[TonyNewman]

   
Are you not in Auckland? Have you changed your Avatar?
 
Do you want to sell me a set of the TJ or Sophia?

 
Yes - Auckland is my home. I only have one set of each - so sorry, I don't have any to spare.
 
There are sellers out there who will ship direct to NZ.
 
These folks sell both TJ and T2 at good prices, and I think they will ship direct to NZ from China. Linda is good to deal with.
 
http://www.tube-sale.com/
 
Just keep in mind the custom value limits for imports into NZ.
 
There are other North American based sellers who claim to do far more QA of the tubes and charge a hefty premium for such. It is a consumer choice on which way you want to go. The hard fact is that living in NZ makes return of tubes rather impractical - China or North America - so I buy from the cheapest seller I can find and live with the consequences. When my T2 blew I threw it in the bin and got on with my day. That is my choice, but it might not be yours, so think about how you want to go. If you want warranty support you can depend on you will have use a US based seller (Sophia or Grant Fidelity etc) and pay a lot more for the same tubes. Your call.

 

[Badas]

   
Yes - Auckland is my home. I only have one set of each - so sorry, I don't have any to spare.
 
There are sellers out there who will ship direct to NZ.
 
These folks sell both TJ and T2 at good prices, and I think they will ship direct to NZ from China. Linda is good to deal with.
 
http://www.tube-sale.com/
 
Just keep in mind the custom value limits for imports into NZ.
 
There are other North American based sellers who claim to do far more QA of the tubes and charge a hefty premium for such. It is a consumer choice on which way you want to go. The hard fact is that living in NZ makes return of tubes rather impractical - China or North America - so I buy from the cheapest seller I can find and live with the consequences. When my T2 blew I threw it in the bin and got on with my day. That is my choice, but it might not be yours, so think about how you want to go. If you want warranty support you can depend on you will have use a US based seller (Sophia or Grant Fidelity etc) and pay a lot more for the same tubes. Your call.

 
Yeah. I take the same attitude. Not worried about returns or warranties. Except any dud tubes I throw in my pot plants so visitors can look and handle them.

 

[TonyNewman]

   
Yeah. I take the same attitude. Not worried about returns or warranties. Except any dud tubes I throw in my pot plants so visitors can look and handle them.

 
I also question how much value the extra tube testing really adds. My blown tube came with the usual Psvane paperwork showing it had passed all the tests ...etc. Unless someone was going to burn the tube in for me for 50+ hours there is no way they are going to know that it is going to blow.
 
So I bin it and move on. I might feel differently if one of SERPs blows within the warranty period. Those puppies are $600 USD a piece, so I might get motivated about the warranty and returns process for those

 

[Badas]

What amp is your Avatar????

 

[TonyNewman]

  What amp is your Avatar????

 
Triode Corporation TRV-845SE. It's a SET 20W amp built around the 845 power tube. 6SN7s driving 2A3s driving 845s (more or less).
 
I love the SET sound, but the WA5 with 8W doesn't quite cut it for speaker duty, so the 20W 845 based amp was the next step up.
 
20W is enough to drive speakers @ 90+ dB sensitivity. I take delivery in about 2 weeks.
 
I have heard the 8W 300B based version of this amp and it is a sweet unit indeed.

 
Triode make some very nice amps, and not that pricey either (for mid range tube gear).

 

[Badas]

^
 
Very nice.

 

[TonyNewman]

  ^
 
Very nice.

 
I hope it sounds as good as it looks.
 
Have you thought about taking your tube lovin' mainstream into a big rig?
 
I started with a WA6, then WA5, now the TRV-845SE. Like progressing from weed to snorting crack from hooker body parts

 

[Silent One]

 
I hope this isn't a rude question - but I am curious - how much did the set of TS-BGRPs go for?

Purchased them pre-owned from a dealer three years ago at $350; sold them privately for $350. Really beautiful sounding glass.

 

[larcenasb]

I'm in love with the expansiveness, power and PRAT the Ken-Rad VT-231 black-glass lends to my AKG K612s, so much so that I'm trying to stock up a bit!
 
Quick question, please: If an eBay seller claims a 6SN7 tube reads at 60/60 -- where "50/50=min" -- how long will the tube typically last if played a few hours every night?

 

[Xcalibur255]

Without knowing which tester was used and the specified test values for the tube for that specific tester, it's not really possible to answer.  Good sellers disclose this information.
 
Even then it also depends upon how the tube is used.  In an amp where the tube is biased conservatively a tube that tests "weak" could still give a lot of service hours.
 
With the Ken Rads the important thing, aside from getting tubes with no shorts which is ALWAYS the most important thing, is to find ones that aren't noisy since many of the Ken Rads are.

 

[punit]

With the Ken Rads the important thing, aside from getting tubes with no shorts which is ALWAYS the most important thing, is to find ones that aren't noisy since many of the Ken Rads are.

I have a KR VT 231 BG which is microphonic on WA22 but no noise on Glenn's OTL, what can be the reason ?

 

[rosgr63]

  I'm in love with the expansiveness, power and PRAT the Ken-Rad VT-231 black-glass lends to my AKG K612s, so much so that I'm trying to stock up a bit!
 
Quick question, please: If an eBay seller claims a 6SN7 tube reads at 60/60 -- where "50/50=min" -- how long will the tube typically last if played a few hours every night?

 
 
A very useful test is the life test.
That would tell you more about a tube's longevity.
Some tube types test below NOS but could last a long time.
 

  Without knowing which tester was used and the specified test values for the tube for that specific tester, it's not really possible to answer.  Good sellers disclose this information.
 
Even then it also depends upon how the tube is used.  In an amp where the tube is biased conservatively a tube that tests "weak" could still give a lot of service hours.
 
With the Ken Rads the important thing, aside from getting tubes with no shorts which is ALWAYS the most important thing, is to find ones that aren't noisy since many of the Ken Rads are.

 
That's right Tyrell.
A lot depends how a tube is run in a circuit.
Some amps run them much harder than others.
 

  I have a KR VT 231 BG which is microphonic on WA22 but no noise on Glenn's OTL, what can be the reason ?

 
The tube is probably run on different operating point.
I have changed some noisy 6SN7's tubes duty from driver to out put and they run very quiet, all in the same amp.

 

[Badas]

Trying to learn all about tubes. Could someone tell me what is a noisy tube please?

Is it when you get a background static hiss noise? I think I got one of those.

It didn't appear in the music but was heard between music tracks.

 

[Lorspeaker]

i hv one that hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmms.....a russian.

 

[Badas]

i hv one that hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmms.....a russian.

Yeah mine is Russian as well. It is like a radio static whirl noise. Can only be heard with no music or very quiet music. Noise does not raise up in volume when the level is increased. All my other tubes are dead silent.

Is this what is refered to as a noisy tube?

Mine are brand new. Shall I just give up on them? Or could it improve with age?

I kinda just want to give up. If they are rubbish so be it. Life is to short for crappy tubes.