OK....I own quite a bit of tube based hifi gear...amps, CD player and headphone amps. I see a lot of debate over tubes and many say don't waste your time with new tubes...You must have NOS etc. I get it...the idea of NOS Tubes is very romantic....some argue the best sound and of course the thrill of having a tube that was manufactured (maybe) 70 or more years ago. However...a lot of people who claim NOS is"the" end game in tube audiophile heaven seem to horribly under estimate the cost of these damn things! Case in point...I have a couple of doge 9 monoblocks with 2 x 211 tubes in each, so have been looking for a quad of GE 211 tubes for a while now. I found a nice example on eBay...but they ended up going for just shy of $1k. That's a lot of cash for tubes that aren't even considered the end game in NOS 211 tubes. (RCA..United?) So..my point is we need to get real. NOS tubes will become rarer and rarer and cost will (probably is already) become prohibitive. I think it's time to stop decrying new tubes and actively supporting companies like psvane, Sophia, elrog, KR audio. Tube components are becoming increasingly popular for obvious reasons, but the reality is that new tube are essential to meet the demand. So my point is, please stop whining on that it's NOS or nothing! Most of us won't be able to afford the few that are left and we need new products to supply the demand. Support the new tube companies. I have psvane 211T-II tubes for the monoblocks now and they are excellent...
OK....I own quite a bit of tube based hifi gear...amps, CD player and headphone amps. I see a lot of debate over tubes and many say don't waste your time with new tubes...You must have NOS etc. I get it...the idea of NOS Tubes is very romantic....some argue the best sound and of course the thrill of having a tube that was manufactured (maybe) 70 or more years ago. However...a lot of people who claim NOS is"the" end game in tube audiophile heaven seem to horribly under estimate the cost of these damn things! Case in point...I have a couple of doge 9 monoblocks with 2 x 211 tubes in each, so have been looking for a quad of GE 211 tubes for a while now. I found a nice example on eBay...but they ended up going for just shy of $1k. That's a lot of cash for tubes that aren't even considered the end game in NOS 211 tubes. (RCA..United?) So..my point is we need to get real. NOS tubes will become rarer and rarer and cost will (probably is already) become prohibitive. I think it's time to stop decrying new tubes and actively supporting companies like psvane, Sophia, elrog, KR audio. Tube components are becoming increasingly popular for obvious reasons, but the reality is that new tube are essential to meet the demand. So my point is, please stop whining on that it's NOS or nothing! Most of us won't be able to afford the few that are left and we need new products to supply the demand. Support the new tube companies. I have psvane 211T-II tubes for the monoblocks now and they are excellent...