Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Stereo owner manual Cheers Randall Smith Designer & President

BIAS ADJUSTMENT: (Continued) Again, this has some merit .. but itÕs still not as good as using tubes that are matched in the first place because compensating for the mis-match causes the push-pull circuit itself to become unbalanced. Two wrongs donÕt really make a right.

Some of the other recommended biasing, ÒmethodsÓ Ñ such as -Ó.. tubes running red hot, increase the bias .. sounds harsh and runs too cool, turn it down ...Ó are guesswork at best. Luckily, one of the great things about tube amps is that they can usually stand some abuse without causing any real harm ... at least not immediately.

But donÕt these alterations imply that you are second-guessing the amp designer and that thereÕs a better set of operating conditions that the designer missed but the tube sellers have discovered?

Now some players may like the sound of their amp altered by tubes with extreme characteristics and with the bias set to help compensate. But often it is the mere novelty of change that theyÕre really responding to and when the amp goes back to the proper original way, weÕve seen them be far happier still!

Because every part in every one of our designs has been meticulously evaluated, compared and stressed over Ñ no matter how seemingly insignificant it might be. And with every design we look for a Òsweet spotÓ where all the parameters Ñ including the bias Ñ come together to give the best sonic performance, consistently and reliably. Every part and voltage is important Ñ yet no one complains that these other parameters arenÕt available for tinkering.

Consider our patented Simul-Classcircuitry where there are two different bias voltages used for separate pairs of power tubes ... and changing one voltage also changes the other. Great care goes into getting this just right and we think weÕd be asking for trouble to have it adjustable for the world to play with ... unless you like paying to have your amp messed up. Sorry, I meant to say, ÒUh, ... your amp needed biasing.Ó

If that doesnÕt appeal to you, then merely plug a matched set of MESA tubes into one of our amps and youÕre ready for tone. Guaranteed. YouÕd be amazed at the number of service calls we field every day that lead to a diagnosis of out-of-tolerance, non-spec tube problems. To think these would be prevented by including a bias adjustment is something of an insult to you and us. If you put the wrong size tires on your car, do you think changing the pressure will make them right?

Please, donÕt think this is a blanket indictment of the other guys selling tubes Ñ it isnÕt. And their tubes arenÕt all bad either. It just doesnÕt make sense to pay more of your hard earned cash for tubes that were probably made in the same Russian or Chinese factory and which have the possibility of being outside the performance window we select for your amp. And it pains us to hear the hype and mystique built up around biasing when twenty-five years of evidence affirms our decision to make bias circuits that Ònever need adjustmentÓ. How much money and trouble that has saved MESA/Boogie players you couldnÕt estimate.

Our rigorously tested and hand selected tubes are available at your nearest MESA/Boogie Pro Center or from us directly. Nobody offers better price, quality or warranty than we do ... so why swerve?

Next time weÕll talk about our part in developing the great Sylvania STR 415 type 6L6 and how weÕre on the verge of seeing something fairly close reappear on the market. Remember, we still have some of these super rugged mondo-bottles available for older amps Ñ Boogies only please! Until then, Relax, Breathe and Nourish your soul!

Cheers!

MESA/Boogie Ltd.

Randall Smith

Designer & President

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