• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Are These Authentic Russian Military 1578 Vacuum Tubes?

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Last edited:
$75 - per pair.

Nonsense for 6N8S. They are worth about $3 each. Metal bases were used probably because they were too much in stock.

I have a few 6N8S I paid about that much for... these have a different internal structure and hole plates as well as the metal base.

As far as I can tell, they look like the same tube as the 1578... I have read the earlier tubes made in Melz were never stamped 1578, it was the later Reflektor production that was stamped 1578. But this is just what I read on the internet, who knows if it is true.
 
Administrator
Joined 2004
Paid Member
Wavebourn might be able to give you a better answer, they do look like 1578 to me, but I do not know the answer as to whether Melz marked these or not with the 1578 nomenclature or if indeed these are later Reflektor made ones. Melz produced tubes were apparently quite high quality and are well regarded in Russia.

The price seems pretty good for a pair of 1578, I guess the question would be is whether or not they are marked as 6N8S or 1578 or both, and are in fact real 1578.

My personal experience with Russian, Ukrainian, and former iron curtain eBay sellers has been entirely excellent, but as always caveat emptor - don't spend more than you are willing to risk if things are not as they appear.

The seller is here on diyAudio - DimZ posted a link to a thread about these tubes, I'd PM the seller for more detail.
 
What do you mean by "not the year"?

The link you gave are obviously not 1578, are you recommending these tubes or showing how cheap they can be? I have a few older 6H8C I paid a few bucks for, they clearly aren't the same tube as the ones I am asking about.
Sorry, i mean 1578 is 6Н8С in metal. I thought you solved that 1578 is year of production ) They were used in automatic equipment of the first nuclear reactors.
 
Last edited:
This is a 1578 of which I have four unused sitting in my tube caddy. I will sell a pair but not for $75. What is pictured is NOT a 1578 tube close but not the real deal by any means. If it doesn't look like this and have the 1578 on the side like this its not a 1578. This is what I have been told from a person that deals in tubes in Russia. A 1578 is a totally different animal than anything else in their line up. They will smoke a 5692 with ease and are worth every penny of their asking price.The cheap 6N8S is just that. Not worth the money or the bother. Do not be taken by the fakes that appear on ebay and other sites. In the past I called attention to a person attempting to sell a fake here on diyaudio.

There are currently 33 selections to look at on ebay none of which are 1578's. What is listed in a early post in this thread is just a better quality 6N8S with a metal base.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=1578+tubes&_sacat=0
 

Attachments

  • P9070001.jpg
    P9070001.jpg
    88.2 KB · Views: 623
  • P9070002.jpg
    P9070002.jpg
    91.9 KB · Views: 577
Last edited:
Plate material does not appear to be the same and I couldn't actually see 1578 marked on the envelope of any eBay tube.. Given the desirability of this marking I would assume that this would be clearly shown in the photographs based on Original Burnfingers comments.

Good catch! I think you're right, the 1578 Burnedfingers posted looks like it has black plates while the ebay tubes are all grey plates.

And yeah, any ebay seller would be sure to include pics of the "1578" marking.

Although it does look like the ebay tubes have the same construction as the later 1578 tubes besides plate material, that does not mean the sound quality will be similar... or maybe it is, who knows. :)

Burnedfingers, I'll send you a PM about your 1578s.
 
Good point but they are making you think you are getting a 1578 unless you read the fine print. People see the 1578 in the ad and automatically think they are getting a 1578. I have emailed a number of them on ebay and they have changed their ads. There are some with holes in their plates that look close to the 1578 but I can guarantee they do not sound even close. Sound wise the cheap 6N8S metal base and plastic base sound the same. I will give them honorable mention because they are usually quieter than a 6SN7 is but that is about all I can say good about them. People usually think hey its got round holes in the plates and metal base so its a 1578. Use caution fellow Diyers use caution. You really get what you pay for with these tubes.
 
I don't want to spoil anyone's party, but here's the page from the tube data book that wasn't available to the general public in Soviet Union. Pay attention to the last line I've underlined in red:

"Time of stable operation - min. 50 hours".
 

Attachments

  • 1578.jpg
    1578.jpg
    476.8 KB · Views: 524
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.