Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are in current production? Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for audio, fuzz boxes etc?
Germanium Transistor in Current Production
Started by ●October 28, 2009
Reply by ●October 28, 20092009-10-28
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred <frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote:>Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are >in current production? > >Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for >audio, fuzz boxes etc?Why bother? John
Reply by ●October 28, 20092009-10-28
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:16:24 -0700, John Larkin <jjlarkin@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:>On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred ><frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote: > >>Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are >>in current production? >> >>Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for >>audio, fuzz boxes etc? > >Why bother? > >JohnDon't they produce a nice warm cozy sound just like tooobz ?:-) ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | "Somebody had to build the ceiling... before Michelangelo could go to work." - John Ratzenberger http://analog-innovations.com/SED/Somebody_had_to_build_the_ceiling.pdf
Reply by ●October 28, 20092009-10-28
Jim Thompson wrote:> > On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:16:24 -0700, John Larkin > <jjlarkin@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > > >On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred > ><frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >>Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are > >>in current production? > >> > >>Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for > >>audio, fuzz boxes etc? > > > >Why bother? > > > >John > > Don't they produce a nice warm cozy sound just like tooobz ?:-)No, they are obsolete crap that self bias, and produce lots of noise. They are the 'Slomans' of the transistor family. :) -- The movie 'Deliverance' isn't a documentary!
Reply by ●October 28, 20092009-10-28
`Well they sound more transistiory than toobs, although they do sound smoother and sweeter than silicon. There is a niche market for them in guitar effects. The trouble with them is that you have to buy a lot to find the ones with the proper gain and leakage, and at two bucks a piece and up that just prohibitively costly to do with NOS.
Reply by ●October 29, 20092009-10-29
Fred wrote:> > `Well they sound more transistiory than toobs, although they do sound > smoother and sweeter than silicon. > > There is a niche market for them in guitar effects. The trouble with > them is that you have to buy a lot to find the ones with the proper > gain and leakage, and at two bucks a piece and up that just > prohibitively costly to do with NOS.GIGO. -- The movie 'Deliverance' isn't a documentary!
Reply by ●October 29, 20092009-10-29
Jim Thompson wrote:> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:16:24 -0700, John Larkin > <jjlarkin@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > >> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred >> <frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are >>> in current production? >>> >>> Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for >>> audio, fuzz boxes etc? >> Why bother? >> >> John > > Don't they produce a nice warm cozy sound just like tooobz ?:-) > > ...Jim ThompsonAlmost; the sound is rather floral from the Geranium in those parts.. Sand power is rather sharp, due to the Silicon being not quite cracked up as it should be..
Reply by ●October 29, 20092009-10-29
Fred wrote:> `Well they sound more transistiory than toobs, although they do sound > smoother and sweeter than silicon. > > There is a niche market for them in guitar effects. The trouble with > them is that you have to buy a lot to find the ones with the proper > gain and leakage, and at two bucks a piece and up that just > prohibitively costly to do with NOS.That's true, they have a softer turnon characteristic than silicon and are usually much lower gain overall, all of which which contributes the right kind of nonlinearity to the sound. Depending on the volume, you might find good stocks on Ebay if you have patience, but they will all be old. The ge types tended to deteriorate more than silicon in any case, though the mil spec ones will be better due to screening and process. Perhaps a Russian company ?. They were some of the last people to make valves in any quantity... Regards, Chris
Reply by ●October 29, 20092009-10-29
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred <frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote:> Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are > in current production?Fred, Mouser http://www.mouser.com/ carries the NTE102A and NTE103A, but they're not cheap. Earlier this year I went looking for Ge transisitors to replace those in my Heath Mohican shortwave receiver's audio output; Mouser's NTE102As were the only ones I could find. The NTE102As were $6.30 each, and the NTE103A is higher still.> Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for > audio, fuzz boxes etc?Well, the NTE102As seem to work; the sound from the Mohican's 1.5"(?) speaker is _much_ better than it was (replacing the power supply's electrolytics may have helped a bit). There's still 'way too much static on most of the bands for my tastes, though. <grin!> Frank McKenney -- A striking fact of the last two years of financial trouble is how accountability has differed in the public and private spheres. On Wall Street and across the country, decades-old firms have failed, fortunes have vanished, and some former captains of finance face jail or fines. In Washington, meanwhile, most regulators and Members of Congress remain on the job, often with enhanced power. -- "Bernanke's Second Chance" / Wall Street Journal 08/26/09 -- Frank McKenney, McKenney Associates Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887 Munged E-mail: frank uscore mckenney ayut mined spring dawt cahm (y'all)
Reply by ●October 29, 20092009-10-29
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:54:14 -0800, Robert Baer <robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote:>Jim Thompson wrote: >> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:16:24 -0700, John Larkin >> <jjlarkin@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >> >>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:55 -0700 (PDT), Fred >>> <frederick.brown@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Does anybody know of any germanium transistor for audio use that are >>>> in current production? >>>> >>>> Also are the NTE102 and NTE103 or any other NTE offerings any good for >>>> audio, fuzz boxes etc? >>> Why bother? >>> >>> John >> >> Don't they produce a nice warm cozy sound just like tooobz ?:-) >> >> ...Jim Thompson > Almost; the sound is rather floral from the Geranium in those parts.. > > Sand power is rather sharp, due to the Silicon being not quite >cracked up as it should be..Sno-o-o-o-ort ;-) ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
