Silver Spring, MD
Radio Vacuum tubes
I am not the guy with the tubes...but, thought someone else might be interested.
Radio Vacuum tubes
I am not the guy with the tubes...but, thought someone else might be interested.
how much do you expect to pay for a quad of el34s. there must be quite the price range in tubes. some sell for 100 bucks each some say that 150 tubes aint worth 20 bucks. i bought two tv tubes for 5 dollars for a small amp project. they sound great. who sells 140 tubes for 20 dollars?
im new to tubes so im curious about this variation in pricing. i know there is a lot of fraud in the audio industry. cables for 6000 dollars, 1000 dollar 2 foot power cords all a delusion and fraud imho. or super tweeters up to 100khz that only a bat can hear.
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Depends heavily on the tubes. A quad of NOS Mullards is worth far more than a quad of current production Chinese or Russian tubes of the same designation. Adding to the confusion is the fact that many ebay sellers seem to think that any old el34 (or whatever) they have should be priced as if it were something special. They must get some takers, 'cause they're always at it.
There always seems to be someone out there who will pay far too much for what is offered. Ebay works because people are buying things they don't know much about. That and everything is always in good condition and working fine. Right.
Ebay prices represent the absolute maximum amount of money that someone would pay at the instant in time. More often than not, the goal is "winning" the auction, not buying something at a good price.
Hi Aaron,
There are some good tubes in there. A couple. The rest are TV type tubes. None are matched and they truly are not worth what your acquaintance is asking. Gold digger, sorry.
-Chris
Ebay prices represent the absolute maximum amount of money that someone would pay at the instant in time. More often than not, the goal is "winning" the auction, not buying something at a good price.
Hi Aaron,
There are some good tubes in there. A couple. The rest are TV type tubes. None are matched and they truly are not worth what your acquaintance is asking. Gold digger, sorry.
-Chris
so how much would you pay for a quad of matched mullards and where do you get them?
thanks
Hi chopchip,
My own opinion on your question?
Why? Why buy NOS anything when there are some excellent current production tubes out there. Russians make excellent tubes. They are every bit as good as US or English tubes, and more consistent with more modern build methods. The only trick is getting the right tube.
Example. Sovtek is a Russian tube numbered to the closest North American number. Electroharmonix are carefully done reconstructions of what were accepted to be the better tube designs, so those numbers are correct in as much as the characteristics agree with the type number they wear.
I have both NOS tubes, and new Sovtek and Electroharmonix tubes on hand. I've used tubes since the 70's. I have to say that new Electroharmonix are what I prefer. I'll happily sell an NOS tube for the going rate and replace it with an Electroharmonix and some other stuff. Maybe a new meter or jewelery for my wife. Honest!
Finally, those "NOS Mullard" tubes may be made by Telefunkin or other factory. Tubes were a commodity item back then. I even had some Heathkit test gear that used Mullard tubes (NOS, OEM). Heathkit did not buy the best tubes for their kits. They bought good quality tubes for the going rate, so that time the Mullard tubes were less expensive. The truth can really bite sometimes I guess.
I wonder what the going price is on a quad of McIntosh 6550C's is? I have a set that are brand new from McIntosh, they are labeled "McIntosh" on the bottles. They came wrapped in bubble wrap, no boxes.
-Chris
My own opinion on your question?
Why? Why buy NOS anything when there are some excellent current production tubes out there. Russians make excellent tubes. They are every bit as good as US or English tubes, and more consistent with more modern build methods. The only trick is getting the right tube.
Example. Sovtek is a Russian tube numbered to the closest North American number. Electroharmonix are carefully done reconstructions of what were accepted to be the better tube designs, so those numbers are correct in as much as the characteristics agree with the type number they wear.
I have both NOS tubes, and new Sovtek and Electroharmonix tubes on hand. I've used tubes since the 70's. I have to say that new Electroharmonix are what I prefer. I'll happily sell an NOS tube for the going rate and replace it with an Electroharmonix and some other stuff. Maybe a new meter or jewelery for my wife. Honest!
Finally, those "NOS Mullard" tubes may be made by Telefunkin or other factory. Tubes were a commodity item back then. I even had some Heathkit test gear that used Mullard tubes (NOS, OEM). Heathkit did not buy the best tubes for their kits. They bought good quality tubes for the going rate, so that time the Mullard tubes were less expensive. The truth can really bite sometimes I guess.
I wonder what the going price is on a quad of McIntosh 6550C's is? I have a set that are brand new from McIntosh, they are labeled "McIntosh" on the bottles. They came wrapped in bubble wrap, no boxes.
-Chris
thanks, that was very informative. yeah, truth hurts. too bad it costs so much to get an education in the audio industry. imho the audio industry is an example of free-for-all capitalism gone bad. unfortunately there have to be regulatory bodies which yield a heavy hand. if people behaved it wouldnt be necessary but they dont and it is. it isnt right to take advantage of a person's ignorance.
ill look out for electroharmonix tubes. thanks
Hi chopchip,
thetubestore.com - Audio vacuum tubes for your amplifier. . They are located in Hamilton, Ontario. At least nothing has to go through customs. You can buy matched pairs, quads and sextets from them. You will also see other brands of tubes and components.
For our US members, NewSensor::Home Page in NY (I think). There are several other vendors with some pretty cool products in the 'States. Too bad there isn't a good way to receive goods shipped from south of the border.
-Chris
thetubestore.com - Audio vacuum tubes for your amplifier. . They are located in Hamilton, Ontario. At least nothing has to go through customs. You can buy matched pairs, quads and sextets from them. You will also see other brands of tubes and components.
For our US members, NewSensor::Home Page in NY (I think). There are several other vendors with some pretty cool products in the 'States. Too bad there isn't a good way to receive goods shipped from south of the border.
-Chris
i hope you dont mind that i sent you an IM about a fault im having in my tube amp. i thought i would IM rather than post it here since it is not related to this discussion.
thanks
thanks
I sure do love to see that.
Carry on with not caring. More for me, and that keeps the prices down on some excellent VTs.Tee-Vee t00bz like the 6BQ6 (no audiophool pedigree; no mention of audio use in the spec sheet) are as sonically excellent as the famous 6V6, and make more than twice the power. I also used 6BQ7s to implement a cascoded LTP phase splitter/voltage amp that performs with immeasurably low distortion. The 6BQ7 also has no audio use mentioned in its spec sheet.
With the sole exception of a 0A3 to provide a reference voltage for the screen regulator, my last project used nothing but Tee-Vee t00bz. I'll stack its performance against anything done with audiophool t00bz any day of the week, and twice again on Sundays.
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Hi Miles,
Same here, but tube prices have generally gotten pretty stupid. If you have the knowledge to use TV tubes in circuits, you should get them cheaper. After all, those circuits are not just ripped off a web site or tube book. The tubes don't know what the signals are either.
If you look at TV tubes, they generally run off a B+ around 150 VDC or so, and therefore may run at higher currents in the circuits they are designed for. 6DJ8 comes to mind pretty quickly here. However, some audio tubes are designed to be more consistent from tube to tube. Microphonics and noise might be better controlled. Then there are always those specialty tubes like 6EU7, lovely tube.
All we need now is for some magazine article to showcase another "hidden treasure" to shoot the prices on those through the roof. Still, buying current manufacture tubes that perform as well or better than the NOS types should depress all those prices - as they should be. The industry needs to suffer a market price correction. Kill all those speculators off. :devlr:
Hi chopchip,
No, I don't mind. Understand that there are numerous people here that can also give excellent advice. I'll go check my mail I think.
-Chris
Same here, but tube prices have generally gotten pretty stupid. If you have the knowledge to use TV tubes in circuits, you should get them cheaper. After all, those circuits are not just ripped off a web site or tube book. The tubes don't know what the signals are either.
If you look at TV tubes, they generally run off a B+ around 150 VDC or so, and therefore may run at higher currents in the circuits they are designed for. 6DJ8 comes to mind pretty quickly here. However, some audio tubes are designed to be more consistent from tube to tube. Microphonics and noise might be better controlled. Then there are always those specialty tubes like 6EU7, lovely tube.
All we need now is for some magazine article to showcase another "hidden treasure" to shoot the prices on those through the roof. Still, buying current manufacture tubes that perform as well or better than the NOS types should depress all those prices - as they should be. The industry needs to suffer a market price correction. Kill all those speculators off. :devlr:
Hi chopchip,
No, I don't mind. Understand that there are numerous people here that can also give excellent advice. I'll go check my mail I think.
-Chris
This is precisely why I am hesitant to post designs or references to tubes other than the well-known types in my replies. See where the ECC86 and its Russian equivalent are now ? There is a compound TV tube out there with performance of its first (triode) section very similar to one half of ECC86 at low anode voltages, the other section is just a bonus that can be used in in certain applications (or redundant at very low voltages). I wouldn't want its price to skyrocket yet again like 6N27P did after somebody figured out it fits Broskie's low voltage stage.
I hope Broskie gets into triodizing JFET characteristics at some point (there is plenty of material to start with right in this forum !) and diverts the crowd towards sandy devices. J310 can be had at 1/100th the price of an ECC86 and with some resistors they perform just as well at low volatges
You'd be looking down at the ecl86 or the pcl 86 then.
I've 10 of the little blighters, and they are phenominal. ECC86 triode up front, and EL84 pentode to follow.
Absolute killer triode with pentode current source or the classic spud. But of course its a TV toob, so it must be bad right.?
What will help that sale is the RCA 6SN7, and the few other identifiables there - the friend really could do with publishing a list...
Lest we forget the beam deflection tetrode, another TV toob that has the capability as a pre-amp volume control to really excel...
Oh yeah, anyone know of a supply for car radio tubes, I want some more
Owen
I've 10 of the little blighters, and they are phenominal. ECC86 triode up front, and EL84 pentode to follow.
Absolute killer triode with pentode current source or the classic spud. But of course its a TV toob, so it must be bad right.?
What will help that sale is the RCA 6SN7, and the few other identifiables there - the friend really could do with publishing a list...
Lest we forget the beam deflection tetrode, another TV toob that has the capability as a pre-amp volume control to really excel...
Oh yeah, anyone know of a supply for car radio tubes, I want some more
Owen
Owen, it is not PCL86 (or any other heater version of the same tube) but I'm not saying any more
PCL86 (and PCL82, and all incarnations of it with different heater specifications) is already going down the way of EL84, ECC8x, EL34, KTxx, 6x6, etc. The tube I have in mind costs about $1-2 apiece, shipped, and doesn't come with a relatively high power pentode in the same bulb.
Posting names always runs the price up, it's not because a specific tube would be a fad, it's because tubes in general have become a fad and people are too stupid to make their own circuits so they copy existing designs and use their money to buy whatever tubes these design employ. Broskie is kind enough to post his design because that helps him sell his boards and software (d'uh). Since such designs (posted by people genuinely interested in tubes) are honestly weird extremes of what's avaliable, things that those people would never post if they were made with "ordinary" tubes, this drives the demand up rapidly and same happens with price.
There is an ongoing discussion of some very interesting tubes the price of which hasn't skyrocketed yet in this forum and I'm afraid of day when somebody postes a schematic that (for some reason) becomes de-facto "standard" of next wave of people interested in tubes only because of "retro fad", driving the prices up. Large tubes are the first to go up in price, I have some small bulb (= noval) favourites tagged for the day when that happens and I'll move on to those tubes when that happens. In this regard I envy George (Tubelab), he has enough tubes to last him a lifetime
PCL86 (and PCL82, and all incarnations of it with different heater specifications) is already going down the way of EL84, ECC8x, EL34, KTxx, 6x6, etc. The tube I have in mind costs about $1-2 apiece, shipped, and doesn't come with a relatively high power pentode in the same bulb.
Posting names always runs the price up, it's not because a specific tube would be a fad, it's because tubes in general have become a fad and people are too stupid to make their own circuits so they copy existing designs and use their money to buy whatever tubes these design employ. Broskie is kind enough to post his design because that helps him sell his boards and software (d'uh). Since such designs (posted by people genuinely interested in tubes) are honestly weird extremes of what's avaliable, things that those people would never post if they were made with "ordinary" tubes, this drives the demand up rapidly and same happens with price.
There is an ongoing discussion of some very interesting tubes the price of which hasn't skyrocketed yet in this forum and I'm afraid of day when somebody postes a schematic that (for some reason) becomes de-facto "standard" of next wave of people interested in tubes only because of "retro fad", driving the prices up. Large tubes are the first to go up in price, I have some small bulb (= noval) favourites tagged for the day when that happens and I'll move on to those tubes when that happens. In this regard I envy George (Tubelab), he has enough tubes to last him a lifetime
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