dbflash Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Allan, Very good question. I have no idea how long they should last. My system still sounds great with the tubes I have in them, but I really don't have any spares laying around so I was thinking maybe I should get another pair and use the ones I have in my system as spares. Then I was thinking not buying anything and just buy more music. I find that when I don't listen to my system I get the upgrade bug. But as soon as i sit down, put something on I forget all about upgrading. I think I am just going to add the tubes that were mentioned to my list and forget about it. danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 about Kevin I had just the opposite experience than most here (except Allan) When i purchased my AH! CD player from him, I had a 30 day trial period..and in that 30 days, i wasn't sure I really liked it..and called him, and told him I was probably going to return it. He said it took a long time to burn in (I know, mirrors, fairy dust, magic, whatever) but anyway he told me to keep it an extra month, and if i still wasn't sure, to return it for a full refund. Well, after about 2 more weeks, I really liked it (of course now, I think it's by far the best player I've ever owned) Point is, he really helped me out, and was very courteous and polite. I also can't find fault with him selling tubes to his customers only, if that's his policy up front, as i'm sure his customers come first. All customers perceive sellers differently, but he was very square with me. Steve Sounds to me like he's a nice guy when you're buying gear from him, otherwise.........well you've heard the comments. The PW that Smilin sent me was microphonic but still amazing enough so I knew I wanted one. My current PW has a very mild echo-like ring when my system turns on or I switch from stereo to mono. It goes right away however and there's no noise when I touch the knobs on my pre. This is the only 6DJ8 type tube I will ever use in my Blueberry. Nothing else I've tried comes close. Thanks to Smilin for turning me on to it![A] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 In all fairness I must chime in, Kevin treated me more than fairly when my upsampler went bad in my CDP. It was a month out of warranty, replaced it free of charge. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Oh, and by the way he did change his policy, all tubes are available to everyone now, you just pay a premium if you didn't buy the equipment from him. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted November 4, 2005 Author Share Posted November 4, 2005 Well, you can't fault him for that. After all, he has to make the payments on the hillside home that he runs his business out of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Yeah, but that hillside home 'aint in Laguna Beach!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Nothing wrong with this mind you but I hear he could buy and sell a guy like me 3 or 4 times over with the worth of the cars he has parked in his garage. Yep it would indeed be nice. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Nothhing wrong with this mind you but I hear he could buy and sell a guy like me 3 or 4 times over with the worth of the cars he has parked in his garage. Yep it would indeed be nice. Craig Damn Craig, I didn't know you were that cheap! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 A six pack and a Slim Jim should just about cover it.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Thebes your hurting me dude. Just for that I'm going to have to steal the twins from you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Letmesee, first job was in 1963 at $1.25 an hour. At 3% a year average over 42 years (drop the 3 carry the 4) your hourly rate should work out to about $125,00 a year (give or take). Keep the Slim Jim, I'll take back the 6-pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted November 4, 2005 Author Share Posted November 4, 2005 Yeah, but that hillside home 'aint in Laguna Beach!!! Yep, it's in Upland which we both know is way more desirable R.E. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Letmesee, first job was in 1963 at $1.25 an hour. At 3% a year average over 42 years (drop the 3 carry the 4) your hourly rate should work out to about $125,00 a year (give or take). Keep the Slim Jim, I'll take back the 6-pack. Well looks like I better raise my prices by a factor of three! I'll blame it on Thebes! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Regarding Kevin....... I'm not the biggest fan of his personality either, but that's not a prerequisite to doing business with him. He does walk to his own beat, to be sure. But I will say this: If he has tubes that you want, his tubes are what he says they are. You will pay a certain price for them - but they are what he says they are. When you are dealing with NOS vintage tubes, that's a big plus. Are there other dealers who are descriminating that would sell for a lower price? Yes. But not all dealers have the tubes Kevin has, so if you want tubes that Kevin has that no one else does, you don't really have much choice - but at least you will get the genuine article of tube that performs as expected. As for Kevin's opinions, well, that's his opinion. Everyone has one. Kevin is just like any other tube dealer in that regard: you may find that you agree at times and disagree at other times. Kevin has made recommendations to me that did NOT pan out in my systems and listening material, but that's no different than some of my experiences here. However, if you tell Kevin what you didn't like about a particular tube, he will try to help find an alternative. I would no more hold a dissenting tube recommendation against Kevin than I would a forum member. We try them out - we like some, we don't like others - and we don't always agree. That's the breaks in audio. Ultimately, the purchases we make are OUR decision - Kevin didn't make us buy them. Tubes are, of course, gear related, and tubes that I got from Kevin sucked in my gear but were stellar in Craig's VRD's. OTOH, I know of a forum member or two that likes these tubes in thier similar gear to mine, but they listen to different music generally than I do. It's all a part of personal taste, gear and the learning process. You win some, you lose some - even when researched in advance. I do know that Kevin's "secret stash" policy raised lots of eyebrows, but I'm not sure why the irritation. He explained it fully on the site - and quite frankly, given that he sells gear, too - I do understand why. I guess if one spoke with him on the phone or email and didn't read the policy, it would seem a bit "azzholish" if unexplained. He wants to be able to sell his gear purchasers tubes in the future that are limited in his stock....and that is understandable. If I had gear he sold to me, I would be appreciative of that. I guess it depends on your situation. Now I see he is offering all tubes for sale, but is charging a premium on the former "secret stash" to those who didn't buy the gear from him. It IS an improvement - at least you can now buy them (albeit for a high price) when they were not accessible before. Ultimately, you vote with your wallet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocketchange Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 On Ebay the other day, I won a set of GB/6DJ8 (Gold Brand) Sylvania's. I had seen them back a few decades and used them in a PAS-3 and they sounded very good then as they do now in my SFCD-1 (full mod w/XO3) by C. Johnson. (Thanks Mr. Johnson_) Are they on par with my PWs...? N O ... but they are close. NOW, do they approach the audio bliss of a set of CCa's? NO... not even close. Find a set of GBs and give them a whirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 On Ebay the other day, I won a set of GB/6DJ8 (Gold Brand) Sylvania's. I had seen them back a few decades and used them in a PAS-3 and they sounded very good then as they do now in my SFCD-1 (full mod w/XO3) by C. Johnson. (Thanks Mr. Johnson_) Are they on par with my PWs...? N O ... but they are close. NOW, do they approach the audio bliss of a set of CCa's? NO... not even close. Find a set of GBs and give them a whirl. So you prefer the Cca over the PW? Interesting. I sold my Cca in favor of the PW. Different strokes................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubelover Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 On Ebay the other day, I won a set of GB/6DJ8 (Gold Brand) Sylvania's. I had seen them back a few decades and used them in a PAS-3 and they sounded very good then as they do now in my SFCD-1 (full mod w/XO3) by C. Johnson. (Thanks Mr. Johnson_) Are they on par with my PWs...? N O ... but they are close. NOW, do they approach the audio bliss of a set of CCa's? NO... not even close. Find a set of GBs and give them a whirl. Get serious! It is Thanksgiving, not April Fools Day pal. [8o|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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