I've been following the saga of the 3-500Z inputs and would like to offer
the following::
As W8JIT mentioned, Triton will be producing the 3-500Z but ALL the Eimac
glass tube line! This brings to mind that one should remember that
production lines that move.......generally run into initial quality
problems, to wit; the move of Eimac from San Carlos to Salt Lake! There
were a lot of 8877s that went into the trash as a result of that move.
Therefore, it would be only prudent to move cautiously with purchasing
EARLY production from Triton.
Insofar as tubes with differing construction "sounding better," this is a
very subjective observation and could really only be verified under
multiple, highly-controlled tests using a good spectrum analyzer. By
multiple tests I mean: different bands and samples much greater than
one! Tube manufacturers generally specify their power tubes in a Class A
amplifier and at relatively low frequency to eliminate a number of
problems such as phase shift and unwanted feedback. I would wonder if
the interelectrode capacitance was the same with the tube that "sounded
better!" Was its lead inductance the same and did it drive the same as
the reflected load to the exciter was possibly different, resulting in
greater IMD of the exciter itself, not the tube alone! In other words,
I would have some very serious reservations about "sounds," hi!
If I were to buy a 3-500Z today, I'd stick with the known winners. 73 and
happy amps.
Marv, W6FR
w6frmarv@juno.com
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