DH>> Some of the effects boxes which are designed to add "tube" sound will
 DH>> run the tubes in a starved condition - the voltages fed to these tubes
 DH>> will be several times less than what they normally use for operation.
 DH>> This is actually very clever on the part of the designer because it
 DH>> does not hurt the life of the tube but it does cause the tube to go
 DH>> into distortion a lot sooner than otherwise and it allows more control
 DH>> over the sound.
>     This reminds me a bit of the Fender Deluxe guitar amplifier.  It's 
>     tubed, and has the most marvelous distortion I've ever heard.  The 
>     instructions tell you to turn it up to 10 and enjoy it.  The tubes are 
>     Sovteks.  I don't know if they're using this "starved" method or what, 
>     but it sounds like a dream. 
>     Note this is a guitar amplifier, and distortion is controlled by a knob
>     on the front panel, not by the volume control.  :)
Nice little amp and Sovtek makes a very very good product!
It is fun because ten years ago, we were pointing at the Russians and 
snickering because they were "still using vacuum tubes"  and we closed 
down all of our outmoded tube fab lines and scrapped the equipment.
Now that we are friends again, Sovtek and Mosvalve are two major 
sources of revinue for them - we can't get enough...  
--- Via Silver Xpress V4.4 [Reg]
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