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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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In Reply to: New Production Question posted by Paul H on September 28, 2003 at 10:57:51:
This topic comes up so frequently, that is probably why there was no answer. I'm a relative newbie & still learning myself, but I'll do my best to answer.You will read lots of stories about people buying a 1960's-era amplifer with the original tubes still in it and most of them still good. The conventional wisdom is that old tubes from the US or Western Europe sound better and last longer than anything new production. Whether this is true or not in ALL cases, I cannot tell you. I can say this much - I have a quad of GE 7189 tubes, probably 1960's production, that I bought used and that I've run an additional 2000 hours, at least, and they still run fine.
I also have some 1950's 5751 tubes that I bought used and that show signs of heavy wear - burn marks on the glass, etc. - but still test OK and sound great. I once bought a dead Fisher 500C - the amp was toast, but most of the Telefunken tubes in it still tested fine - and I'm still using them in other equipment.
In comparison, I bought a quad of new production 12AX7's from JJ Electronics, and one of them went out (started making noise) after about a year of use. They were cheap and they sounded pretty good, at least in my limited system, but they certainly didn't last as long as older production tubes. But I am only one person, so others may have had better experiences.
Does this mean old tubes are are a better value? I think it depends, on the quality of the rest of your setup and how much you're willing to pay. My opinion is if you have a real top-end rig, it could be worth paying the price for Mullards or Telefunkens. If not, you're probably better off to put your money towards good components first, then worry about getting the best tubes. Certainly there are SOME new production tubes that are quite good, and the price of some old production tubes (like EL34's or 7591's, for example) has gotten so high that it is hard to justify for a lot of people.
One thing I've found: Don't be afraid to buy used, old production tubes. Old American and European tubes were made to last and will run many, many hours, and by going used you can save a lot of money without taking that much risk. I've certainly had good luck buying used tubes.
Good luck & happy listening!
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Follow Ups
- Re: New Production Question - Jon C. 12:20:46 09/28/03 (0)
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