Tube Tester?

[dmnc02]

MaxiMattcher + MaxiPreamp puts you well in the 4 digits region and still does not come close to doing what the Amplitrex does. That was my reason for buying the Amplitrex after the MaxiMatcher. And it is not a just matter of testing if a tube has gone bad: for me it is mostly a matter of matching tubes better than most resellers will do for you.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by dmnc02

MaxiMattcher + MaxiPreamp puts you well in the 4 digits region and still does not come close to doing what the Amplitrex does. That was my reason for buying the Amplitrex after the MaxiMatcher. And it is not a just matter of testing if a tube has gone bad: for me it is mostly a matter of matching tubes better than most resellers will do for you.

I understand -- w/the newer McIntosh tube amps, matching isn't as critical.

Bob

[Masterlu]

Here is the Maxi-Matcher manual.

[Myles B. Astor]

I think the choice in part comes down to application. If you want to sell tubes, esp. those who like to sell pulls as new (ughh....), the Amplitrex is a must. If you're just an audiophile, the Amplitrex might be overkill?

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by tima

Has anyone tried the Maxi-Matcher with any of the adapters they offer? Does it support the full range of its functionality with an adapter? Thanks.

On the 1st question; no. Peter (??) at MaxiTest told me if I tested tubes as frequent as a dealer, lets say, then the socket saver at $35 would be a wise investment. However; since I'm not and do not test that often, I opted out of the $35 price of each socket saver.

On your 2d-- sure does.

Best

Bob

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by Myles B. Astor

I think the choice in part comes down to application. If you want to sell tubes, esp. those who like to sell pulls as new (ughh....), the Amplitrex is a must. If you're just an audiophile, the Amplitrex might be overkill?

Well stated Myles.

Bob

[dmnc02]

Originally Posted by Myles B. Astor

I think the choice in part comes down to application. If you want to sell tubes, esp. those who like to sell pulls as new (ughh....), the Amplitrex is a must. If you're just an audiophile, the Amplitrex might be overkill?

Audiophile overkill? Sounds like an oxymoron.

Seriously, even if all you want to do is to match power tubes, the Amplitrex allows you to do so at the actual operating conditions of your amp. For example, ARC operates tubes at 450V/65ma: this is outside of the MaxiMatcher's range.

[Freestone]

Originally Posted by dmnc02

Audiophile overkill? Sounds like an oxymoron.
.

Ha! Made me laugh!

So. Matched tubes mean they have the same remaining life?

What does a tube tester actually test?

[dmnc02]

Originally Posted by Freestone

What does a tube tester actually test?

Basically, it tests emission, which tends to decline over the tube's life. How exactly emission is tested, depends on whether the tester operates in Fixed Bias mode or Auto Bias mode. The MaxiMatcher can only operate in Fixed Bias mode, in which case you read plate current (higher current = higher emission). The Amplitrex can operate in either Fixed bias or Auto Bias mode. In Auto Bias mode, you read grid voltage (higher voltage = higher emission).

In addition, with the Amplitrex you can test for heater to cathode leakage and noise and microphonics.

For matching tubes, one should look at a minimum at both emission and transconductance (although some dealers only match tubes on emission). Even better, one can look at the characteristic plate curve, which the Amplitrex allows you to plot and compare across tubes.

[Whart]

So, dmnc02- here's the question. Do you use the Amplitrex to verify the state of new tubes and monitor their inevitable decline or do you also use it to vett 'NOS' tubes? Most of my tube buying in the last several years has been small triodes, you know the stuff that is labelled NOS but in reality probably got pulled from something and tested well. I've relied on a few reputable suppliers for the usual assortment of these things and as you probably know, they are just getting more and more expensive. So, i guess my question is, if using for NOS (or NIB, which you really rarely see), where the hell do you find these tubes without paying the tariff that any of these old tubes seem to command? (You don't have to tell me your source, it is more of a rhetorical question).
For power tubes, these days I'm pretty much captive to Vlad, since he says only he knows the secret characteristics of V1 and V2 on his SET amps. I'm not complaining about price there, but I'll be stuck if he goes to that great dacha in the sky some day, and I'm forced to buy russian obscurities off the streets of Vladivodstok. (They made missles there, too, right? I think that's where those tubes came from- fkin'g guidance systems on old Soviet ICBMs). Who said the cold war was a bad thing.
Go figure.