Vacuum Tubes

[cooder]

@bluedmc777 seems I need to get into some tube rolling then, since you are so into the details and in the know...
I didn't know that the grey plate Telefunken EF86 was pretty rare, I just stuck it in there after testing the amp with more basic tubes.
Sounded good to me, I might need to dig a bit in the cabinet and compare then.

Since this is evolving into a tube peep show....

Upper row in above pic are EF86s (two stack high, so twice as many as you see), below ECC83

 

[bluedmc777]

@bluedmc777 seems I need to get into some tube rolling then, since you are so into the details and in the know...
I didn't know that the grey plate Telefunken EF86 was pretty rare, I just stuck it in there after testing the amp with more basic tubes.
Sounded good to me, I might need to dig a bit in the cabinet and compare then.

Since this is evolving into a tube peep show....

Upper row in above pic are EF86s (two stack high, so twice as many as you see), below ECC83

Beautiful! Looks like you do have several silver plates Mullard and Telefunken! I’d try one of those against the gray plate Telefunken and compare the differences and then try one of those TESA branded RFT’s. The RFT should break up much quicker than the silver plates but won’t have the clarity. I just put a gray plate in mine last night after seeing the pic of yours. Completely different breakup. Have to roll the bass down quite a bit. Mines a Sylvania branded RFT in the case. Everybody rebranded these RFTs for a while. Same as everyone re-branded the last “vintage made” SED Winged =C=. You have a couple of those too one being branded Zaerix. You have a hell of a collection.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Holy Crap, Cooder! That is a bitchen tube collection you have there.

 

[cooder]

Holy Crap, Cooder! That is a bitchen tube collection you have there.

I had an retired radio technician in the neighborhood who was into tubes, testing and on-selling. Really nice and helpful guy.
So yeah, I often enough couldn't say no...
Since I unpacked the lot, after moving into our new dugout, I had to admit that I probably have enough tubes for now.

 

[JohnnyCreepy]

Are you referring to the winged c? I only need 1 and would be down for that. But yea probably wait until this tariff mess is over if you aren’t in the States.

PM’d.

 

[HamishR]

I love some NOS preamp tubes. But I never got into NOS power tubes because I could never afford them, and the risk involved buying online for something of unknown provenance is high. I once bought a pair of "NOS" 6V6s the seller promised were perfectly matched. Um, no they weren't.

So the only NOS tubes I buy now are tube rectifiers when I can afford them. They can last forever! I've never had to replace a good Phillips or GE GZ34/5AR4.

So I tune my amps around JJs. If my amps sound good with JJs I'm happy.

 

[MichaelW]

@bluedmc777 seems I need to get into some tube rolling then, since you are so into the details and in the know...
I didn't know that the grey plate Telefunken EF86 was pretty rare, I just stuck it in there after testing the amp with more basic tubes.
Sounded good to me, I might need to dig a bit in the cabinet and compare then.

Since this is evolving into a tube peep show....

Upper row in above pic are EF86s (two stack high, so twice as many as you see), below ECC83

@cooder what are those two amps? Preamps? on top of the cabinet?

 

[bluedmc777]

@HamishR Im right there with you man. I’ve never owned NOS power tubes but have owned some used matched Mullard xF2s and RFTs but was just in the right place at the right time for a good price. Immediately Had them tested and sold them. After playing them of course. Current production power tubes sound close enough for me.

 

[JohnnyCreepy]

So I tune my amps around JJs. If my amps sound good with JJs I'm happy.

Couple months ago I bought NOS Telefunken 12AT7 from my local shop with ~20 coins and I know they’re reliable and test their tubes. Still it wasn’t good and had terrible microphonics. Got money back and they let me too keep the tube. Haven’t had guts to test it again, but maybe some day it find it place in an amp or into garbage can.

Next time when shopping new JJs preamp tubes Im gonna buy some excess to test in amp to pick what to keep and what to return as some are just too weak or microphonic for my use. I bought few in couple different times last year and I’m back using 10-20 year old JJs, Sovteks and Tungsols.