Tesla Tube Factory Visit-Czech Republic 1998
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- čas přidán 27. 12. 2014
- In 1998 I was invited to the Czech Republic by the late Dr. Riccardo Kron and his wife Eunice to visit the Tesla tube factory. The couple had founded KR Audio in the early 1990s to build and market Dr. Kron's tube amplifier designs that made use of his giant T-1610 "Kronzilla" hand-built triode tubes as well as others including a brand new 300B design. I recently discovered the video tape and present here an edited version showing how the tubes' innards are hand assembled in the factory, the glass blown and the vacuum formed within the assembled tube. After the tour the Krons took me sight-seeing and yes, I found a great used record store and did serious credit card damage!
- Hudba
That was hugely interesting, every one of those people was a master of their skills, i know it takes a great many steps to make vacuum tubes, each one is art and science combined.
owning a lot of original Tesla tubes, this vid is an absolute treasure!
I used to buy their EL34s around this time..had no idea they were so hand made. They became JJ later on and those tubes are still my favorite.
Tesla Vršovice was Factory from Prague. Your EL34 they are not from this factory. Tesla Vršovice produced just Radio Tubes for radars, High Frequencies amps... The EL34, EL84, ECC83, ECC82..... produced Tesla Rožnov, Tesla Třinec... in the Comunistic time until to 1989!! All these factories bancrupt. Now you can buy JJ electronics but it is made in Slovakia and It is new factory with new staf, different technology, machines... This video it is KR audio manufactured and they just use the rooms and house from old Tesla factory Vršovice.. In the same house also producing Emmision Labs triode tubes.
You can't go wrong watching this vid. Love to hear those tubes.
Wow this was amazing. Like travelling in a time capsule ... thank You to sharing us.
This video is a absolute gem of a find. Thank you for this post. 👍
Perfect! The tube construction process is pure magic! I want a quad of 6l6s'..
It was like watching little bottles of magic being born. Thanks for this Mikey. :)
So beautiful isn't it
Yes, *glow-bottles.*
Thank you so much for sharing this ! I couldn't even imagine what's inside a tube factory. It looks like it was not long before they closed it, since there is no huge mass production happening.
this is KR audio manufacture. Also in the same house produce Emmision Labs triode tubes. The house in the video it is factory Tesla Vršovice but Tesla Vršovice produce radio tubes for high requencies and Tesla Vršovice move to the different city Říčany near to the Prague. This video doesnt have anything common with old NOS Tesla tubes from 1950-1989...
Wow! I had no idea that each valve is artwork, great vid Michael and thanks for sharing :)
Becouse most are made by industrial robots. Those in film are just hand made which is very rare end may mean lower quality.
@Czorny Lisek - yet another baseless opinion.
The production of vacuum tube has always been a manual work, assisted by partial automation. Do you have a source that shows any kind of robot involved in the process?
Looks like a great time to work! Bottle of beer during work @16:30
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for an interesting upload. In my mind I've seen glass makers blowing into a long tube then shaping the glass that way. Now I know why valves cost so much.
Now I know everything :) Thank You!
That's like old times craftman work, how you make high quality tubes and they even manufacturer high quality tube amplifier.
So much infomation shared here.I must commend all those involved in the tasks that they perform,to produce these tubes.I actually own a tube Amplifier tnat need new tubes and will be a follower of these channels.
Recall my stereo 2 x 6V6 setup from the '70. The most precious parts were the two oriented-grain audio output transformers. I never heard such smooth sound after I moved to solid state Hi-Fi. Only the Shure V75 pickup gave me a similar quantum leap in audio listening quality...
i think the kr tubes are some maybe the best we can buy today!
Never thought I'd see the day...a subdued and quiet Mr Fremer 😂
There's a great video of the old Blackburn Factory in Lancashire making Mullards in the late 50's or 60's and back then it looks newer and way more efficient than Tesla. Shame that there seems to have been so little investment at Tesla..these guys must earn pittance yet their valves point if sale are so costly. Way more than JJ which is more modern and slick.
I don't mind buting Tesla if it puts bread on their tables unless what's hidden are military applications. Remote launch sites I think still use valves for some applications for reliability.
Is it just me or did anyoe esle notice all the open bottles of beer at some work stations? 😂
yep, thanks so much!
thank you.
LOVEY LOOKING VALVE. WONDER WHAT POWER THAY PRODUCE . 200 MAY BE A BIT MORE . GOOD LUCK YOU DESERVE IT .
Thank you for sharing
I had some TESLA branded tubes in the '70s, TV horizontal output tubes and audio tubes (the ECL82 triode - pentode used in all record players). I had a tube tester and the test current was the lowest allowed, meaning the oxides they used to cover the cathodes were of low quality.
The covering of the cathode of a vacuum tube is the key part of a vacuum tube, as it determine electron emission intensity and the lifetime of the tube itself. Every manufacturer had its own secret formula for the substances covering the cathode of their tubes.
this is why valves are SO expensive..I replaced the eight power tubes and eight pre amp tubes in my Mesa/Boogie guitar power amp , and the 5 tubes in my Mesa/Boogie guitar pre amp last year..It cost me a bloody fortune.
Messa boogie use factory production from Russia. It is very cheap tubes ...Its not hand made... On the video we can see high quality power triode tubes and hand made in Czech Republic
When I picture in my mind where my tubes came from, this is what I see.
I instantly feel like I'm drastically under paying for my tubes! 🤔
Eu tenho minha opinião ,
apesar de alto custo de
processo ,procura de valvra vai aumentar,
diferença é muito grande,parabéns
grande profissionais .
Very good film around the Tesla Valve factory; sad there was't a commentary which would make a very good documentary. An interview with the company bosses & showing and exampling the hole manufacturing process to finish & test of valves.The film should where some final product ended up in,e.g a valve amp would have been nice ?
Best el34's i ever had were tesla. Sounded like voices in em
A real mom & pop tube factory!
Sounds of tubes quality are not comparing by the solidstates, 🙏
What was the operation in in the room with the sand blaster? What was so hard with those black carbon things?
KRYP'TO'--Powerful ship, I'm part of,-- and you-- HAW!
I'm wondering what brand to buy in the way of KT88's for my hifi valve amp..I'm tempted to buy Genalex Gold Lion's but with so many knock offs around, it's hard to know what you're in fact buying...Fascinating video though!
In 2024, due to the vacuum tube audio trend,
it will still be made in small quantities rather than mass production, continuing the tradition.
GOOD
Hermoso 😇❤❤❤❤
Ahhhh, VHS... We meet again...
"Grease Lightning" in Russian..ha!! Very impressive work being done here. Interesting video.
Classic post soviet production birds eye view. This video could never have been made during USSR era censorship. Compare this video to the Mallard and RCA vacuum tube ones. It is astounding Tesla can produce quality pieces...
Would be good to see their quality improve.
I will NEVER again complain about the cost of tubes..... I wonder if these guys make bombs on the side too...seems like a similar setup.
i feel you, bro. the sad part isnt the price for tubes, it's the price for throw away electroncs.. every valve is a masterfully handcrafted a piece of an arcane arts, controlling invisible forces, to do a man's bidding. 1-2k for a home hifi amp is a good deal, if it's built to outlast me, with proper maintenance and some repairs every few years.
Tubes are trash nowadays
All the master craftsmanship and trade secrets and materials are gone
Does anyone know if this place is still in operation?
its not anymore
Can I adapt those huge tubes into my 68' Super Reverb ? 🤣
JJ tubes are great
Good video, but the camera work is unfortunate.
@Empyreal No one had a 4K camera back then. also, I didn't ask for your opinion. Get lost.
It is not a matter of camera quality. The operator seems had never handled any camera of sort before, with sudden, unforeseeable panning and tilting of the camera - which in turn do induce motion sickness in the viewers, impairing any enjoyment of the footage.
Are they still manufactured in CZ?? I'd think Zlin would be the perfect setting for that plant.
this is KR audio manufacture. Also in the same house produce Emmision Labs triode tubes. The house in the video it is factory Tesla Vršovice but Tesla Vršovice produce radio tubes for high requencies and Tesla Vršovice move to the different city Říčany near to the Prague. This video doesnt have anything common with old NOS Tesla tubes from 1950-1989...
@@Analogserviscz So Tony and Riccardo were friends?
Mohl to být poučný dokument o umění zlatých českých rukou a je škoda, že se filmování ujal kameraman s parkinsonem a kalkulačkou místo kamery.
Tohle video by ještě v roce 2005 byl celkem kvalitní. :D
@@laszu7137 ano tehdy prostě nebyla elektronická stabilizace obrazu, ale to očividně dnes tuší lidé 30+ :D
Zlaté české ručičky? Spíš chudáci dělníci, že museli pracovat jak za cara Klacka. Ostatně ta první věta je výmluvná...
Was the Chief italian? I heard his voice in the background sometimes speaking in italian. Interesting.
era piemontese, il nonno era venuto in italia dall'ungheria
That monstrosity is a triode? Shows how much I know :P
are these tubes available today and where?
music amplifiers. TRADE MARKS like COPLAND CTA-401 AND -405 BY EXAMPLE...
CARY AUDIO, JADIS, ETC...
these tubes they are high end. Very expensive power triodes. In this house they produce KR audio, EAT and Emmission Labs tubes. You can buy example Emmission Labs in tha Jac music shop. Just ask the google KR Audio, EAT, Emmision Labs.....
These tubes are pretty much hand made. I NEED me pair for my amp after seeing this. Anyone know when and why Tesla stopped producing tubes? This is from 1998 so it was fairly recently.
Joe Rico EAT ,(European Audio Technology), bought TESLA, moved it and makes those tubes marketed under EAT name
Analog Planet ok thanks. I was about to research it but you beat me to it.
Tesla was large comunistic concern. In every city was some Tesla factory. Like Tesla Vršovice from Prague in this video, Tesla Rožnov, Tesla Třinec, Tesla Pardubice. Every Tesla prodeuced different devices like tubes, resistors, capacitors, TV, Radio etc etc. On this video we just can see hand made manufature KR audio tubes. In same house also produce EAT or Emission Labs. After reveolution 1989 step by step every Tesla factory bunkrupt or bought some west company like exapmple Tesla Pardubice - they produced TV and the factory bought Panasonic....
It's now made in Slovakia in town Cadca by Slovak company JJ Electronic
fico!!... sembrano fatte proprio bene, peccato non ho ancora trovato una "fonte" per questi articoli ad un prezzo "commerciale", fondamentalmente non dovrebbero costare l'ira di dio anche se sono tubi grandi, anzi sono più facili da costruire
Antigamente vinha escrito Tesla, Checoslováquia nas valvulas.
Great video. Does anyone know where I can get one of those welders which fuses the internal parts together. Thank you.
+zark212 Not exactly the same but very similar and usable are the small spot welders used in dental labs, turn up on
ebay all the time. You can build a resonable unit yourself as well from scrap parts, too.
Thank you Dercebe that's brilliant info. really appreciate it :)
You can also build one out of an microwave transformer (if you're still looking that is XD)
DrummingEvil Thank you for the info DrummingEVIL. Appreciate it. Its surprising no one has made a cheap version with microwave transformer for sale on the market, Its something I will definitely look into. Thank you :)
zark212
Indeed, and no problem ;)
I use the new JJ Electronic tubes from Slovakia for servicing guitar amplifiers in the UK. I believe JJ Electronic is a spin off from the old Tesla state factory. They are very economic to buy but also good and reliable.
Jan Jurco (JJ) bought the old equipment from the Tesla factory, but produces tubes of much lower quality-- which isn't to say they're "bad" per se, just not nearly as good as what Tesla made. The JJ ECC83, for example, bears a strong resemblance to the Tesla E83CC, which itself was an exact replica of a Telefunken ECC803S. The Tesla and Telefunken tubes used a frame grid-- which the JJ design lacks-- and lasted at least 10,000 hours (likely owing in large part to superior cathode materials). Of course, they were also quite expensive new, and not many were produced.
Better to let the rich hifi nuts have the rare expensive old tubes though, you could get a lifetime supply of new tubes for the prices you'd pay for some old ones.
Have you tried the Chinese made tubes? What are your thoughts on those?
Hit and miss. When I tested the cheapo Shuguang 12ax7a against all my other tubes, it approximately matched the noise level of the Sovtek 12ax7lps-- the only one to beat it so far was the TJ Full Music 12ax7. All three were well below the noise level of JJ tubes.
I also tried some short bottle 6L6 tubes from Shuguang, but they didn't fit in the socket easily-- I think they left too much solder on the pins. Also made a lot of noise on startup, which the JJs did not. I've heard others say that JJ's best tubes are their power tubes-- my experience so far seems to back that up.
I still have yet to try anything from psvane, but I imagine those and shuguang treasure should be in the same ballpark as the TJ full music tube I did try-- easily better than most modern tubes, in other words, but at a higher price. I don't beat the crap out of my tubes though, so my primary concern is sound-- and in that regard, some Chinese tubes are great. Not all.
VolkOseba Oh wow. Thanks for such a detailed answer. I haven't heard about some of the tubes you mentioned, I'm also mostly only concerned with sound as well. I'll take a look. Cheers, thanks again.
Senior experts , when to the young estafet to next experts continued???
Question: Why aren’t e making these here in America too? I realize it’s a niche market, but there’s gotta be someone willing to undertake the task. Maybe we can do just as well or better?
It is probably mostly due to the costs of labor and environmental regulations in the US.
why.. because the market is rather small. It is highly cost-ineffective.. just look at the guys making new Nixies and they are by far not as problematic to made as many of the tubes shown in the video.. you need many expensive tools and equipment which have really not large life-span such as turbomolecular pumps, etc. Therefore inefficient making in small production.
and obviously back in the time except for Tesla (Czech Republic), Russia, Japan, there was also another producers based on different countries. But the technology has been nearly replaced completely...
I dont think you can do it better... or at all ;)
genial👏👏👏😯😂😂😂💖🇩🇪
What a beautiful tropical paradise! I don't think Vodka is strong enough for me to live there. Tubes are cool though.
We drink beer.
This is a factory. You wouldn't want to live in industrial Detroit or Jersey city either. Wanna see beauty go to Prague.
Czech Rep. Is the best country in Europe - Visit Carlovy Vary and you'll forget about tropics.
Especially if you have a bad cold. They have some elixirs made in Karlovy Vary that make NyQuil look to be *worthless,* supposedly.
Notice everyone is drinking on the job. The lady had wine and the guys have beer.
great old times ;) no rush and healthy drinking at work..
@@CeroYoutubo keeps the hand shaking down ;-)
"This is the classic Russian style..." - first words in video - few seconds after I said the same: "бомжовник, как в России".
Fuse TV and Radio-- tube.
Is the "guide" guy italian? I heard him speak italian fluently in the video
well he totally sounds italian
Trust me, this way of talking can be heard only here in motherland
@@BetamaxFlippy Riccardo Kron era piemontese (nonno ungherese) e ha creato lui KR Audio ed era lui nel video che faceva da guida
Love the factory tour but the camera work makes the video all but unwatchable.
:D why explain the getter to a guy that doesn't even know what is going on there?
Filmed with a high tech Russian potato and the camera guy has had fifteen years of training in Russia’s premier film academy.
Por que aqui en sudamerica todo eso termino
Was that Borat?
Mas isso parece uma oficina artesanal, não uma indústria...
El cámara necesita un cursillo de manejo
Wow what a lost art here in the US. My Grandfather was the President of the Owens Glass Blowers Union in Marion/Gas City, Indiana back in the 1920s. No way to mass produce here in the US due to ecological concerns.
have a kolache and paint the walls bright yellow.
tesla - genius
OMG, this would be an OSHA nightmare
Yeah, One guy had a beer on his table, in the factory :O :D
Wow--mostly hand-made tubes, in stark contrast to the highly automated Mullard factory of 40 years earlier:
czcams.com/video/-GgWIlvyEL8/video.html
czcams.com/video/UcRTGVenN9U/video.html
Queen - You Don't Fool Me guitar solo at brackground playing
A valvula pode ser boa, mas a fabrica é uma boqueta rsrsrsrs
Жуть.
Solo voy a criticar al camarógrafo. en los primeros minutos me mareo.
At that rate of production, the employees must be making like $2 an hour. And the quality of tubes made under those conditions, doubtful.
not necessarily... the problem with this kind of product is that when a batch is made you can wait another 10 years to make others, that's why it's not remunerative at the end
You are idiot and you dont know absolutly nothing about hand made. You cant work fast with the glass and metall parts in this case! The tubes they have absolutly perfect parameters, long life and great sound. One pair of the tube cost example 1.000USD !!
they donot know how to a stable film !!! 😅😅😅
At 32 sec. "This is a classic Russian style" says the old man in order to defame the ancient USSR. I agree (sarcasm). Now the Czech republic is better. Poorer than before and a truly American colony.
why not chemical polishing or in a tumbler ??