Tube treasure-hunting at universities

Jun 10, 2007 at 9:23 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 32
Ichinichi

Ichinichi

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Which department should one approach at a university to see if they have any old tubes lying around somewhere? And how might one broach such a subject? "Got tubes"?

Engineering? Physics? or the school's Administration offices?

My university has been around since before 1920; there's GOTTA be SOMEthing! Anyone on head-fi have any experience in this?
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:43 AM Post #2 of 32
if they have any tubes, it would probably be for historic display purposes, I doubt that many things nowadays need tubes. On a related note, in the city that my university is located in, Bellingham, there's a small museum featuring old electronics, especially antique radios and other audio equipment. While talking to one of the volunteers of the museum, they said that they have the largest vacuum tube collection in Washington. Not sure if they would have been willing to sell any of them.
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:53 AM Post #3 of 32
right. we're looking for warehoused NOS tubes in the attics and basements that were no longer necessary when new technologies moved into the university. as opposed to those with perceived value, which is why this is tube treasure-hunting as opposed to formal tube-oggling.
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 6:11 PM Post #5 of 32
For inspiration:

These guys brought back 500 POUNDS in tubes on one trip!
blink.gif


edit: ahhh, a tube shirt is requisite...
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 6:34 PM Post #7 of 32
Great link.

I got a master pack (100) of 6N1P's that were 1965 and are the rare black plate version that sounds nothing at all like the later version. They are great and very well matched. They are better than any 6DJ8 I have heard but are in storage right now.
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 7:06 PM Post #8 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Great link.

I got a master pack (100) of 6N1P's that were 1965 and are the rare black plate version that sounds nothing at all like the later version. They are great and very well matched. They are better than any 6DJ8 I have heard but are in storage right now.


from where? and how did you find them?
 
Jun 10, 2007 at 7:54 PM Post #9 of 32
I had bought a few from a guy that went to Russia once a year, as that is where he was born and was an engineer who actually used the tubes. He put the box on Ebay (this is about 6 years ago) and I bought them. He no longer goes to Russia so that dried up. He did say that the 1965 version was designed when only analog was around and that the later grey plate version was actually used in digital circuitry, the reason for the difference in sound. I rarely ever see any of the black plate versions.
 
Jun 11, 2007 at 12:22 AM Post #12 of 32
assuming that every major university has a guy like me floating
around you can be sure that 99% of all of the really good tubes
are long gone
biggrin.gif
 
Jun 11, 2007 at 2:23 AM Post #14 of 32
I think your best bets may be to contact the electrical engineering, journalism/broadcasting, and maybe even the inventory department at the University near you. Then from there have them refer you to any other departments that they think might have some tubes around.
 
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