Altmann Tube-O-Lator Lacquer

[k4kyv]

Something we all need.  Make those riceboxes with space-shuttle audio sound like broadcast transmitters.


http://www.altmann.haan.de/tubeolator/default.htm

[ka3zlr]

...OMG...face in Hands...."Paint on Radio"...oh the Humanity....

[w4bfs]

this goes WAY past snake oil ...reminds me of a studio 'tube preamp' I worked on ...showed a 12AX7 thru a view window that was lit up from behind with a pilot lamp....the 12 Volt wall wart was a dead givaway ... the "tube" sound was obtained with op amps and tiny transformers likely driven into oblivion .... whaT A PIECE OF JUNK!..73..John

[W3RSW]

Don,
you have waaaaay too much time on your hands.... er, matchsticks. 
Where do you keep digging this stuff up?

OTH
Keep flying the flag!
Keep perusing the depths of flim-flammery.
Keep up the good fight.
Keep audio clean.

[AF9J]

Well, whattya know - more stuff from the realm that oxygen free cable, and wooden knobs come from.  Oh well, P.T. Barnum always said there was a sucker born every minute.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Sounds much like the Turbo-Encabulator.

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=16142.0

[WBear2GCR]

What you want to look into is "C4 Lacquer"... not sure if Altmann sells it or not.

But please keep in mind that anything that alters the microphonics of a tube in situ is likely audible. You may not care if it is audible or not, that's another issue.

Anything that alters the harmonics of a speaker is also likely to be audible - if you like it or care about it is another matter.

The Chinese and Soviets make very good copies of the WE 300B tube.
They don't sound the same.
It's pretty obvious.
Why?
One of the clear differences is the resonant frequency(ies) of the filament/cathode.
If you ping them, you can hear a big difference.
Is that the only difference?
Dunno, might be the major one though.
Microphonic effects are both audible and measurable - although, again, you may not care or it may not make a big enough difference for any given person.

They found when reverse engineering Stradivarius violins that the shellac used very fine particles of ground jewels! Did you know that? Why? The scientists seem to think that it alters the higher harmonics coming off the body and through the body of the violin for the better. So, should one paint their speaker cabinets with shellac containing ground jewel powder?? Whaddya think? Deal or No Deal? 

NOTHING I HAVE SAID should be construed as an endorsement or advocacy of anything Altmann sells or suggests. <---important disclaimer

I think if you folks spent some time experimenting in audio rather than being derisively incredulous all the time, you might find that the reason that this stuff exists is that it often does something audible, and those things are both unexpected and seemingly unlikely.

My own personal experience - and I am a skeptic when it comes to this sort of thing - has fairly often been: "What the f**K is doing that! Huh??" It just happens far too often to write it off as insanity, hysteria, placebo effect, mania, or some other psychological effect, because it usually isn't.

The prices that people charge, and the fact that some of these things are of limited or questionable value is another matter. It is not always obvious which ones are bona fide and which ones are bogus by simple inspection.

                   _-_-bear

[k4kyv]

...you might find that the reason that this stuff exists is that it often does something audible, and those things are both unexpected and seemingly unlikely.

The most likely audible something is the incidental sounds generated while money is deposited into the seller's bank account.

[ka3zlr]

Next think, we'll be Waxing our toobies...Alas...Buffed Audio....

I'm just not ready for this...I'm having a hard time here......

[WBear2GCR]

As I said, almost everyone here has the chops to actually build some audio gear.
...probably from the junquebox, zero bux. You will need a fairly low distortion speaker though, and that is a bit of a rub, but not impossible. Worst case you go to an "audio salon" or some other person's place that has such a thing, and compare your homebuilt tube amp to their commercial tube amp, or swap in tubes, or set up ur amp so that it has the coupling caps (if you built it AB1 or A1) set up for clip-lead swap, and see if you hear anything or not.

I know you would if you did it.

Might prove to be fun...

   _-_-bear

[W3RSW]

The only thing painting the top of an IC might do, if the paint when dry approaches 'black body' grainyness, i.e, of a fractal nature is to dissapate heat very slightly better. OTH just any ol' shiney shellac will trap heat that's normally dissapated  by reducing emmision area.  So will very slightly lower temp. in the IC equate to a very slightly cleaner AF amp?

Does an IC at low audio power resonate or is it "ever so slightly" microphonic? If so then a stiffer cap might, "ever so slightly" reduce microphonics.... I posit that any improvement from the above two effects are virtually "un-hearable."

 Many of societies' recent woes have come from instrumation detection limits far lower than ever thought possible.  There's trace distortion in all sounds, even straight wire with gain.

Same with Mass spectrometers, et. al.  There are trace elements of everything in everything that, now mearsurable, have far more value as alarmist fodder rather than anything useful.

Most of us know flim-flam when we see it.  If the junk was marketed at 5 cents /tube along with measurable & repeatable scientific literature..... instead of $/gram with flowery language...

I mean, Jeeze... get real.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I gotta stop reading these threads... I guess it's like watching a train wreck though.

 that other thread about beat the "audio" stuff to death. 

The only beef I have with audiophile types is that they drive the price up on some equipment (read as triode tube) beyond what I could pay.

  Other than that, hey it's their hobby, who cares really if they want to tweek amps, or some such or if someone wants to pay for some laquer(or wires or caps or etc.) at 2x it's weight in gold. Let em. no effect on me what-so-ever.  As a matter of fact, why complain, just strip out those black beauties, and bugle boys and drop em on ebay. Make some cash for real parts.

Actually maybe they are a little benificial as they keep the folks who make transformers and such like going, with the market going more to surface mount every day these audio guys will keep the through-hole discreet components and tranformer/choke folks going a lot more than we Stingy hams do. Lets face it, Hams are a cheap lot, most of us squeeze a dollar till ol' George is red in the face, (especially me). So some audio types dumping cash into the market here is probably a good thing.

I recon they're like those kids that get ahold of a little Honda or toyota and drop a few grand on paint, airfoils, loud exhaust and fancy lights thinking they're making a hot rod.  They're happy, and they don't hurt me none, and the local parts joint is still running cause they sold some high margin parts to those Ricers.

[W3RSW]

Oh I'm all tricked out.

- my amp, my car, my girl.

For what more could a guy ask?

...now where did I put those Priceless Black Beauties.
Yeah, your right, we repeat this stuff endlessly.
But it's fun.  Beats going to the asylum.
 ...uh, doesn't it? 

[W1EUJ]

I love how BEAR white-knights audiophoolery because of its connection to audiophilery.

[W3RSW]

ok, I'm slow,
Philadelphia?

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

They are one in the same.

I love how BEAR white-knights audiophoolery because of its connection to audiophilery.

[W3RSW]

lovers of audio.
my point.
QED