[timb5881]

Ok so there hundreds of different tubes out there. Some sound great others, not so much. Mullard and Telefunken are getting rare and pricey. What signal, power and rectifier tubes can you say are good with a good price? Some new tubes such as Gold Lion are said to be very good, as are the new Mullard and Tung-Sol tubes. There are many NOS tubes as well that can be had at for a good price and excellent sound.
What has every one come across that they can recommend as a decent tube at a decent price? And no, the 3--B tubes on Tube Depot site at $19,900 a pair really are not a bargain!

 

[timb5881]

Well, I did buy a RCA 12AU7 clear top from Parts Conxeion for $9.97.

 

[Captain Koons]

Ok so there hundreds of different tubes out there. Some sound great others, not so much. Mullard and Telefunken are getting rare and pricey. What signal, power and rectifier tubes can you say are good with a good price? Some new tubes such as Gold Lion are said to be very good, as are the new Mullard and Tung-Sol tubes. There are many NOS tubes as well that can be had at for a good price and excellent sound.
What has every one come across that they can recommend as a decent tube at a decent price? And no, the 3--B tubes on Tube Depot site at $19,900 a pair really are not a bargain!

I just picked up an RCA 12AU7 clear top NOS for £11 ($13.99) but the ones I'm really after, Amperex 7316 and CBS-Hytron 5814A seem unobtainable at the moment, the 7316's are really pricey and I haven't seen any of the latter on eBay. I'm new to Tube rolling (just purchased BH Crack to replace LD mkii) but from what I've read, Brimar 13D5 and Pinnacle 13D5 are supposed to be very good sounding tubes and I've seen them go for cheap on eBay recently.

 

[timb5881]

I picked up an RCA clear top from the Parts Conxion at $9.97, it sounds good. A real odd ball that I picked up was a Tung-Sol 6DJ8 made in Great Britain for $7.00, but I can not find any reference to any Tung-Sol tubes being made there.

 

[Captain Koons]

I dug up some old threads on various sites which suggest the early 50s Raytheon double mica tubes are very similar if not the same as the CBS-Hytron 5814A tubes, both in appearance and sound. I got excited and ordered one for $20 plus shipping to UK, not a steal but much cheaper than current prices of 7316 long plate foil D getters ($120+)

I should add I've not listened to these tubes yet but I can't wait to get rolling when my new amp arrives!

 

[Nik74]

I ve recently replaced a Mullard Blackburn ECC 83 with a Tungsram ECC83 which for £30 is very impressive. Crystal clear mids, extended low end and smooth but detailed treble. Doesn’t match the magical warm midrange of the Mullard but has a different liquidity. Beats Golden Lion 12AX7 and a couple of NOS General Electric that I ve recently tried, all of them more expensive than the Tungsram

 

[timb5881]

I was digging around and found a Russian 6dj8 that I purchased for about $6. Sounds good, but I am not sure of it's exact make and model or year. The only clear markings on the tube itself is OTK2. The box is Soviet era with a tube having electron circles around it. While it no Telefunken or Mullard it sounds better than the price might indicate.

 

[m17xr2b]

OTK is just the stamp for quality check on most russian tube. 6N1P would be closes to 6DJ8 and I agree great tubes.