McChanson amps tube rolling thread

[UntilThen]

I have only positive experiences with Langrex and I have many tubes from James - one of the co-owner. All these tubes were bought since 21st Feb 2017 till now. I am a fussy owner and I check all my tubes visually and for sound and balance. None had any problems. I don't own any shares in Langrex. Just telling my experience as it is. You can see there are many good tubes in the list below. I look up my ebay purchase records to pull this up.

STC 12E1 x 2
S11E12 x 4
Brimar GZ32 x 2
Mullard GZ37
Mullard EF37A x 2
Mullard EBC33 x 2
ITT 5b/254m x 4
ITT 5b/254a x 2
Visseaux 6K6GT x 2
Mullard EL360 x 2
VALVE TUBE BOXES SIZE 2 SUIT EL34 GZ34 6V6GT ETC. 10/25/50 PIECES
Brimar 12AT7 CV455 KB/FB
6V6G CV509 FIVRE NOS BOXED VALVE/TUBE x 2
L63 CV1067 GEC KB/Z NOS VALVE TUBE x 2
EL32/CV1052 MULLARD NOS VALVE/TUBE x 2
MULLARD VALVE TUBE BOXES X 10pcs SIZE 4 (5U4G/6AS7) x 2
6SN7W VINTAGE SYLVANIA METAL BASE NOS VALVE/TUBE (LC28)
ECC31 VINTAGE MULLARD NOS VALVE/TUBE (LC41)
5998 TUNGSOL NOS VALVE/TUBE (LC29)
EF86 MULLARD LONG MESH ENGLAND NOS VALVE/TUBE X 2
EF86 THORN MAZDA NOS VALVE/TUBE (LC30) x 2
EF80 CV1376 MULLARD NOS VALVE/TUBE x 2

 

[Deleeh]

Yes, it's not meant to be a criticism or anything like that regarding Langerex.
I have always had good experiences with them in the past and have also bought tubes that not only worked on arrival but also had no channel imbalance.
This is the 2nd time I have experienced this after buying them.
And is more of a well-intentioned tip from me to you.
The service is otherwise very good from LAngerex if you have problems, they are one of the few who still take care of it.
I've heard different things here and there from various dealers and have experienced some myself.
I'm glad that certain output tubes I bought there have always been flawless, including 807 Brimar, 6K6 Visseaux and many others.

I just got the EL86 Mullard in Ultimate and everything is fine now.
Sounds nice and smooth now, unlike before.
Above all, the quiet passages are now more powerful, which was not the case before, they were previously much too quiet to barely perceptible.

The sound of the 6BQ7A RCA and 6x4 Pope is a nice pair of tubes.
Strong bass range that is nice and crisp, silky mids with silky vocals on the cake.
A nice and delicate treble range and strong low end.
The separates in the musical part are also very authentic and very well presented.
I'm very happy with it right now.


EDIT:
A small edit to the addendum to EL86.

I have switched to 200V instead of 240V.
And there is a noticeable improvement this time more on the 200V side.
While the bass is very punchy and powerful at 240V, it is less so at 200V, but the whole range from midrange to treble is a good deal more balanced at 200V.
The same applies to the instrumental range, the instruments have a little less low end at 200v, but they come across as being more roughened and level-headed.
Which suits me better on the Atrium open in terms of personal preference.
It's also nice to see that more power doesn't always have to be better.
Even if I also have to mention that the El86 Mullard are not yet 10 hours old, they sound really good right from the start.
Silky, smooth, have a wonderful, supple sound, which is typical for Mullard, not hard nor too soft, always well dosed.
They remind me a little of the 6080 Mullard, only these EL86 have a little more power, air, bite and balance everywhere, and show more edge overall on Ultimate.
Absolutely nothing is missing.
As a further setup I have the Vcap active instead of Audionote, 6x4 Pope aka Mullard as a rectifier, and the 6BQ7A RCA driver tube is also a fantastic tube that goes very well together.
Purely in terms of the combination, it's right in the middle of the 6SN7 and 12AT7 and it doesn't need any more amplification.
The potentiometer is just before 9 o'clock, which says it all.
I will certainly miss this Ultimate amplifier a lot over the next few weeks because of the move.

 

[Isaacc7]

Hello,
a little unsavoury tip regarding Langerex.
Last year I bought KT63 tubes, one tube was dead on arrival.
I received a replacement free of charge, the 2nd pair worked, but one tube was quieter than the other, so I complained about the third pair again, which was then good and tuned, or tested.
Unfortunately, the 3rd pair was visually unequal.
Recently I bought EL86 Mullard and RCA with a 6bq7a Rca.
The Rca's work perfectly, but with the Mullard pair there was again one tube that was good and the other was quieter.
It has been replaced again and has just arrived, unfortunately I had to pay £8.61 for the tube which was £5.60.
My tip here is to make sure when buying a pair that the tubes sound even.
If this is not the case I would make a complaint.
With driver tubes make sure that they are hum-free, I once bought a 6201 Rca from Langerex which unfortunately buzzed but thought it would go away with time, which it didn't. I didn't complain about it at the time.
Langerex still offers a free replacement if you complain about it.
And the service is still okay, but annoying, especially if you buy rare products or tubes where the stock is running out, it may not be replaced.
The problems I had with KT63 could easily have been tested.
With the EL86 Mullard, I can't say for sure whether you would recognise on the tester that one is quieter than the other.
I had this tested on a 5998 Tung sol pair and it was the case that one tube had a short circuit and the one that was quiet was at the end in terms of emissions.
Although both lit up and worked.
So my advice is to be a bit critical when buying from Langerex.
Especially with ultra rare tubes or tubes that are expensive.
I think it's good that they still replace them free of charge, but it's always annoying of course.
The next time I buy I will be a little more careful about this, not that I won't buy more.
But it's just annoying, unfortunately.

Did you pay the extra 2GBP for the matching feature? If so then that really is annoying. If not I would only expect working tubes not “matched” ones.

 

[Deleeh]

I had an Ebay voucher left where I thought it was worth it.
I ordered the KT63 directly on the website and activated the option because I wanted to be sure.
It then took 3 attempts, but I have 2 pairs of KT63.
It can also be seen as a win-win.
I'm not necessarily a fan of these things and I'm happier if it fits straight away than if I have to contact support.
Even if Langrex responds professionally, I don't necessarily have to have it.
But it's also better to be satisfied like this and happy to come back in the end than to simply be ditched.

My point is rather that you are forewarned and perhaps clarify in advance before you buy that the tubes are safe.
In the end, it's not good for either side.
Neither for Langrex nor for yourself.
Even if the service and everything is right, it is a good shop if everything fits.
I also like the shop very much and everything has always been great in the past.
It is annoying for you if you have to pay additional costs for customs clearance because you have received a replacement, which also has to be cleared through customs.
The bargain you thought you got is then gone.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

 

[UntilThen]

Let's be fair to Langrex. A lot of tubes they sell (they have thousands) such as ITT 5b/254m, 12E1, S11E12 are brand new in unopened boxes, sealed. They are not tested. They are listed as new. The price is cheap and new. You buy them for what they are. However my experience with just these 3 examples have been good. Every tube is brand new and works on 1st try. There is only one ITT 5b/254a that is bad. Langrex replaced it immediately when I contacted them, no questions asked.

There is nothing to be warned here. Langrex is a reputable seller as far as I am concerned. There are other sellers that gives me griefs but this is life as a tube hunter. I had a pair of used 5998 from Vietnam that went up in flames before my eyes. On the whole, during the 10 years of my tube buying journey, the experience has been good. The good out weighs the bad. I have no complains despite spending thousands on tubes.

I have one new 5998 from Langrex which I bought during La Figaro days. It hums like a banshee but I didn't return it. I just kept it and didn't use it. Fast forward till I got Universe. To my amazement, this humming 5998 is totally quiet and plays superbly. Was it the tube's problem?

 

[Deleeh]

I don't know Langrex's internal process.
Matt is not wrong in what he says, it will ultimately benefit us.
As far as I know, some of it comes from the old military stock that is released and bought up.
I understand that in the end there is not the necessary staff to analyse the tubes.
It is probably cheaper to process complaints than to put every tube into the tester.

What I have heard from many people is that many have paid for the additional service and when they receive the tubes there are no readings on them, nor is there a reply by email.
At the end of the day, you may or may not trust that they are good tubes.
As I said the service is still good, Matt confirms it himself and so do I.
You can still buy and make a complaint if necessary.
My tip here was just to mention that you should pay attention to the things mentioned when you buy, no more no less.
There is no reason to badmouth or criticise Langrex here.
I suspect that this happens even in the best shops worldwide that at least 10% or more are no longer what they used to be due to the age of the tubes.
And there are many reasons for this, including storage, handling, transport, etc.
There are enough people who buy holy grail on Ebay and it only lasts for a short time, regardless of whether it was a shop or a private purchase.

If I'm honest with myself, there were exactly 2 purchases where I was wrong about one of them and it was my own fault for not complaining about it.
The 5998 Tung sol I mentioned where I was really at the end and couldn't help it, and the 6201 Rca where I didn't complain.
Fortunately, everything else had a happy ending, even complaints, and even those were mostly rare.
There is no reason to worry about Langrex, not even from me, I would buy again, just a little more carefully and cautiously next time, nothing more.
If it does happen, I will complain again in a polite manner.
That's actually all I want to say about it and just share it with you as an experience.

Otherwise, as Max Verstappen said on Sunday, we'll have to bring tissues next time,

 

[UntilThen]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/127139391429?

AI is bidding against me. I think I will let the bot win.

 

[Isaacc7]

I don't know Langrex's internal process.
Matt is not wrong in what he says, it will ultimately benefit us.
As far as I know, some of it comes from the old military stock that is released and bought up.
I understand that in the end there is not the necessary staff to analyse the tubes.
It is probably cheaper to process complaints than to put every tube into the tester.

What I have heard from many people is that many have paid for the additional service and when they receive the tubes there are no readings on them, nor is there a reply by email.
At the end of the day, you may or may not trust that they are good tubes.
As I said the service is still good, Matt confirms it himself and so do I.
You can still buy and make a complaint if necessary.
My tip here was just to mention that you should pay attention to the things mentioned when you buy, no more no less.
There is no reason to badmouth or criticise Langrex here.
I suspect that this happens even in the best shops worldwide that at least 10% or more are no longer what they used to be due to the age of the tubes.
And there are many reasons for this, including storage, handling, transport, etc.
There are enough people who buy holy grail on Ebay and it only lasts for a short time, regardless of whether it was a shop or a private purchase.

If I'm honest with myself, there were exactly 2 purchases where I was wrong about one of them and it was my own fault for not complaining about it.
The 5998 Tung sol I mentioned where I was really at the end and couldn't help it, and the 6201 Rca where I didn't complain.
Fortunately, everything else had a happy ending, even complaints, and even those were mostly rare.
There is no reason to worry about Langrex, not even from me, I would buy again, just a little more carefully and cautiously next time, nothing more.
If it does happen, I will complain again in a polite manner.
That's actually all I want to say about it and just share it with you as an experience.

Otherwise, as Max Verstappen said on Sunday, we'll have to bring tissues next time,

I haven't had any issues with their tubes yet but you aren't the only person I've seen talking about this. Unfortunately I usually buy enough tubes from them it isn't realistic to try them all out. Mind you that means that they are cheap tubes so there isn't as much at stake

 

[jonathan c]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/127139391429?

AI is bidding against me. I think I will let the bought win.

FTFY....[Reg. TM; © bcowen: 2021.]

 

[UntilThen]

FTFY....[Reg. TM; © bcowen: 2021.]

You mean my caddy is bidding against me? That no good... Mind you this pair of GEC EF86 is Made in Belgium.

Meanwhile, my quad of S11E12 arrived and it's ITT this time. No matter, the tubes look handsome and beautiful. The glass is thick. I'm impressed for a GBP 19 tube.

These ones the boxes are opened. So Langrex must have opened it and check.




Quality as good as the STC. Both Made in England.


From the top both STC and ITT look the same.


I put a pair in Super Ultimate-htb and a pair in Universe. They sing beautifully alright. I love the bass ! I love the treble ! I love the midrange ! I love it from top to bottom ! I can't recommend the S11E12 highly enough especially considering the price. I think they will be fabulous in a Push Pull amp but in SE UL or triode, they are superb.

 

[OctavianH]

Meanwhile, my quad of S11E12 arrived and it's ITT this time. No matter, the tubes look handsome and beautiful. The glass is thick. I'm impressed for a GBP 19 tube.

Do you hear any difference between these and STC branded ones?

 

[jonathan c]

You mean my caddy is bidding against me? That no good.

..... you pay him too much .....

 

[Zachik]

I love the bass ! I love the treble ! I love the midrange ! I love it from top to bottom ! I can't recommend the S11E12 highly enough especially considering the price.

You are such bad influence!!

 

[UntilThen]

Do you hear any difference between these and STC branded ones?

No difference. The internal construction of both are the same so it's no surprises that they sound the same. I would like to know which plant in England they were made in. S11E12 was first introduced in 1959.

You are such bad influence!!

For the price of a meal, you get a pair of power tubes that in my opinion is better than 807, 6L6, 5b/254m.

 

[AnyDave]

I haven't had any issues with their tubes yet but you aren't the only person I've seen talking about this. Unfortunately I usually buy enough tubes from them it isn't realistic to try them all out. Mind you that means that they are cheap tubes so there isn't as much at stake

I've had problems as well. I'll still buy from Langrex on occasion, but I always test them immediately these days. I have a pair of fairly pricey Brimar 6SL7s that I didn't test in a timely manner and it's just too late to reasonably send them back. One has high grid leakage and the other has a short, so these won't be used in anything. I've seen a few other tubes come through that had problems has as well (a dead black glass Tung-Sol, 6SL7, and two Cossor 807s). Those were replaced, I believe.