Advice on valve upgrades

[jml3p]

Hi,

I own a couple of hifi units that use valves. I have heard of tube rolling and upgrading valves etc.

The thing is I do not know what valve or make is better than another, is there a "holy grail" of what valve is better than another?

Kind regards,

Jonathan

[Bigman80]

This is a matter of taste.

Everyone likes different valves for different reasons. I'm a Telefunken fan, Marco is a Radio telecommunique fan, others love Millard's, Brimar etc. Best thing is to try them yourself.

[Blackdog]

This is a huge rabbit hole, and can be a big money pit too. You will find debates (and arguments) all over the internet about tube rolling.
A couple of general pieces of advice.
Read, read, and read as much as you can on tubes. There are a number of fakes out there, as well as tubes being passed off as NOS that are used, factory seconds or just bad.
Buy only from reputable dealers, or on advice from reputable people. eBay is full of bad dealers, that are selling junk at high prices, but there are a number of good places to buy.

You also need to be more specific as to your gear and your tastes.

[Bonky]

I agree with all that.

Have a look at WatfordValves. (No connection).

[Stryder5]

What valves are you looking for ECC83 or other type?

+1 for Watford Valves, probably not the cheapest but reputable.

[sumday]

Another thumbs up for Watford Valves.
Their site offer a small description and sound review of most of the common types....matched kits are also available.

I recently ordered a matched set for my Little Dot headphone/pre, the turnaround was pretty quick (less than a week) and the tubes arrived very well packed


NIGE.

[Jazid]

"The thing is I do not know what valve or make is better than another"

It's a subjective call. As a man who liked to measure stuff I think that from the thousands of valves I have measured uniquely only Telefunken seem highly reliable. I am not saying other manufacturers valves aren't reliable, or that there are no Telefunken clunkers, I am saying that I have measured many hundreds of each of most makes and I've never had a duff Telefunken valve. I have had worn out or weak Tele valves but that's fair wear and tear, I've not had gassy ones, ones with insulation and leakage problems, or anode/cathode poisoning, or other manufacturing defects, never.
Mullards are also mostly decent, as are Western Electric (only tested dozens of W. E. though).

Valve character is circuit dependent, only trust the opinion of those who have rolled properly tested valves in the same amp you are interested in. Otherwise it will be blind chance and that's quite aside from personal preference. One man's meat and all that...

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[chris@panteg]

When it comes to 300b type amplifiers, the holy grail is often referred to the Western electric 300b but they come with a price tag of about £500 or more.

Though it does depend on the quality of the amplifier, especially the output transformers and the design in general.

[jml3p]

Hi

Many thanks for your advice.

Kind regards,

Jonathan

[CageyH]

"The thing is I do not know what valve or make is better than another"

It's a subjective call. As a man who liked to measure stuff I think that from the thousands of valves I have measured uniquely only Telefunken seem highly reliable. I am not saying other manufacturers valves aren't reliable, or that there are no Telefunken clunkers, I am saying that I have measured many hundreds of each of most makes and I've never had a duff Telefunken valve. I have had worn out or weak Tele valves but that's fair wear and tear, I've not had gassy ones, ones with insulation and leakage problems, or anode/cathode poisoning, or other manufacturing defects, never.
Mullards are also mostly decent, as are Western Electric (only tested dozens of W. E. though).

Valve character is circuit dependent, only trust the opinion of those who have rolled properly tested valves in the same amp you are interested in. Otherwise it will be blind chance and that's quite aside from personal preference. One man's meat and all that...

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

The problem with Telefunkens can be the price, and the fake versions. Hence the advice to buy from reputable dealers.

[jollyfix]

Some good stuff on Anthony's site .Especially about buying tested etc. Tube distinctions.

[Jazid]

The problem with Telefunkens can be the price, and the fake versions. Hence the advice to buy from reputable dealers.Yes, I avoided price altogether since my post more concerned manufacturing standards. But value does seem to follow in line, and yes it can be high...

Shagged tubes and double triodes with unbalanced sections are rife on eBay, however I have had very few issues with fakes over the years and do slightly wonder if on the forums there isn't a slightly exagerated perception of the problem? Happy to be told otherwise :)

Yes, I agree good dealers are the route forward if you aren't going to treat valve buying as a sport: the margin buys their experience and prudence, my additional recommendation goes to Edicron, one of the good guys [emoji106]

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[Intenso]

NOS Russian tubes can be a real bargain and sound excellent if you know what to look for...