Vacuum Tubes Radio Tubes - 5,000 different tubes in stock - Over 10 million tubes!
i have bought over 500 tubes from them....😉
6JB5 (Pa=15W) and stronger 6JC5 (Pa=19W) are the end of evolution of tubes based on 6V6 construction. Very linear in pentode (6W), UL (4,5W), and triode (3W) SE-connected amplifier with well-balanced relation of harmonics, distortion and intermodulation.
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When I think about the hours it takes to conceive and build an amplifier, buy all the parts for it - paying a few more $ for the tubes is 'in the noise'.
Uh Oh....Another secret is out and the prices are starting to climb already.
The 6V6 was designed as an audio amplifier tube, but it was also used for TV vertical sweep. A vertical sweep circuit in a TV set IS a very linear class A SE AUDIO amp optimized for a single frequency (50 or 60 Hz). It makes 2 to 10 watts depending on the size of the TV screen and the deflection angle. If the linearity isn't perfect round things are not round on the TV screen. In my youth I exploited this fact to lift the entire vertical circuit out of a dead TV to make audio amps. Bottlehead did exactly the same thing with their early SEX amp, including the vertical OPT. The 6JB5 / 6JC5 / 6HE5 is intended for TV vertical sweep as is the 6HB6.
Some of the early tubes did indeed have 6V6 guts in a compactron bottle. The newer tubes that carry all 3 type numbers have a bigger plate structure so they can be squeezed a little harder.....30 to 40 WPC in Pete's big red board is easy but you need to modify the screen regulator to feed the tubes about 300 volts instead of the standard sweep tube 150 to 175 volts.
Only 500, I got 1000 in a single order, but I am only 300 miles away from them so the tubes don't have to go halfway around the world.
Since I bought a BIG box load from them when they were 35 cents each, I'll spill another secret. The 6HA6 / 6HB6 is an evolution of the 6BQ5 / EL84 intended for vertical sweep use, in the same manner as the 6JB5 was to the 6V6. It retains the 9 pin miniature base however the pinout changed so it is NOT a direct plugin for the EL84. The Gm is higher so that the drive requirements are lower.
George, good luck on your new move......
it seems the more we talk about these dollar tubes, the scarcer they get and the more pricey they become....the 6LU8 now sells for 4 bucks at Rogalskie's....
It's inevitable. The same thing happened when I talked up 6BQ6GA/GTBs after doing a project with them. They went from $0.98 to $3.00 or more. The tube vendors seem to monitor what we're doing here all right. I got a whole bunch during that big VT close-out a few years back, and picked up a dozen+ of the very similar 12AV5.
Also picked up some other power finals in odd heater voltages as well. You can save a bunch if you look for such types.
The very first successful completely DIY amp I ever made used a 6SJ7 driving a 6BQ6GT. It was somewhere in the mid 60's. It was the most common power tube in the trash dump. They were used in B&W TV's from the 40's to the 70's, millions were made. The 98 cent thing was a sale at AES, they were usually about $2 each. The tube vendors I use most often have "thousands" in stock so I doubt the price will rise too much in the short term.
The 6LU8 came at the end of the era where 25 inch color TV's still had power transformers. They were only popular for a few years. The 21LU8 and 21LR8 lived on for a longer time until the solid state TV took over. I was working on a spud amp a few years ago so I called all the usual tube vendors about stock. The 6LR8 is more plentiful than the 6LU8, but neither are in large supply.
That is another one that isn't too common. I saw them on Rogalski's web site in their sale where the price depended on the quantity. I called them, they admitted to having 800, so I bought 500 for 35 cents each. They took that number off the list the following week. All of the tubes were in tattered boxes, but most of the ones that I tried worked. They might have plenty more in shiny boxes, or they might not. I have never been to their warehouse.
I have been to, and through ESRC's warehouse. I have seen thousands of bulk packed GE 6HB6's (no individual boxes) and over a thousand more in individual boxes. They are still on the dollar list. I have "tested" a pair of GE's at 430 volts plate, 320 volts screen in P-P pentode into 6600 ohms and managed to achieve 30 watts before things started to glow.
Thanks. Life will change.....but where it goes, only time will tell.
This thread is about 6V6 and 6L6 tubes, so I guess it's time to spill another secret and sit back and watch the prices rise....and no I don't have a huge stock of this one. In fact I only have 2 tubes.
There has been a whole lot of discussion and some arguments about the differences between the 6L6 types and the 807 types. I have taken apart enough broken tubes (thousands) to know that there have been a lot of different constructions of "6L6" but all 807's I have found are made from one of those 6L6's. I have seen "807's" with 6L6GA guts (common) and 6L6GB guts (common), 6L6GC guts (rare), and 7027A guts (I have only seen 1). There are two other tube numbers often associated with the 6L6, they are the 1625 and the 6BG6. The 1625 is most often found with 6L6GB guts, but the 6BG6GA can be found with anything inside including the 7027A.
I thought that was the extent of the 6L6 family but while sorting through the 100,000 tubes that I got about 10 years ago, I found a broken tube that was about the same size as a 6V6, but it had obvious 6L6 guts. About half the glass was missing and there was no type number, so I thought that it was a dead end.
About 2 years ago while cleaning out the warehouse I found 2 new tubes in boxes. They are skinny little tubes like a 6V6, maybe a little taller with obvious RCA black plate 6L6GB guts inside. There is only about 1/8 of an inch between the plate and the glass, so you can't hit these things real hard, and the published ratings reflect that. The pinout is different too. The published ratings are for sweep tube use, so they are conservative. I have not tested them to see how much you can extract from them.
I have no clue how many are out there, but they can't be too common. They are however listed at both suppliers for $3 each.....the number is 6BD5GT.
There has been a whole lot of discussion and some arguments about the differences between the 6L6 types and the 807 types. I have taken apart enough broken tubes (thousands) to know that there have been a lot of different constructions of "6L6" but all 807's I have found are made from one of those 6L6's. I have seen "807's" with 6L6GA guts (common) and 6L6GB guts (common), 6L6GC guts (rare), and 7027A guts (I have only seen 1). There are two other tube numbers often associated with the 6L6, they are the 1625 and the 6BG6. The 1625 is most often found with 6L6GB guts, but the 6BG6GA can be found with anything inside including the 7027A.
I thought that was the extent of the 6L6 family but while sorting through the 100,000 tubes that I got about 10 years ago, I found a broken tube that was about the same size as a 6V6, but it had obvious 6L6 guts. About half the glass was missing and there was no type number, so I thought that it was a dead end.
About 2 years ago while cleaning out the warehouse I found 2 new tubes in boxes. They are skinny little tubes like a 6V6, maybe a little taller with obvious RCA black plate 6L6GB guts inside. There is only about 1/8 of an inch between the plate and the glass, so you can't hit these things real hard, and the published ratings reflect that. The pinout is different too. The published ratings are for sweep tube use, so they are conservative. I have not tested them to see how much you can extract from them.
I have no clue how many are out there, but they can't be too common. They are however listed at both suppliers for $3 each.....the number is 6BD5GT.
An interesting take on 6 BD5GT is very briefly mentioned here: diytube.com • View topic - 6BD5GT usage ill-advised
I certainly have no affiliation, just an observation.
I certainly have no affiliation, just an observation.
I've had a significant amount of help in building a 6V6-PP amp from other DIYAUDIO community members and finally settled on Ultralinear mode with some Tango output transformers.
I used 330R biasing resistors, which gave 45mA current on 6V6 tubes, and 52mA current on 6L6 tubes. Both are operating at safe dissipation levels.
I finally settled on 6L6WGB - the bass was a little bit 'tighter', and mids + highs crystal clear.
But I must stress, to my ear the tubes did not make a significant difference. The key was switching to ultralinear mode and removing the global negative feedback.
I used 330R biasing resistors, which gave 45mA current on 6V6 tubes, and 52mA current on 6L6 tubes. Both are operating at safe dissipation levels.
I finally settled on 6L6WGB - the bass was a little bit 'tighter', and mids + highs crystal clear.
But I must stress, to my ear the tubes did not make a significant difference. The key was switching to ultralinear mode and removing the global negative feedback.
This configuration is nothing else than a hybrid cascode. Music Man did the same thing in their very first (HD-130, as I recall...) amplifiers: They ran four 6CA7's as finals, all the other active components were semiconductors.
Best regards!
A little OT question is it safe to draw 180mA through a choke that it says 200mA on?
Hammond 193J. Or should I go for the 193M 300mA?
Hammond 193J. Or should I go for the 193M 300mA?
It's actually best to run chokes near rated (designed) current. The inductance will be closest to the nominal value.
So 180mA in a 200mA choke is perfect. 🙂
So 180mA in a 200mA choke is perfect. 🙂
Bummer, that one seemed so promising. Doesn't mean I won't snatch a few up if I get the chance to find out for myself, but it makes sense due to thermal constraints. Apparently there was a reason these weren't in production/use for long. Still, an interesting footnote in the expansive history of the 6L6/6V6!
I'm not so sure I would agree with everything in that posting. It is possible to find duds in every batch of NOS tubes, especially those from the end of the tube era. I bought a sealed bulk pack box of 100 NOS Sylvania 6V6GT's from a surplus auction at a NASA storage facility in Port Canaveral Florida. After getting the box home and opening it up I found that about 1/3 of the tubes had white getters. Upon testing the others and tossing the gassy tubes, I had about 50 left. That was about 20 years ago. The good ones have been on a shelf in my air conditioned work room ever since. During that time several more have turned white, and more look greyish. Clearly this batch was defective when made. Does that condemn all 6V6GT's.....If so send the ones you don't want to me.
The article states that the tube was only made by Tung Sol. I looked at my 6BD5's and compared it to a RCA 6L6GB and I still believe that they are identical. It has the typical stop sign type number found on RCA made tubes.
The venerable 6AQ5 is another thermally challenged tube. I can state from experience that there is a very small region in plate dissipation between the appearance of plate glow and a hole sucked in the glass. The 6BD5 may be similar, but I haven't tested it.
The tube was intended for small B&W TV sets, a small market at best back then. True sweep tubes like the 6AV5GT and the 6AU5 (all 3 share the same pinout) came along and killed the 6BD5GT.
The article states that the tube was only made by Tung Sol. I looked at my 6BD5's and compared it to a RCA 6L6GB and I still believe that they are identical. It has the typical stop sign type number found on RCA made tubes.
The venerable 6AQ5 is another thermally challenged tube. I can state from experience that there is a very small region in plate dissipation between the appearance of plate glow and a hole sucked in the glass. The 6BD5 may be similar, but I haven't tested it.
The tube was intended for small B&W TV sets, a small market at best back then. True sweep tubes like the 6AV5GT and the 6AU5 (all 3 share the same pinout) came along and killed the 6BD5GT.
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