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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.

rspyder
rspyder OP
109 posts
 

I had a very similar experience with The Tube Museum a couple of years ago with the same tube request (i.e. ordering one type of tube and getting a completely different set of tubes).  I have never dealt with that company again.  There are so many good tube providers in the market that do not disappoint, including The Tube Store, Tube Depot and Parts Connexion.

dogberry
962 posts
 

Another vendor I have had nothing but good experiences with is 

valvesnmore.com

 

jimbennet
195 posts
 

Tube World or Brent Jessie are good suppliers. Rest are gone.

chickenoregg
39 posts
 

I sell tubes professionally, full-time for a living. But I do things a bit different than any other seller I know. In short, my business model is to let my clients audition multiple sets of tubes for at least two weeks before any money every changes hands. No purchase, no deposit, no credit number taken just in case. You get to listen to and otherwise test the tubes anyway you and your god are good with.  There is no other way to to find what truly sounds best in your system to your ears than to hear the physical tubes you are considering buying in your system with your ears. It's a no brainer. 

Imagine considering repainting your house. But not only can you not see how the color might look on your house before you purchase it, you cannot even see the color first... instead you have some guy in a forum too many fingers deep into his whiskey trying to describe a color to you in the comments section of some forum they have probably never even seen before themselves. Worse, you have sellers like the ones you referenced above who have their own specific motivations for selling you certain tubes.

Imagine being the kind of person that builds an entire business around a bait and switch con that feels like it was taken right out of a 1980s Home Ec text book.  Yuck, I want to wash my hands just thinking about it.

 

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