Please educate me on tubes


Since I know nothing about tubes, I have a few questions:

Vintage, re-issuem NOS, modern production (or if there are other types)? What do these types mean?

Is it safe to buy used? If so, what do you look for?

Should I buy as sets (pairs, quads, matched)?

Where do you get the most, least or doesn’t make a difference? Input, rectifier, output, etc.?

Thanks!
vman71

Showing 1 response by tobias

This would take a few pages to answer properly. You seem to be starting at the very beginning!

Q1: There are modern production tubes from different sources in Asia or Eastern Europe. There are also New Old Stock tubes, the best of these come from Western Europe and the States. It is somewhat gear-dependent, and somewhat dependent on your own taste, but to me there are NOS tubes which are much, much better than modern production ones, and others which are nothing special. Tube experts will talk about production dates and codes, year of manufacture, and factory as well as make.

Q2: Used premium NOS tubes can be a big bargain if bought from an experienced hobbyist or a reputable reseller.

Q3: Depends on whether your gear uses matched sets.

Q4: In my experience, small-signal tubes (phono stages and preamps) and driver tubes (amps) are the ones to upgrade first.

How do you find out what's what? Google, Audio Asylum and the archives here. Start your search with the tube types you need for your gear.