| NewTung-Sol EF806SG Tubes- Any Good? [message #238367] |
Tue, 17 April 2007 14:22  |
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 Doc B.
Messages: 19
Registered: July 2004 |
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Hi Klaus and Gang,
I did a quick search but didn't come up with any mention of the Tung-Sol EF806SG that has come out in the past few months. Does anyone have any experience with this tube? Says made in Russia, but does anyone have info on its factory of origin?
My application requires different operating conditions than a mic (tape repro amp input), and I understand that what might be offered here in terms of sonic impressions might not be transferable. I'm more interested in what folks might have experienced in terms of noise floor and reliability, and whether this tube is new manufacture or not. The internal structure looks rather different than a winged C EF86.
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-8476489043850_ 1941_28730907
Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
Bottlehead Corp.
www.bottlehead.com
The Tape Project, LLC
www.tapeproject.com
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| Re: Tung-Sol EF806SG [message #238372 is a reply to message #238367 ] |
Tue, 17 April 2007 15:03  |
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Oliver Archut
Messages: 1331
Registered: April 2004 |
Platinum Member |
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Hello Doc,
I talked to Mike Mathews the owner of the "New Sensor" company that controls the Tung-Sol trademark, and he sent me several samples to check out, as well as some production notes.
The tube is made in Saratov at the Reflector company that Mike also owns and they tried to copy the Telefunken EF806 design.
It might look from the outside pretty much the same, but at a closer look you can see that the craftsmanship is inferior to the old Telefunken designs.
After I checked them out and did a simulated lifetime test with reference to the original Telefunken blueprints, I figured out fast that what makes a Telefunken EF806 is missing here:
The tubes got noisy and did not even pass the 10kh test, the sound is nowhere close to an EF806 as well as the cost of the tube is ridiculous for what it can/does.
With other words, it falls in the same category as all Russian made tubes- just barely useable for a home stereo, but they do work to a point in guitar amps.
After the lifetime test I took all tubes apart and checked what went wrong, and aside that everything was made sloppily and not right looking, compared to a real EF806 as well as measuring, the biggest joke is the filament. The historic Telefunken EF806 had a double helix filament were the Russian samples had just a spiral one, resulting in a higher noise floor.
Even the gold plated first grid cannot make up for the sub-standard of the raw materials..... The designation EF806s is given wrongfully.
As a manufacture of mic pres I use at least 600 EF86/804/806 a year, and I have had hoped that Mike would come up with something that is at least better than the EF86 made in East Germany, but quite frankly this tube is just plain old not useable in a mic, nor mic pre, etc.
Maybe it might work for your application...
Best regards,
Oliver Archut
www.tab-funkenwerk.com
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| Re: Tung-Sol EF806SG [message #238406 is a reply to message #238401 ] |
Tue, 17 April 2007 16:13 |
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Klaus Heyne
Messages: 2942
Registered: April 2004 |
Platinum Member |
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Don't know whether this applies to your usage, Paul, but the samples I received (3) all failed the noise test in a microphone application: initially very quiet, they developed irregular discharge noises ("frying" in layman terms) after a few hours or minutes.
I certainly wish the company luck and very much hope that they keep at it- refining and improving the details in these tubes until they can be worthy successors or at least competitors to well constructed European NOS EF86.
Klaus Heyne
German Masterworks
www.GermanMasterworks.com
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| Re: NewTung-Sol EF806SG Tubes- Any Good? [message #322845 is a reply to message #238367 ] |
Sat, 08 March 2008 14:32 |
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Oliver Archut
Messages: 1331
Registered: April 2004 |
Platinum Member |
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Hello Sorr,
I am sorry to say, that up to today I have not found any JJ tube that is useable at all in studio electronics.
I got a couple of JJ EF806 samples send by one of my tube supplier and just as a first impression, they are as good as any of the JJ tubes. The noise specs were approx. than of a Svetlana EF86 and calling the tube EF806 doesn't make it better.
I currently have a bunch running a simulated lifetime test to Telefunken specs and I will report back.
One problem with JJ is that they are quite arrogant and do not take feedback well. I talked with them at Namm a few years back and aside them telling me how great their tubes are and that they are equal with Philips tubes, they did not take it well that I said that they do not even measure up to the old Tesla production (that was for the EL34).
A few month back I finished a additional 5000h lifetime test and none of the wanabe Telefunken EF806s made by Sovtek/Electro Harmonics, etc. made even the minimum requirements, I reported back to them but as always, they do not care.
My last point is that both of JJ and EH/Sovtek want over $20 single piece retail, put $20 on the top you can get a good Amperex or Valvo, a bit more and you get a good Telefunken or Mullard
Oliver Archut
www.tab-funkenwerk.com
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