eth2 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 We may want to set up some tube buying groups for bulk tube purchases. For example, there was just an auction on eBay for 12 Amperex Bugle Boy 12AU7 ECC82 Holland Closely Matched 1958 Holy Grail Tubes. These went for $850 or $70/each. If we see a big batch of great tubes, we could pool our money and split the tubes up. Groups could be set up by tube types (obviously). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 good idea earl, maybe just post an auction here and see how much interest........................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Wish I had thought of this for the eBay auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I would be interested as long as someone a lot smarter than me chose the tubes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Agreed. I have read many guides, but the number of manufacturers, and the variations by type and year are staggering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I'd be interested also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 What if they turn out to be microphonic junk? Or just a couple of them have a problem? I agree this is an interesting idea but need to work out those kind of details. I'd think everyone would have to agree to cover any bad deals equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 What if they turn out to be microphonic junk? Or just a couple of them have a problem? I agree this is an interesting idea but need to work out those kind of details. I'd think everyone would have to agree to cover any bad deals equally. Wid ya. I thought about possible bummers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) Muel, I think you have the most expertise in this area. I would happily follow your lead. I don't think we need to make this too formal. If someone sees a group in of tubes that look interesting, they notify the others and if interested a group is formed. Edited January 24, 2015 by eth2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Just a question, but aren't most tube purchases coming with a warranty? If something is wrong if not bought on Ebay, if the tube is bad it should be able to be returned and not have to pay a restocking fee if I'm not mistaken. I am very enw to tubes, so I don't know much. If on Ebay though, you have buyer protection,which guarantee's money back on bad purchase. That much I do know as I purchased tubes that were bad and did get all my money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 There isn't too much I'm looking for anymore but it is surprising what can show up sometimes that catches my interest. There are still nice tubes that I don't have after all! Tubes seem to travel OK through the mail but it still makes me nervous. You wind up shipping twice this way. Also, if a package gets slammed during shipping it might do damage that isn't visible. I have a couple of lower end testers but I do not trust them to tell me anything more than whether the tube has a short or not. I guess I'd have to think about this more. It seems sharing news of a large sale like that with interested parties is a good idea. It could just go to the alert section but I don't see stuff there quickly enough sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Ebay and other sites can be a real crapshoot. When I was in my tube buying heyday on Ebay, I made use of a local tube professional who would screen all of my purchases. This guy knew all of the bulls#it people pull, which is widely varied and substantial. He was also helpful in instructing me what to look for - his advices kept me buying only the best stocks and only on two occasions did I get burned by a bad buy (both which I won the cases through Ebay's buyer satisfaction system). Rule One: If a seller doesn't accept returns, don't buy unless you can accept that the tube could be junk and your money down the drain. Good sellers will allow high feedback bidders return privileges. Two: Once the tubes are received, have them screened on GOOD equipment by someone who knows what they are doing. My tube pro tested them on at least three different testers, for transconductance, gain, and microphony. I got service from him that only the best dealers could give. Three: KNOW well the purpose of how your tubes will be used. A microphonic tube isn't always an issue if you are using them as drivers, for example - but if you need quiet ones, assume in any random batch - even NOS - that there will be some only driver grade and not suitable for linestage or phono use. The best sellers will have screened the tubes for sale on these issues already, but those tubes will sell for the highest prices. Four: Be aware that most of the best tube stocks are gon-zo. Compared to eight years ago, when I was in full swing stocking up on tubes via Ebay, there were good sellers selling good stocks. Today, those sellers are much fewer, and the stocks much more "thin", and the fakes much more frequent. Know what you are looking at - how the tube you are buying should look like. There's still some stuff that comes available - but if it's truly real and NOS, you will pay accordingly. In order to have a "buyer group", we MUST have someone who can screen the tubes well, and be able and willing to fight the good fight with the seller when it doesn't go as planned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 There isn't too much I'm looking for anymore but it is surprising what can show up sometimes that catches my interest. There are still nice tubes that I don't have after all! Tubes seem to travel OK through the mail but it still makes me nervous. You wind up shipping twice this way. Also, if a package gets slammed during shipping it might do damage that isn't visible. I have a couple of lower end testers but I do not trust them to tell me anything more than whether the tube has a short or not. I guess I'd have to think about this more. It seems sharing news of a large sale like that with interested parties is a good idea. It could just go to the alert section but I don't see stuff there quickly enough sometimes. Mailing tubes isn't much of an issue IF they are packed well. Secure the tubes within the boxes, if applicable (styrofoam peanuts for example, work well for keeping tubes from sliding within the box), then wrap the boxes thoroughly with multiple layers of bubble wrap. If these instructions are followed, the tubes will make it safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Last time I shipped a tube I left the box empty, wrapped the tube and placed in a plastic coin holder. The nickel size works well for 12ax7 size tubes with a packing peanut at both ends. They would really have to crush the box to cause any damage to that tube! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 In regard to some of the points made above, I will tell you that relying on a tube tester (or multiple testers) to determine whether a tube is "good" is a total and complete waste of time and effort. Other than picking up obvious performance issues such as heater-cathode shorts, very low emission, etc., testers reveal nothing about how a tube will perform in a particular circuit. Remember that testers only measure at one operating point which may be radically different from that of the circuit in question. Often, tubes which measure poorly in even the most "respected and perfectly calibrated" testers work just fine in many pieces of equipment and can sound even better than those which test "within spec." The only way to measure a tube is with a curve tracer (a very rare entity these days), or in the piece of equipment in which it is going to be used. This applies to the tubes used in any part of the circuit. Regarding microphonics, it can definitely be an issue when used in the driver stage of an amp! I'd run from anyone who says that a tester revealed an absence of microphony. Put it in the equipment and your ears may reveal something very different. And, in many cases, microphonic tubes can still offer excellent performance depending on how isolated the tube is from the usual power transformer vibration, or whether the equipment is subject to acoustic feedback issues from being insufficiently isolated from the sound field (at 110 db one would be amazed at how all that moving air and vibration can affect some tubes in some equipment!). So, my point is that if you're going to share bulk purchases of identical tube types, be prepared to do a lot of swapping with each other. A tube which works poorly in Earl's gear may offer exemplary performance in someone else's.Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Last time I shipped a tube I left the box empty, wrapped the tube and placed in a plastic coin holder. The nickel size works well for 12ax7 size tubes with a packing peanut at both ends. They would really have to crush the box to cause any damage to that tube! I have a scope tube out of a marantz 2500 that will be coming back to me. I will ship a 3" dia pvc in a pelican case with the next stereo I send to be gone through. Tom will put tube (wrapped in bubble wrap) into pvc and into foam packed case with stereo. Should be pretty Bionic. Not to well educated on tube equip. But don't see why regular tubes could not be shipped similar way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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