[bcowen]

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[Zachik]

Edit: this is about the best deal going on '50's Fotons, just FYI:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6SN7-6N8S-...645882?hash=item23cc316a3a:g:zcMAAOSwY9pd3OhS

I have purchased tubes from this seller before. To make sense when taking shipping cost into account - I bought 4, and a good thing I did because 1 of them arrived broken (as in glass was smashed)... Seller refunded me the partial amount, and the other 3 are good!

 

[bcowen]

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[Zachik]

Why didn't you just re-solder the glass? Sheeez. Newbies.

Crap! Should have asked you before throwing to the trash...

I have a (barely) adequate safety stock on the smooth plate '50's for now, so I'll leave what he has left for everyone else...you know, me being a nice guy and all. LOL!

Where do you keep all of those tubes?!
(I guess the better question is: how do you keep your wife from throwing a fit???)

 

[bcowen]

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[Semper HiFi]

Based on what you've described, the RCA gray glass would not be my first suggestion. It's a great tube, but you might find it even warmer than the Bad Boy. A Foton would be a good gamble. While the ribbed plates ('55 and earlier and some '56's) are best, the '57's, 58's, and '59's are pretty darn close and a lot less expensive. Stay away from the '60's or later though for best sound. A true Melz 1578 would also be a good choice, but pricey (~$100/tube). Be aware that both the Fotons and Melz have a high incident rate of degraded solder in the pins. If you can solder and replace (or even just re-flow) the solder, then it's not a big task or a big deal. If you can't solder or don't want to, just keep that in mind if you go that route (you could get a tube that hums or sputters). The WH-D getter is also a good bet, as is a Frankie (it's a 7N7 so requires an adapter). And there are also many good Sylvanias beyond the Bad Boys, although I can't be much help in guiding you to the best ones.

Edit: this is about the best deal going on '50's Fotons, just FYI:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6SN7-6N8S-...645882?hash=item23cc316a3a:g:zcMAAOSwY9pd3OhS

Thanks, that's some great info there! I went ahead and ordered a pair of the 50s Fotons you linked to. And that's quite the collection! Have you tried the metal base non-hole plate MELZ?

Does anyone else think that the Schiit NOS Russian tube looks suspiciously similar to a Foton?

Also, are the Westinghouse D-getters usually GTBs with yellow print on the base?

 

[KoshNaranek]

As far as the wife, as best she knows these came from garage sales for a dollar or two each. I'm always honest with her...a few of them actually did (but not the Fotons). LOL!

I grew up about 10 miles away from the RCA tube plant. The local flea market used to have large selections of tubes that people had 'found' in their basements.

I distinctly remember stopping at one seller that had boxes and boxes of tubes withred bases. Asking price was 25 cents

 

[bcowen]

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[bcowen]

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[tafens]

Nice stash! I noticed there are two “Bad” ones on the top rows there, just send them to me and I’ll dispose of them properly for you

 

[bcowen]

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[MtnMan307]

I probably should have done more research before I bought an "Amperex" 6SN7 on eBay. I think I paid 30 bucks for a Russian off brand tube instead.

 

[Baten]

A true Melz 1578 would also be a good choice, but pricey (~$100/tube).

So I bought two Melz, one $60 one $80 both tested NOS and matched. The pricier one is an original 1578.
The other one appears to be a 6N8S Melz looking at this picture :/ both with hole plates

Is the 6N8S also decent or is it only the 1578 that are truly good?

 

[bcowen]

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[Baten]

$80 for a NOS true 1578 is a great deal. Most of these I see are at $100 or more. Hopefully the seller's claims that it tests at NOS levels and has balanced (matched) triodes is true, and if so you did very well.

The 6N8S is still a great sounding tube, just not as accomplished as a true 1578. $60 is on the high side price-wise for one of those, but having it tested and at NOS values is worth a premium (IMO) as many selling for less money are sold either as-is with no testing, or claimed tested but with no meaningful measurement data included. I think the hole plate 6N8S sounds a bit better than the solid plate version. The solid plates are (again, IMO) on par with the '50's Fotons -- a bit different presentation but overall very good sounding tubes, and the 6N8S hole plates perhaps just a bit better than both of those. Differences are not huge though -- the true 1578 is where a more significant difference exists.

Thanks!