own stands. I didn't know this.
I imagine Sound Anchors would still make custom AN-E stands (and they'd be excellent). Signature | Sound Anchors: Specialty Audio Stands | High-End Home,Professional Studio, and Video | Custom Amplifier Stands, Component Stands, Video Stands, Studio Furniture
Since I have both AN and Sound Anchor stands and have had them both under my SEC Sigs, I would absolutely concur
Easy yes but quick? You’ve gotta be kiddin’! At least 20 pages and that’s just for the number of times he quotes each model’s name/number. It’s Audio Note (U.K.) Oto Signature Phono SE Integrated Amplifier like Audio Note (U.K.) Oto Signature Phono SE Integrated Amplifier reading some high school Audio Note (U.K.) Oto Signature Phono SE Integrated Amplifier code looking for Audio Note (U.K.) Oto Signature Phono SE Integrated Amplifier the actual review Audio Note (U.K.) Oto Signature Phono SE Integrated Amplifier text.