af Solderdude » 21. okt 2012, 18:08
The black (silverish) is not from using the tube / wear and tear.
It is the result of eliminating the last bit of air molecules that have remained after being sucked vacuum in the production process.
When the tube is 'sucked' empty on manufacturing there will always be some air molecules left in the tube.
This is not wanted.
For this they have inserted a 'getter'.
It is a metallic ring (sometimes oddly shaped) that has material on it that reacts with air when heated.
When the tube has been sealed (glass pipe, mostly on top melted) a coil outside of the tube creates a strong magnetic field that induces a large current in the getter ring, thereby evaporating the getter material on it.
This material reacts with the remained trapped air molecules and deposits this on the glass in a flash.
Mostly on top of the tubes, but sometimes on the side, in any case near the getter.
When turned white (as shown in the pic above) it means vacuum is breached and the tube is defective.
Tubes wear down over time, some gradual, some stay strong for long periods others drop fast.
Some new JJ tubes get bad really quick, some older tubes last very long.
There is no telling not even when someone has measured them a few minutes before, you simply cannot predict lifespan of a tube.
The only way to tell is by measuring them or using them and checking plate voltages.
Tubes may get noisy or crackling when damaged or getting in a faulty state or simply loose emission and thus will not work properly.
Mostly bass performance is affected first as this has the largest voltage swing in a music signal and thus will 'clip' first.
Use your ears to enjoy music, not as an analyzer.