It really quiets down the tube/socket connection/interaction.Ĭramolin or "Deoxit", made by Caig Labs is a product classified a contact cleaner or "enhancer". Again I use my ears for this.īTW, I always "clean" the tube pins with Cramolin and before trying to remove any excess, I put the tube back in the socket and circle it around a bit (or pull it up and down a few times) to "clean" both the tube pin and the socket. I think that the Hickoks and some other brands have some kind of noise test capability, but have never checked it out to see if the "measurement" correlates with actual perceived noise levels. Then play with them in a particular application to find which "sounds" best.įor preamp front-ends where low noise in important - most testers don't test for this. ![]() I use my Hickok 539B to "grade" tubes - from OK through maybe "better" and mark the transconductance on the side with a magic marker. You can "match" tubes but only at that ? operating point. a "questionable" tube may work perfectly well - or be unworkable in a particular application.Īnd has been pointed out, most testers check the "gain" at only one point on the curve - which could be totally different from the circuit you are using it in. Most do a good job of detecting shorts but you have to be careful in interpreting the results of a "quality test" i.e. ![]() I like to think of a tube tester as more of a go/no go device.
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