Tubes to avoid

[SpreadSpectrum]

Hydrogen thyratrons are still pricey!

Unfortunately, you still have radars using them and people who own radars have more money than people like us.

 

[Mr_Zenith]

Attention Tubelab!

I'll second that one. I'm glad that Ebay no longer posts the bidders ID since prices went up when Tubelab bid on something. I even had someone repeatedly outbid me on a certain tube, and then email me to ask me what to do with them now that he had them.

I think there's a special place for people like that after they die! 😀

If you haven't seen them already, there's a couple of Ballantyne P-P 5514 amps for sale on ePay even as I speak. Even if the amps themselves aren't great, there's some serious PS iron in there for those with the, um, "testicular fortitude" to mess with them.

I can assure you that I'll not be bidding, as 5514's + pets + small children = a tragedy waiting to happen...

 

[radiostar]

What's wrong with them?
They continue to hammer out HT for may thousands of hours.

I used EZ81 for preamplifiers, quite good, especially by Mullard and Philips!

 

[Tubelab_com]

I can assure you that I'll not be bidding,

I can assure anyone that I won't either. The current bid price is more than my amp building budget for a year! The physical size is not compatible with my current "stuff" reduction plan.

 

[ghpicard]

I'd stay away of remote cutoff pentodes... unless distortion is the desired outcome.

 

[Wavebourn]

I am going to avoid all tubes widely used in hi-fi, guitar, and other similar amps, when possible. They are usually overpriced mass production mid-level tubes. Best tubes were made for military.