New Tube DI Day !

don't make them anymore?

 

I'm of the opinion a DI can never be too fat but the Demeter's a classic at this point. Have fun!

 

Awesome score!
Looks like a early 90s build, when it still got the permanently attached ac cord.

At the beginning of this year I sold an earlier build (attached power cable, metal switches and a different case) that had accompanied me for the past decade.

Stellar everytime with basses, electric and acoustic guitars.
In 10 years of monthly use, it only got serviced once to replace the ac cord.

Hope you enjoy it!

 

I tried a bunch of 12ax7, went with JJ for quite some time and later changed it in favor of a Tung Soil.

The JJ sounded great to me, a little darker in the mids and a tad more pronounced, which was cool for some applications.

The Tung Soil seemed to offer somewhat of a clearer and more balanced sound over the JJ.

Keep in mind I'm no expert, this was (in my case) very subtle. Just perception of a more balanced sound over something I was really used to listen to.

 

Nice! But, Oh, man...Careful, the tube wabbit hole goes deep!

The good news is that they all work, and the differences are a little subtle. That said, I believe the VTDB-2B’s come out of the Demeter barn these days sporting the Electro Harmonix 12AX7; which is an excellent choice and generally Demeter’s standard these days. Very solid tube. I recently tried a Genelex Gold Lion in my little Bass 400, and like that just a bit more, though it is pricey. Haven’t tried the Genelex in any of my other Demeter units yet, though they are probably destined for V1 in my VTBP-201 preamps.

Then, there is the NOS tube world. I can’t say I’ve heard any significant difference between current production 12AX7’s and the NOS versions; but, in that realm, the Amperex Bugle Boy is a really nice tube also.

Finally, for the DI box and especially for recording, I’d be very tempted to try a few 5751’s in place of the 12AX7. Very slightly lower output, which a mixer can handle, but better signal to noise ratio than the 12AX7; and if you are recording, that can matter. I think my VTDB currently has a Sylvania Gold Brand 5751 in it, which is considered one of the top 5751’s. You can read more about those here:

https://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html

In short, the VTDB is an outstanding tube DI, which will faithfully transfer your sound to the board, with just a bit of luster. Be aware that a Jensen transformer is used to isolate your output. These are VERY high quality output devices and protect your unit from inadvertent phantom power exposure etc. BUT, the Jensen outputs a MIC LEVEL output, as opposed to a line level output. This causes a lot of players to suddenly claim their Demeter DI has “low output.” Not so. It simply needs to be recognized as Mic Level at the board; and your Sound Engineer may need a bit of coaching.

Enjoy!

 

That sounds about right with my experience with JJ vs Tung Sol in Ampeg amps. I went with the JJ because the Tung Sol was too bright and tight.

 

you can’t be serious

 

Taking a partial quote out of context, and then making a personal slight out of it is nasty. Someone pee in your Post Toasties this morning?

My (complete) statement merely indicated that I hear no systematic generic differences of significance between current production and NOS in terms of sound quality. There are both good and not as good examples in both.

Of course, that’s strictly my experience / opinion. If you want to differ, feel free to provide some information, rather than just running me down over the matter.

 

To be sure, and depending on one’s resources. With the more renowned examples going for $50 - $100 per unit, things can get get a bit pricey in a hurry. A big part of that demand space is that we are competing with the audiophile community, which is a good bit larger (and more wealthy) than the bass playing community.

Another thing is that one ends up with drawers full of various tubes, but only one or two in the amp. I guess that one has to be good at reselling to make any meaningful venture into the space these days. [Edit: I’ve currently got three of those large plastic drawers in a storage rack filled to capacity with the results of my listening adventures. Good thing the wife doesn’t do accounting on those. LOL.]