Rolled Tubes

[westcoastman]

Please excuse my ignorance.  I have seen it mentioned by tube amp owners something about rolled tubes. I know nothing of tubes today and my last exposure to tubes was in the sixties where tv and h-fi consoles made use of them.

Would someone be able to define what "rolled tubes" is? Do the tubes of today different from those back then?

[richidoo]

good question westcoastman!

"Rolling tubes" is a colloquialism meaning to swap tubes, or more specifically replace tubes of one sonic character with other tubes to try to move closer to desired sonic character from the audio component.

Example:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue15/845.htm

Rich

[westcoastman]

Thanks Richidoo for the meaning and the link. Informative.

[Bigfish8]

Hi Westcoastman:

Please tell us about your system.  I have only participated in this hobby for a little more than a year and from what I can determine most guys have tubes somewhere in their systems.  Amps, preamp, source, DAC or in multiple devices.  I have tubes in my preamp and in a ModWright Transporter.  It is amazing how a simple tube roll in either the Transporter or in the preamp can impact the sound.  The good part is that you can find the best flavor of tubes to suit your preferences, the bad news is that all of the best tubes come from the 50's and 60's.  The best of which are NOS (new, old, stock) and they tend to be pricey!

Regards,

Ken

[westcoastman]

My system is SS. Arcam A90 integrated amp.  A Copeland DRC205 digital correction in the tape loop to compensate for poor room acoustics.  I have an Arcam DV137 DVD/CD player which I am happy with for the money spent. I also have the Sqeezebox 3 feeding a Stello DA100 DAC for listening to tunes from my Mac when I can't decide what to listen to.  BlueJeans Cable interconnects and BlackSands Violet PCs. Speakers are wall mounted Speakercraft SLS Two with a REL R205 10" sub.  TV is a Sharp Aquos LC45D40U.

I would have better speakers but living in a condo with a fireplace leaves few options for room arrangements.