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[deleted] t1_j9y6xsb wrote

"Glass is glass. And glass breaks"

- Bald guy who destroys phones for a living

328

crazywizard73 t1_j9y8qz6 wrote

JerryRigEverything for the uninformed*

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[deleted] t1_j9yd0jg wrote

[removed]

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kotakakakaka t1_j9ywqa7 wrote

lil scratch at level 6 with deeper grooves at level 7 he said

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rom211 t1_ja0k9fy wrote

This became the slogan of long lost bongs in college.

2

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9y6v62 wrote

Yesterday a perfume bottle from a shelf decided to "kiss" my little dot. Didn't end well as you can see. Thankfully I have some spare tubes.
Have been using the lil fella for about 2 years almost daily and I love it. Sounds great on my Sennheiser HD560s and Focal Clear OGs.

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PH-GH95610 t1_j9yk89v wrote

Did you try voskhod drive tubes? They are really amazing, at least with Hifiman cans.

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Mysterious_hooligan t1_j9z9vv3 wrote

I recommend mullard pre tubes and Russian outputs.

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KingOfTheP4s t1_ja1sogv wrote

I'll counter that with JAN preamp and Soviet military surplus power tubes

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PH-GH95610 t1_ja25vqf wrote

I really prefer voskhod over the JAN. I Have to test the Mulllard yet. They are also highly rated.

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FN1470 t1_ja17ma2 wrote

Does it smell really nice now, tho?

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JamesBong517 t1_ja27o4v wrote

What piece of hardware is this and what tubes? I currently have the HD 600s and I’m about to buy the Focal Clear OG also.

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PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja2b0cu wrote

This is the little dot mk2
There is much newer versions by now and i tried to get my hand on a Shiit Heresy, but the price spikes and non-availability (especially here in Europe) made me steer away. I am still very happy with the amplifier and will continue using it

1

JamesBong517 t1_ja59wy4 wrote

Would you just go with the Hersey? Strictly speaking for quality/performance

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja5qorv wrote

I have the Schiit Modi 3 DAC in front of the little dot and i would most definitely get the hereesy if I could get it for a fair price. Its also much less of a hassle. But i still love the tube vibes. I am not a believer in snake oil and i quite honestly dont hear a difference with the tube amp. I just like it visually.

There was onl one thing that scared me away from Schiit amplifiers. I read i some reviews that some Heresy amps suddenly got really loud for a moment and destroyed peoples headphones. There was also lots of those people saying that Schiit didnt pay their damaged headphones You might wanna investigate that before going with their amps. I wouldnt wanna destroy expensive headphones.

1

croakjob t1_j9yfdz2 wrote

I do not understand the tech on this sub at all.. how do the light bulbs increase audio quality? What is this contraption?

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PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9ygd4o wrote

The tubea are the predecessor of the transistor which is nowadays used to amplify signals. They glow not for the purpose of glowing. Its just a byproduct

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croakjob t1_j9ygujf wrote

Sounds very retro, dope.

35

Lithominium t1_j9yw24i wrote

It also sounds good

Maybe not better, thats up for debate, but it sounds good

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SarcasticOptimist t1_j9zdebh wrote

It's why they're in guitar amps. Nice even harmonic distortions make "warm" sounds if done right.

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GeckoDeLimon t1_ja0le9y wrote

A very different thing in a guitar amp. There, the preamp tubes, power tubes, power supply and speaker are all an extension of the electric guitar, much in the same way a bell mute does to a brass instrument.

If our goal in playback is pure reproduction of the recorded signal with as little distortion of that signal as possible (either linear or non-linear), then solid state is where it's at. The likes of Sansui & Yamaha had that pretty much sealed by the early 80s.

If you like the look and/or sound of tubes, that's perfectly fine. They do look hella cool and that can be enough, but we ought not kid ourselves that a tube playback stage is a step toward greater accuracy. Very, very, few are.

3

Silver-Ad8136 t1_ja0sanp wrote

Accuracy isn't always what you're after. I wouldn't want to have a dinner date under 2000 lumens of 6500k light @95 CRI.

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Kawai_Oppai t1_ja2d31k wrote

But I would expect the restaurant to have provided a good ambiance that I don’t need to alter and change to enjoy.

When my food is plated and brought out I expect it to be good and ready to eat. I shouldn’t need to call the waiter over and re-season the meal or get different condiments or anything like that.

And a tube amp is exactly that. The artist has created sound and ‘perfected it’ to their vision and then people distort this sound through an imperfect amplification process.

Solid state plays back that experience the artist created.

Then if I’m being really honest on the subject, a tube amp isn’t necessary at all with a good DAC with different filter options. Sharp, slow, nos etc type of playback.

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thms0 t1_ja31tha wrote

>Solid state plays back that experience the artist created.

The sound engineer created.
And sometimes they don't even think about it and use low tier recording material. Or have bad engineers.

1

Silver-Ad8136 t1_ja3qhje wrote

It's sort of hard to second guess the engineer studio. All the EQ in the world and the HE1 won't turn old recordings of The Great Gildersleeve into Avatar 2 in Atmos

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thms0 t1_ja6ncxd wrote

Well I meen the "master" then. The guy that puts all different records into one.

1

Silver-Ad8136 t1_ja3rusu wrote

I guess I see it more as...you went over to Guga's and he made you one of his A5s, and you whip out a bottle of HP sauce. So, sure...it's "wrong" but it's also pretty delicious.

I'd also note, you hear partially with your eyes and 100% with your mind, so if glowing tubes and a VU meter and more boxes and cables, that hot, static smell...appeal, no you can't get that with software.

1

SarcasticOptimist t1_ja0r191 wrote

Definitely. It's why my setup is solid state and largely clinical (and tbh most of the time I'm using studio monitors).

But if you want warmth rather than analytical you don't mind certain kinds of distortion being added.

2

Silver-Ad8136 t1_ja0sihw wrote

Indeed, you seek out a sort of AM radio sound. That's more-or-less what "warm" means

1

9vjunkie t1_ja2v6iu wrote

You should see the back of my Mesa when it’s hot!

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SarcasticOptimist t1_ja869sq wrote

Man those pre Gibson Mesas are historic in a good way. Hope you never need to sell them.

2

BGBobRob t1_j9zdr71 wrote

All I do is take pictures of mine in low light conditions, with long exposure.

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Jontun189 t1_j9zx6tn wrote

Not necessarily even good; 'different' I'd say. I never did vibe much with my Bottlehead Crack + Sennheiser 6XX which are almost universally lauded among those who have tried the combo as being a pairing bestowed upon the audiophile community by God himself (of course I'm exaggerating but really, they came highly recommended).

I much prefer the sound of solid state, but undeniably there is a difference between the two; not bad, not necessarily good, just not to my taste. Weirdly though I can totally understand why people like the pairing.

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thms0 t1_ja31xuq wrote

Did you try without the "Crack" ? Cuz IIRC the crack is meant to make it sound less tubey?

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Jontun189 t1_ja32r3s wrote

Made it stock crack first, stuck with that for a while and then did the speedball upgrade after. IMO the speedball upgrade strips all of what I like about the 6XX away and makes it pretty clinical. Cool if that's what people are into but I'd rather buy specific headphones for that application.

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therealsteelydan t1_j9yjye9 wrote

i didn't even know they glowed

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kvthai t1_j9zg1dc wrote

Yup! There’s literally a heater inside of it that is used to make it function. That heater will glow orange/red.

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MM1ck t1_j9zj3xv wrote

Room lights down low, close up of one of my 6SN7GT tubes

https://imgur.com/a/Xj1kgsn

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PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja7q8cl wrote

https://imgur.com/a/aikp0hF

​

Here is the very amplifier you see broken up there - before it broke.

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MM1ck t1_ja82oqt wrote

Got to admit, for technology that's 100 or so years old it still looks amazing.

A little nostalgic for me though, as I remember my granddad putting on the "gram" and it not working right and him saying "got to roll them damn valves again"
Then going in to the back of the cabinet amongst the orange glow rolling them around in circles. The gram sprung back into life, like magic.
I was only 6 or 7 at the time and now 50 years later I still use them today ☺️

1

mat-2018 t1_j9ym049 wrote

realistically, a modern solid state amplifier will always reproduce sound more faithfully to the original file than a tube amp. people use tube amps because tubes naturally color the sound giving it a more "warm" tone. or that's what audio enjoyers say at least, i've never had the chance to do a blind test in person

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_j9yp0jx wrote

The biggest issue on here is that many people recommend these without ever having tried them or without knowing what they are talking about. From my understanding tube amps, just like solid state amps, can be very different from each other, from super clean to very warm sounding, depending on the circuitry or the way the tubes operate.

My Xduoo TA-26 is absolutely on the same level, if not better than my FiiO K5 pro and both sound very clean (I've also rolled a ton of tubes). The only difference could be a tad more bass and more midrange presence on tubes, but this is so minimal and also genre dependant that it's almost negligible.

I'm almost 100% sure that I could blindly make out a littledot from the TA-26 because it's supposedly smoother and less detailed, but I am not sure if I could spot a TA-26 in a blind test against a few solid state amps in a similiar price range.

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biolox t1_j9yr57t wrote

Yeah. I just got a little dot mk3 and Magni 3 and honestly can’t tell the difference on ZMF Aeolus 🤷‍♀️

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_j9yudxs wrote

Welcome to tube amps lmao.. I too can almost not tell the difference. But it glows, feels and looks nice.

But it was quite a tough pill to swallow once I realized that I feel for audiophile overexaggeration.

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biolox t1_j9z6ekx wrote

Yeah, it’s sexy for sure; gonna try the other tubes that came with it but may just dump it for nice IEMs or closed to compliment the ZMFs

2

Thugglebum t1_j9zsilg wrote

I've tube rolled the balls off a LD2 and it really doesn't do much for me. It's sat unused for a year and needs to go on eBay. Magni 3 is just better.

1

InsanelyHandsomeQB t1_j9zjuf0 wrote

LOL I drank the snake oil too!

In reality if you want better sound, buy better headphones and speakers.

Great drivers + good amps > good drivers + great amps

1

SolarFusion90 t1_j9zrujs wrote

Yeah, I posted this up top, they do look nice, pretty much guarantee if you try some headphones with these hooked up you are gonna hear some good quality audio equipment. It's more of a status thing imho

1

coffeeshopslut t1_ja12wcn wrote

Because the little dot is a tube driver stage for a solid state output

1

blorg t1_ja173nn wrote

Little Dot Mk3 is a OTL tube amp with tube output stage. Mk3 SE is a hybrid with solid state output. My understanding from Google, I don't own either (I have a TA-26).

1

corporatemonkey t1_j9ywack wrote

I bought an Aune T1s 4th gen tube amp and honestly can't tell the difference from my Fiio K5 Pro.

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_j9yxt1d wrote

Oh my.. guess you need to have golden ears to hear these differences.

I love my Xduoo TA-26, but it also taught me the lesson that many reviewers are full of shit. Being completely honest, to me the difference is neither good or bad, but it's very slim, like 5-10% different in comparison to the FiiO at best (using the FiiO's DAC on both devices).

3

coffeeshopslut t1_ja139fx wrote

Lots of people also think they're listening to tube amps when it's just a tube input stage and a solid state output.

Also different tube topologies sound drastically different. Output transformer amps sound different from output transformer less. Cheap output transformers sound way different than expensive ones (and they get pricey...)

1

c0ng0pr0 t1_j9yss4f wrote

Solid state everything… solid state cooling is blowing my mind currently

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moonra_zk t1_ja35wuw wrote

That's gonna be amazing for laptops.

1

c0ng0pr0 t1_ja3ff7d wrote

My first thought was underwear where you’ll never have to sweat again… my fashion friend’s first thought was mattress cooling.

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moonra_zk t1_ja3km68 wrote

Ah, I'm thinking of a different kind of solid state cooling, this one, specially.

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c0ng0pr0 t1_ja4j6q6 wrote

We’re talking about the same tech but different applications of it.

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moonra_zk t1_ja4q997 wrote

How the heck are you gonna put that on a mattress or underwear and make it comfortable?

1

InsanelyHandsomeQB t1_j9zj3e4 wrote

Honestly, it’s not that big of a difference. Like yeah, in a critical listening session I can tell but these days I just want to enjoy my music. After listening to a few songs I forget what hardware I’m plugged into anyway.

Tubes are cool for the novelty factor, but these days my headphones stay plugged into my solid state 99% of the time, mainly for the heat and power. You can also add the harmonics in software to simulate the warmth of tube amps, so there’s that.

2

mattband t1_j9yxyco wrote

Telling us what is but that you never heard it. So typical of this sub.

1

mat-2018 t1_j9yzogk wrote

yes, which is why i clearly stated that i never heard it so i can't say whether a tube amp sounds "better" (which is subjective anyways). i do think it's important to tell people that tubes aren't magic, they can't improve the original track, just modifiy the tonality a bit.

1

Ogroat t1_j9ygjn9 wrote

It’s an amplifier. The “light bulbs” are vacuum tubes - a mid-century technology that has mostly fallen out of favor except for some audio applications.

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andysaurus_rex t1_j9yocrc wrote

They're basically the same as why some people used to call the TV the "tube". They're vacuum tubes.

Nowadays audio equipment is basically the only use for vacuum tubes and even then they are more of a niche product as most people use "solid state" amplifiers.

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Silver-Ad8136 t1_ja0rsg6 wrote

It's kind of like...a stick shift makes your car more fun to drive, even if you're unlikely to outwit an automatic transmission in a '24 car, really.

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SolarFusion90 t1_j9zrcxr wrote

It's just a novelty item to be honest. But I'm about to get flamed for this.

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Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9yh6e5 wrote

Let's have a minute of silence 🥺

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LeftRightShoot t1_j9zpqqc wrote

There's always a slight hiss and pop though.

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Alex5173 t1_ja0zwc8 wrote

Nice hiss!

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ItDoesntSeemToBeWrkn t1_ja13s0v wrote

lets get this tube out onto a tray

3

Doc-85 t1_j9yraqj wrote

"You can't feel pain through a photo."

Yeah. Right.

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Mundane-Ad7664 t1_j9yhfwv wrote

Great design, put the most fragile parts out of the box,

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PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9yiu00 wrote

Most tube amps have cages around it.
But it is not possible to put it inside anything other than metal or maybe some ceramics, because it gets considerably hot !

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XavinNydek t1_j9zqsz9 wrote

That's not true at all. Back when tubes were in everything most electronics were wooden boxes. They get hot but they don't get hot enough to set things on fire in normal use.

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PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9zrx6l wrote

Well the big difference was that the devices were large and therefore had lots of air around the tubes. In very small devices that doesnt work. And i am 99,9% sure that safety regulations were a bit looser back then. Bur yes you are right that most likely nothing will catch on fire. Although i wouldnt be sure with plastic foils or paper.

1

Mundane-Ad7664 t1_j9yjbwu wrote

I know, I got some bass guitar amps with that.

But, can use a mesh or something, this designs are made for be fragile and buy another one.

−1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9ykbvi wrote

I could also not have dropped a perfume bottle on it.
I mean, it's a cheapo chinese amp after all.

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XavinNydek t1_j9zqjlw wrote

In this day and age most of the draw of using tube stuff is how it looks, not how it sounds. That's why basically all new tube stuff has them up front right in the open. Back when people used tubes because they had to they were almost always hidden inside, since the glow was an unwanted side effect.

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andysaurus_rex t1_j9yoizz wrote

IDK a lot of people like seeing the tube glow, but yeah I've seen some that have cages around them.

2

Ekank t1_j9yjdia wrote

It's probably to not trap the heat but I agree that the design can be improved.

0

josir1994 t1_j9yotke wrote

Tubes are relatively cheap, I keep some spare just in case and for a different taste when I wish

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tofuchrispy t1_j9yx57b wrote

Adding a new taste to the sound profile

4

xumixu t1_j9yymom wrote

So this is why they put tubes in jail

4

WEASELexe t1_j9ytyvf wrote

I have a schiit vali. Do y'all have any tube recommendations? I've only used the default one it comes with so far.

2

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja0bv49 wrote

To be honest I have not heard a difference now that i swapped to other ones

2

LeEasy t1_ja154dn wrote

Vali is a toy level fake tube amp with tube there just for the show. Op amp inside is doing 99.9999% of the work, thus the solid state sound. Don’t waste your money buying tube for Vali.

1

Grimspoon t1_j9yx8c9 wrote

Wtf you storing perfume near your audio equipment? You got a listening station setup in your washroom?

2

obzilla t1_j9zufuo wrote

Cat owner confirmed

2

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja0br2k wrote

We have a cat, but she is unbelievable well trained to not jump anywhere except the windows where we let her out. I dont think I have ever seen her on a table. Long story short.. I destroyed it myself by dropping something on it

2

theamazinggoop t1_ja06dih wrote

This makes me sad. I have a Little Dot MKIII that I've loved for over a decade and had a similar experience white moving. Took the tubes out, packaged them separately, but something fell and crushed them during the move. Started tube rolling after that though... And while there may not be huge differences between a lot of the tubes I bought, at least I have backups now

2

Bread-fi t1_ja1dp9f wrote

I tried different tubes in mine and it was pretty subtle. Preferred the original GE's (which is the typical result when "taste testing").

1

Un111KnoWn t1_ja07dxd wrote

CRY

2

Mungkelel t1_j9y7zw5 wrote

Ich hoffe dem Parfüm hat weh getan

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9y8fnk wrote

Das Parfüm hat kurz geweint, dann war alles okay.
Leider ist mir auch ein wenig Glas in mein Sandwich gefallen, das ich fast mitgegessen hätte. War gefährlich.

3

FlynnsAvatar t1_j9zhb6o wrote

Rolling tubes is more dangerous than I thought.

1

herandy t1_j9zxe1s wrote

Tis but a scratch

1

fishbowlfx t1_ja1j182 wrote

It's a sign maybe to start rolling! Enjoy the path.

1

KingOfTheP4s t1_ja1sl8f wrote

One of my greatest fears, I have some very good tubes in my little dot

1

iNaurto04 t1_ja1sqk6 wrote

does this count as r/ThatLookedExpensive

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja2srn0 wrote

nope, cost about 10$ or so, not too bad

2

iNaurto04 t1_ja2w35j wrote

Oh okay, good thinking.

Are these available for replacements?

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja2w626 wrote

at the moment they are harder to get as they get often produced in Russia. But of course some stock might be still available

2

dIAb0LiK99 t1_ja53xxf wrote

Man that sucks. You have to wait for the new tubes to be run in before it will sound good again

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja5qxs6 wrote

I am not sure if i hear a difference. But then again maybe the owner before me already used those tubes that I installed now

1

This-Dragonfruit-668 t1_j9yb3ng wrote

Was waren die spare tubes wohl für eine Marke? Und wo hast du die her? Vielen Dank im Vorraus!

−1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_j9ycrrx wrote

JAN 5654W
UND
unbenannte 6h6n

https://www.amazon.de/DollaTek-2Pcs-7-Pin-5654W-Vakuumr%C3%B6hren-Vacuum/dp/B07KPSZJ5L/ref=asc_df_B07KPSZJ5L/?tag=googshopde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=344412034682&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8371612815696986337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1030969&hvtargid=pla-679691917176&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=64725305010&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=344412034682&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8371612815696986337&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1030969&hvtargid=pla-679691917176

​

https://www.conrad.at/de/p/6-n-6-p-6-h-6-n-elektronenroehre-doppeltriode-120-v-28-ma-polzahl-num-9-sockel-noval-inhalt-1-st-157363.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgOefBhDgARIsAMhqXA6bPG7JaavDjkQ_wkf1-FO07hFobd5mIXvudUhqHbICmasL1QXNwhAaAu2gEALw_wcB&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping&ef_id=Cj0KCQiAgOefBhDgARIsAMhqXA6bPG7JaavDjkQ_wkf1-FO07hFobd5mIXvudUhqHbICmasL1QXNwhAaAu2gEALw_wcB:G:s

​

ungefähr die 2 Typen

4

philzebub666 t1_j9ymb2p wrote

Hawara wos fiast auf?

−1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja0bx3j wrote

Zaumghaut hobi wos. Siacht ma jo eh oda?

2

philzebub666 t1_ja0c75h wrote

A wüda hund bist, mehr siag i do nit.

Burli, du muasst scho aufpassn auf dei teires zaig.

1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja0ccep wrote

I hob de Kistn um 110 kaft mit 3 Sätze Röhren. Geht oiso vom finanziellen her

2

pocketstoosumo t1_ja0ve35 wrote

this is a sign to buy something good instead

−1

PharaoRamsesII OP t1_ja17gxe wrote

I dont know why you assume its bad... Did you use it yourself before?!

2