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I've been offered some NOS GE 6550A JAN tubes. (16 in fact)
I searched the archives a found a review that felt they were a bit brighter than svetlana or sovtek alternatives.
1.Would these be worth using in my MC75's but not my ARC D115?
2.Or should I just buy new svetlanas for similar money?
3. What's a fair price to pay?
4. How do I tell how old they are, and does this matter?
Part answers appreciated also- I am a bit of a novice with this stuff.topogon
Follow Ups:
Dear Friend: I would buy 'em all and use them!! GE made a great 6550A with good sound, and a long life. Take care ..Joe..aka the " Beam Tube"
Here's some 6550A history for fun. Courtesy of Rich Koerner's "Time Electronics" Along with a picture of some Sylvania 6550's with holes melted in the glass. I'm sure the Sylvanias were abused out of spec and it is not indicative of their quality being poor. That said, check out the rest of Rich's page and consider him for all your tech needs :-)
Dear topogun: Sylvania made a fair 6550, but their problem was putting it in a 6L6GC bulb. These will not dissipate the heat of a 6550 at close to max ratings. Take care...Joe..aka the "Beam Tube"
.
Here's some 6550A history for fun. Courtesy of Rich Koerner's "Time Electronics" Along with a picture of some Sylvania 6550's with holes melted in the glass. I'm sure the Sylvanias were abused out of spec and it is not indicative of their quality being poor. That said, check out the rest of Rich's page and consider him for all your tech needs :-)
They are a great tube. Much better than Svetlana. I have not used Sovtek so I can't give you my opinion. I have not experienced any of the "Brightness" you have mentioned. I have used them in a pair of highly modified Mc Intosh MC60's for many years. They provide very detailed sound without any of the hardness or grainy sound I have experienced with the Svetlanas. While Tung Sol black plate "no hole" 6550's and the grey plate Tung Sol's are my favorites (next to Genalex KT88's) the GE 6550A's are truly a great tube.(very under-rated in my opinion). They are a little softer sounding in the bass region and a little less dynamic than the Tung Sol's. However they do seem (in my experience) to provide a little more low level detail than the Tung Sol's. So, with my rambling aside, I would most certainly purchase thre GE's over Svetlana's any day.
Way better than Svetlana, in my view, second best 6550 after Tung Sol in my view. Well, I had a quad of Sylvania 6550 but one was a dud so I sent them back, didn't get the chance to review them, so maybe third best 6550.I am told that the shape of the holes in the plate will tell you the age. Mine have both square and round holes in the plates and are made by GE but labeled Jadis.
You can buy JAN GE 6550A NOS NIB for about $50 a tube. If you can get 16 NOS NIB, no kidding, for the price of Svetlana's ($25 each?)please do and send them to me!
Ivan
Thanks for the opinion, Ivan. Actually they are more like $50 each...but that is what it costs me to land svetlanas down here.topogon
TG,At $50 each for both---Go with the NOS GE 6550A. I think one of the better tubes made.
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