Tubes-are they limited to the circuit used in?


there are a lot of people out there selling NOS tubes, ie Mullard El34 XF1s, Gold Lion Kt88s, Siemens CCAs, etc etc, for a pretty penny. At what point do you think that these tubes would be overkill? What i mean is, would you run a Gold Lion Kt88 at $400 a pair, in a $500 Antique Sound Lab amp, or only a $5000 Jadis amp. Would a primo tube be wasted in a less expensive design is what I am asking..
128x128justlisten
I think they are only limited by the rest of the system. amps probably aren't the limiting factor. I'd think speakers would be. I have a pair of $3000-3200 ASL monoblocks (1006-845) with probably $1600 worth of NOS tubes in there...yes, significant differences to be heard. I don't think you could have overkill, really. I have a pair of EL34 Mullard XF2, and also a pair of early el34 Teles. I've thought of buying a pair of ASL single ended EL34 amps just so I can hear these tubes in their glory. (or maybe build something). the CJ Pr. 5s take 8 EL34s per side, so either I need different amps, or a hell of a lot more vintage el34s (not going to happen), or I just sit on them for now...

Personally I think there is more difference between various tubes than there is between various amps (to a certain degree.). for example, a $3000 pair of ASL monos with NOS tubes is a lot better value than a pair of $25,000 Viva Aurora or Cadence 845 amps, no matter what tubes are in them. IMHO.

BTW all the Jadis I have seen has just been sidelined gathering dust in the repair shop, waiting for parts and info.

_Ed
Hi ther Ed;nice to exchange with another 5 owner. Good topic. Needing 16 of them suckers,as we do, I'll need a cosigner for the Mullards.---What's your "pin #" at the bank? Back to topic--I can't imagine exceeding the value of the amp--for tubes.-- But with these 5's it might be worth it; who knows--?
hi George -

Agreed, the 5's are a sweet set of amps. Fortunately the front-end tubes are a lot less in terms of quantity and price, though 5751s can get pricey, still not EL34 mullard levels. I may need to part with my 5's before too long though, we'll see. Dont' imagine you need another pair? ;>
-Ed