McIntosh tubes on Ebay
- Thread starter ron-c
- Start date
We need a "Rogue's Gallery"
RealJazzCat was "outed" on AA some time ago as a scammer. One person even put up a web site with details of the unethical auctions that he had been caught running. One of the "best" was gold-plating the pins of common tubes and selling them as rare premium types.
RealJazzCat was "outed" on AA some time ago as a scammer. One person even put up a web site with details of the unethical auctions that he had been caught running. One of the "best" was gold-plating the pins of common tubes and selling them as rare premium types.
audiomaniac
Active Member
Thanks for the heads up Ron. BTW, nice to see you get some press in the current Stereophile!
ron-c
Addicted Member
We do use a lot of tubes per month with the MC275, MC2102, MA2275 and C2200 models in constant production (1000s per month, tubes not units!).
The small tubes, 12ax7, and 12au7 are mostly Chinese which perform very well and sound good. We have used US military surplus from time to time but the supply is very limited.
KT88s are SED Svetlana or EH, both made in Russia. All of the tubes are QC ed before we receive them and then the models are tested with the included tubes for distortion, noise, etc.
We are constantly evaluating tubes but are restricted to not only performance but say the shape of a KT88. The market does demand traditional appearance. We evaluate tubes both for spec and sound and use HP tube tracers as well as custom made stress test jigs on the production line.
Ron-C
The small tubes, 12ax7, and 12au7 are mostly Chinese which perform very well and sound good. We have used US military surplus from time to time but the supply is very limited.
KT88s are SED Svetlana or EH, both made in Russia. All of the tubes are QC ed before we receive them and then the models are tested with the included tubes for distortion, noise, etc.
We are constantly evaluating tubes but are restricted to not only performance but say the shape of a KT88. The market does demand traditional appearance. We evaluate tubes both for spec and sound and use HP tube tracers as well as custom made stress test jigs on the production line.
Ron-C
Last edited:
Rich Andrews
Well-Known Member
Tube amps. We certainly have come full circle. I would never have imagined that I see the day that a mainstream manufacturer like McIntosh would produce tube amps in large quantities again.
ron-c
Addicted Member
The Chinese small tubes get a bad rap by many but they are quite good actually. The internal construction uses four micas for low microphonics and they are very balanced side to side. Out of the 100s of these type tubes ever made these are in the top 10 or 15% in performance. McIntosh tube units are designed to be non dependant on actual tube quality through the circuit design. It is not uncommon to see a C22 from the 60s still make spec with the original tubes.
If you are going to 'tube roll' having a good tube tester like one of the Hickocks is a good idea. Unless you know what you are buying and have some way of evaluating the tubes a lot of junk is being sold as gold. A bad tube can damage an amp.
Ron-C
If you are going to 'tube roll' having a good tube tester like one of the Hickocks is a good idea. Unless you know what you are buying and have some way of evaluating the tubes a lot of junk is being sold as gold. A bad tube can damage an amp.
Ron-C
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