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TUBE PURCHASE

Stellasstillarat

Stellasstillarat

Active Member
Aug 14, 2014
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I wanna replace two 6bq5's on one of my 2340's. I checked eBay and found matching pairs priced from $19 to $60. Does anyone know why the prices are all over the place? I don't know the criteria for purchasing tubes. Does a higher price mean better tube?
 

Those tubes are also known as EL84s. They are very popular in electric guitar amplifiers - especially those looking for Brit pop or Beatles type of tones, but they were originally brought into the world as tubes for radios.

The prices vary because the old American (GE, RCA, Sylvania, etc) and European (Philips, Siemens, Telefunken, etc.) made 6BQ5/EL84 tubes are considered superior to current Chinese (Shuguang or TAD brands), Russian (Sovtek and Mullard brands) and Czech (JJ brand) made versions. You'll see the term "NOS" used a great deal. It means "new old stock" - a tube made back in the last century that was never used before. Many folks will tell you that an RCA, GE or Philips 6BQ5/EL 84 manufactured back in the golden days of American and western European tube production will sound better than a currently produced tube and will last much longer.

The 7189 is a more rugged version of this tube that can handle higher plate voltages (B+). A typical 6BQ5/EL84 is supposed to handle a B+ of around 300 volts. A 7189 is supposed to handle around 400. If you find someone selling a 7189 set, they are probably going for more than the premium old 6BQ5.

For a while, old Soviet military 6P14P- tubes were being touted as the affordable 6BQ5/EL84 equivalents. There are several variants of this tube. The 6P14P-EV, the 6P14P-ER and the 6P14P-K. Some are considered more rugged and longer lasting while others are reputed to deliver better sound quality. Some vendors sell some of versions of this Soviet military legend as 7189 equivalents. Be very careful. These tubes reportedly were overbuilt well beyond design specs required by the Soviet military. Still, the Soviet military specs sheets show B+ max of 250 volts. East German, Czech, Yugoslav and Polish production of these tubes from the communist era are also out there.

Hope that helps you.
 
Last edited:
Rick330man said:
Those tubes are also known as EL84s. They are very popular in electric guitar amplifiers - especially those looking for Brit pop or Beatles type of tones, but they were originally brought into the world as tubes for radios.

The prices vary because the old American (GE, RCA, Sylvania, etc) and European (Philips, Siemens, made 6BQ5/EL84 tubes are considered superior to current Chinese (Shuguang or TAD brands), Russian (Sovtek and Mullard brands) and Czech (JJ brand) made versions. You'll see the term "NOS" used a great deal. It means "new old stock" - a tube made back in the last century that was never used before. Many folks will tell you that an RCA, GE or Philips 6BQ5/EL 84 manufactured back in the golden days of American and western European tube production will sound better than a currently produced tube and will last much longer.

The 7189 is a more rugged version of this tube that can handle higher plate voltages (B+). A typical 6BQ5/EL84 is supposed to handle a B+ of around 300 volts. A 7189 is supposed to handle around 400. If you find someone selling a 7189 set, they are probably going for more than even the premium old 6BQ5.

For a while, old Soviet military 6P14P- tubes were being touted as the affordable 6BQ5/EL84 equivalents. There are several variants of this tube. The 6P14P-EV, the 6P14P-ER and the 6P14P-K. Some are considered more rugged and longer lasting while others are reputed to deliver better sound quality. Some vendors sell some of versions of this Soviet military legend as 7189 equivalents. Be very careful. These tubes reportedly were overbuilt well beyond design specs required by the Soviet military. Still, the Soviet military specs sheets show B+ max of 250 volts. East German, Czech, Yugoslav and Polish production of these tubes from the communist era are also out there.

Hope that helps you.
Click to expand...
Great information. After reading your response I'm actually gonna go with a nos GE, Zenith or Rca. I'd rather spend yhe extra money than replace them with something that can possibly cause me s problem down the road. This Is my unmodified sonar and still has the audio clipper board inline. I use an unaplified D104. Being I own sevral tubers I think I'm finally gonna invest in a tube tester. Thanks for the schooling. Any advice on the tube tester I should be looking for?
 
Be prepared when purchasing tube testers...
Good all around tester is the
Sencore Mighty Mite IV or better...( I have a VII) #Tc162...I think
Jackson 648, which are great for the older tubes...They will not test some tubes (sweep tubes)
Receive tubes I test on both testers
Most models of Hickok and B & K are great but hold on to your pockets!:eek:

http://tone-lizard.com/Tube_Testers.html

All the Best
Gary
 
OH yes "Matched Pairs"...unless your talking in High End Audio amps...
This is a term way over used and normally means nothing IMHO...
Really no such term until Ebay...today seems like everyone sells tubes that are matched! To me just a term used to drive up price
Transmit tubes if run in pairs (or more yes) and I don't mean Sweep Tubes...today's world if they are the same brand they claim "Matched Pair"
Takes a High End tester(Hickok tv-7 or better) to state this...
Just saying disregard this term in most cases for receive tubes and radio audio tubes..
All the Best
Gary
Stellasstillarat said:
I wanna replace two 6bq5's on one of my 2340's. I checked eBay and found matching pairs priced from $19 to $60. Does anyone know why the prices are all over the place? I don't know the criteria for purchasing tubes. Does a higher price mean better tube?
Click to expand...
 
I have had excellent tube buying experiences purchasing from Jim McShane. He tests thoroughly before selling. I've purchased many of the Soviet era 6P14P-EVs to use in amplifier circuits that were operating in 7189 plate voltage territory. They have held up well. Not a single one has failed.

The Tube Store in Toronto also sells NOS Soviet military 6P14P-EVs as 7189 equivalents. I have purchased other tubes from them, but not this one. It is important to remember that not all 6P14P tubes are the same. Some variants are more rugged than others.

There is a guy in Orlando, FL named Jim Cross who operates a place called Vacuum Tubes, Inc. I've had good experiences with him, too. I visited his store about 2 years ago. He had quite an inventory of NOS RCA EL84s. These are excellent tubes. Also, RCA was reportedly simply sticking EL84 labels on 7189 tubes, so many of their EL84s are actually the more robust 7189s.

I have seen some vendors on Ebay sell current production tubes as EL84/7189. That's dishonest - unless the tube can really operate in 7189 territory. Most EL84s won't. I sent an e-mail to an E-bay vendor doing this with JJs and asked if there was any information out there anywhere showing that the JJ EL84 could handle 7189 service. No response. From experience, I tell you that they can't.

Watford Valves in the U.K. tests tubes regularly. They post their reviews so you can access them on-line. You might find their EL84/6BQ5 reviews interesting.

Good luck.
 

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