[jules]

Quote Bunky:

"i am very interested in mobile tube power amplifiers. www.milbert.com is affiliated with Mr David Berning who designs the Milbert Amplifier's."

Tube filaments aren't all that fond of vibration. I think I'm right in saying that in the days when cars used tube radios, there were tubes specifically made for the task.

Cars wouldn't seem to be the place for NOS tubes  Might be worth asking Milbert about their approach to tube life.

jules

[medium jim]

Along that same vein.  I'd like to be able to bypass my HU altogether.  Go from USB and iPod > processor > amp.  And maintain steering wheel control.  ?????????

Sorry, but that will not provide anything near a true audiophile system IMHO.  Nothing against iphones  or ipods, but they just don't have quality playback yet.  Whereas, an iphone or ipod that goes through a head unit has the luxury of a better DAC. 

Jim

[JLM]

Because you won't hear the siren until there's a road block for you or the train whistle until ...

So turn the darn things down (any system can get too loud to hear outside the car).

[Photon46]

Even if one could get "audiophile" quality sound, how would one appreciate it in an environment with such a miserable signal to noise ratio?

[Scott F.]

Tube filaments aren't all that fond of vibration. I think I'm right in saying that in the days when cars used tube radios, there were tubes specifically made for the task.

Cars wouldn't seem to be the place for NOS tubes  Might be worth asking Milbert about their approach to tube life.

jules

Jules,

I'm actually using NOS 6SL7s in my cab amp (Butler TDB 475). I've been running mine for almost two years without incident. Even in the vintage cars I've owned that had tubed radios, I never had one fail due to bumps, potholes or other rough ride issues.

....just my $.02

[werd]

Jules,

I'm actually using NOS 6SL7s in my cab amp (Butler TDB 475). I've been running mine for almost two years without incident. Even in the vintage cars I've owned that had tubed radios, I never had one fail due to bumps, potholes or other rough ride issues.

....just my $.02

Would the tubes not break in below zero cold do you think?

[Scott F.]

Even if one could get "audiophile" quality sound, how would one appreciate it in an environment with such a miserable signal to noise ratio?

You won't understand until you spend time in a vehicle that has a good system.

[Scott F.]

Would the tubes not break in below zero cold do you think?

Good question. I live in St Louis and over the past couple of winters we've reached below zero a couple of times. It took a while for them to warm up and sound good but they didn't break.

If you think about it, back in WWII the bombers flew at high altitude with sub-zero temps and they all used tubes for communications.

There shouldn't be any worries about cold weather and tubes.

[Bob in St. Louis]

The Russians used tubes in their aircraft for quite a while.
Noise, vibration, harshness didn't seem to bother them too much, and neither did the  temperatures. It's gets pretty cold there.

It is nice having a large library and a good sounding system in your car.
I give it my highest recommendation.

Bob

[opnly bafld]

You won't understand until you spend time in a vehicle that has a good system.

 

[Photon46]

You won't understand until you spend time in a vehicle that has a good system.

Well, I have heard some rather fine systems. The bottom line (for me) is that the quietest automotive interior is still to noisy to enjoy uncompressed classical music during quiet passages. For music with a more limited dynamic range, a great automotive stereo can sound wonderful (but I still think you have to listen at too loud a level.) I spend two hours a day in obnoxious commuter traffic and listening at loud levels just amps up my stress hormones  But hey, that's just my problem.

[opnly bafld]

I agree on the classical, I never listen to it in my car.
Gotta have music in heavy traffic (except when I don't know where I'm going).

Lin

[werd]

Thanks guys

But maybe those tubes are spec'd for cold. Minus 30 farenheit kinda cold. I wonder if regular household stereo tubes are spec'd like that?. Don't know, just wondering. .

[decal]

Would the tubes not break in below zero cold do you think?

No, think about all the electronics equipment that used tubes before the invention of solid state components. People didn't just use that equipment in warm weather!!!! You can buy cryogenically treated tubes today and that is much more severe than any weather you will encounter.

[JohnR]

A tube filament operates at a fairly high temperature. "Cold" ambient temperature is more likely to extend tube life than the other way around, I would suspect.

[hibuckhobby]

Went waaaay down this road in the '90's when I was competing in IASCA sound quality competitions and was sponsored by Sony and Kicker.  Component quality IS important, but installation is far more important.  Before DSP was widely used in car audio, the key to a good soundstage was getting the distances between the left and right speakers in the front stage closer to the same.   Thus, many of the cars went to custom made pods in the kick panels.

This still didn't equalize the distance, but it made a huge step in the right direction.  My top end Sony head unit and EQ in 1996 didn't use rca's...it was all fiber optic because electrical noise can be a bigger issue than road noise.  Between (fasten your seat belts) playing with phasing of the front stage drivers and a judicious amount of time delay, you could create a wide, deep stage with a center in the middle of your dash.  The experience was quite a bit like a really good desktop (nearfield) system with the exception that bass in a car will spoil you for a long time. (flat to below 20hz is not hard to do)

I miss those days, but I don't miss laying upside down under the dash.  I'll leave that to younger guys.
Hibuck....

[youravhandyman]

Bob in St. Louis has posted this beast before:  Panasonic CQ-TX5500D



Not sure if it is still available or not. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Pioneer also has an "Audiophile grade" line billed as "Stage 4".
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Stage4

[Levi]

Custom speaker pods. Check!

Went waaaay down this road in the '90's when I was competing in IASCA sound quality competitions and was sponsored by Sony and Kicker.  Component quality IS important, but installation is far more important.  Before DSP was widely used in car audio, the key to a good soundstage was getting the distances between the left and right speakers in the front stage closer to the same.   Thus, many of the cars went to custom made pods in the kick panels.

This still didn't equalize the distance, but it made a huge step in the right direction.  My top end Sony head unit and EQ in 1996 didn't use rca's...it was all fiber optic because electrical noise can be a bigger issue than road noise.  Between (fasten your seat belts) playing with phasing of the front stage drivers and a judicious amount of time delay, you could create a wide, deep stage with a center in the middle of your dash.  The experience was quite a bit like a really good desktop (nearfield) system with the exception that bass in a car will spoil you for a long time. (flat to below 20hz is not hard to do)

I miss those days, but I don't miss laying upside down under the dash.  I'll leave that to younger guys.
Hibuck....

[hibuckhobby]

Looks like "Qforms".  I remember when they came out.
I was a beta tester for the VW Jetta unit.  No offense if they are
hand laid fiberglass and body putty overlaid with vinyl.
Hibuck...