Good News For EI Tube Fans

[Trout]

http://www.westernelectric.com/index.html

Western Electric Has aquired EI Tubes. I am sure there will be a transitional period, But at least the QC should improve.

Trout

[ashok]

Would that mean an inevitable price rise ?

[corbato]

The info on WE website is rather clueless, but does it mean they have acquired EI lock, stock barrel? Or just some “electron tube assets” ? And exactly what assets? Weren’t there reports of EI facilities getting destroyed by US bombings?

[Eli Duttman]

There is some debate about WE's "acquisition". Look here.

[Tom Bavis]

EI was never bombed or even near any bombing... just that people seem to find "pre" and "post" war tubes different. Has about as much validity as shape of a getter... i.e. a way to identify vintage.

[Salas]

The WE company has a 'shock & awe' pricing policy. For the CES ok, for the DIY a sure no no.

[kevinkr]

Almost zero information there, normally one would assume that this meant that they (WE) had acquired the physical inventory, IP, and production equipment, and possibly some part of the plant as well..
In this case though I am not quite sure..

Regardless of what was said in the AA thread, money definitely talks and I would think that a small, reasonably well heeled corporation like Westrex might be able to come to acceptable terms with the Serbian government or its agents to acquire the remaining tube production assets in that plant. I doubt very much somehow that they would want to sell recent production EI tubes under their own label - I would assume their interest is mainly in the facility and the tooling that resides in it.

I also doubt very much that WE would lie as has been alleged in that AA thread, and my understanding has always been that it is a corporation and not just an individual as alleged in that same thread. Their credibility is pretty necessary to be successful in the niche they occupy. In the way of disclosure I used to be a dealer, and used their 300B in my premium commercial product - and it was very, very good, perhaps the best 300B I have run across. (I'd have a pair, but I can't afford the price of admission particularly now.)

PM components (afaik) is nothing more than a (major) distributor so the comments about the EI/Svetlana thing confuse me. AFAIK they don't own any of the manufacturers of products they distribute. And I know all about the SED thing as well, they just simply were not the highest bidder at the bankruptcy proceedings. (Not that I am unsympathetic, I do think SV should have been able to retain the use of their name here as well as elsewhere.) Sour grapes?

Please don't quote me as an authority (LOL) as this is nothing more than idle speculation on my part. I have no insight into what is actually going on so this is just my conjecture/suspicion/opinion.

edit: a couple of deletes and typo fixes

FWIW WE's market is not really the typical DIY (well heeled exceptions merrily excluded.. ) type, but some rather high end boutique manufacturers here and in Japan. The only acceptable tube in the market I was selling into at the time was the WE..

[Zen Mod]

I'll be happy camper if WE invest in local EI RC factory as ...what's term....owner of more than 51%....
tools are here,knowledgeable workers and engineers (even if not in EI RC) are still around and.....worker's day salary is still enough low to be interesting for foreign investors

there is one thing to not forget -this was- recently- factory capable to construct pretty modern audio tube -as KT90 was;

in time pre- enormous financial troubles for entire entity known today as former Yugoslavia, entire team was normally present in factory,and final QC was as must be ,and overall production was on entirely different level of Q then later..........

[kevinkr]

Black Adder rules!

[Zen Mod]

Originally posted by Zen Mod
I'll be happy camper if WE invest in local EI RC factory as ...what's term....owner of more than 51%....
tools are here,knowledgeable workers and engineers (even if not in EI RC) are still around and.....worker's day salary is still enough low to be interesting for foreign investors

there is one thing to not forget -this was- recently- factory capable to construct pretty modern audio tube -as KT90 was;

in time pre- enormous financial troubles for entire entity known today as former Yugoslavia, entire team was normally present in factory,and final QC was as must be ,and overall production was on entirely different level of Q then later..........

did I say that these are just my wishful thoughts?

I hope
I hope...........