If you are willing to pay high prices for exotic tubes, then it behooves you to inform yourself regarding the features of those tubes that identify them with certainty. In other words, caveat emptor. The Romans had it right. For one example, even that characteristic diamond embossing on the bottom of every TFK 9-pin miniature triode has been counterfeited, and you ought to know how to identify the authentic diamond vs the fake one. This is not to say that the world is full of cheaters; sometimes the seller is also unwitting.
The Growing Challenge of Buying NOS/NIB Tubes
An old forum post recommended The Tube Museum to source NOS/NIB tubes. I noted it has Siemens Halske and Telefunken ECC802S tubes for sale on The Tube Museum website. I asked Mark for a matched pair of Telefunken ECC802S or Siemens Halske ECC802 tubes. He said he had a pair but the link he provided were for Siemens E82CC and when I questioned whether they were true equivalents, this was his response:
You are incorrect.
These are TRUE AUTHENTIC TELEFUNKEN < > DIAMOND ECC802S.
Makes me think you are seeing the wrong pictures. Or, are ignorant about Telefunkn ECC802S tubes and their inner architecture.
E82CC Siemens are TOTALLY different - se he 2 meal tabs? See the < > between the glass.
You don’t know what you are talking about. Please, don’t insult my intelligence.
Mark
Needless to say, I was taken back by the tone and content of his response and the barrage of equally insulting emails that followed from Mark even though I told him I didn't want to hear from him anymore. SH ECC 802 tubes have a triple Mica and are not the same as standard E82CC Siemens or, in terms of quality, an Ulm Tele ECC802S. It gets weirder. The Tube Museum continues to show and offer for sale true SH and Tele ECC802, but when you try to order them, Mark tries to sell you something different and claims equivalency. When you question Mark, this is the response you get.
It's a further example of how hard it is to find reliable sources for genuine NOS/NIB tubes that are accurately described. I've had better results buying from European sources lately.
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- 30 posts total
- 30 posts total