While my Obbligato caps are traveling from Asia and instead of finish my MF amplifier and listening it I am blowing up my steam about the amp at my site there is a subject that I would like to share.

Melquiades MF DSET is made to utilize not only 2.5V but also the tubes that open a lot of options for a great variety of the 4V tubes that were produced in Germany in 30s and 40s or in annexed territories for Germany. I am talking with different vintage DH tube users and generally I am not satisfied what I learn from them. Many of them do not understand Sound, many of them (as I can judge) do not use those tubes properly, many of them too obsessed with own righteousness, and many of them (in fact almost all of them) do not have using of using the period tubes in DSET applications with capable loudspeakers.

That all leads me to the feeling that I will not have useful “help from out there” and  the only person who will be able to say anything definite about the period tubes sound will be me myself… So, I kind of do not mind to bite the bullet and to buy a few of those extremely expensive nowadays period tubes, in fact it is what I am doing, and this open up an interesting perspective.

Some of those tubes have Nazi Swastika on them. Well, I am modern and rational person and I am well-understand that the tubes are not guilty and that Swastika was just a common marking for German industry production on the 30s and 40s.  After all, we use those tubes not because their Nazi affiliation but for alleged engineering and sonic qualities. So, I never had any complexes about it. I am sure I would not feel comfortable to have Swastika tube sitting atop of my amplifier in the corner of my room but it is easy to wipe out the Swastika and juts use the tube….

A few bays back I received a very interesting NOS DH 4V tube from 1939 with Swastika. I opened the shipping box, held the tube in hand and felt kind of different. It is not about being a Jew or having any political, historical, ethic or moral prejudices.  I am very liberal person and I can deal with a lot. However, in this case I recognized that even if I remove the Swastika and to denazify my DHT tube then the tube in my mind will become the “tube that use to have Nazi Swastika”. In this case I would prefer to use the tubes where Swastika was removed by seller and I do not what to know that it was even ever there.

So, with all my respect to the accomplishment of German sound engineering in 30s and 40s I have made a decision do not use or try the tubes with Swastika on them.  Just fuck them – life is too precious to let THAT symbolic to poison my existence.