How many valves do you have ?

[Ian]

A frivolous post but I just picked up a valve storage case (thanks loads Dom) and sorted them out into one place at last. I'll bet there's some of you out there with loads more than this

 

[lostwin]

Well , I now have 5 pairs of 6SN7 for my amp and still searching for the perfect balance of attributes - so I can see how it can spiral out of control.

 

[pmcuk]

Well , I now have 5 pairs of 6SN7 for my amp and still searching for the perfect balance of attributes - so I can see how it can spiral out of control.

I use the 6SN7 myself and I'm totally on board with that. I have several 6SN7 for sale on the marketplace here since I have far too many. I also like the CV6 a lot as an alternative, but that's a 6J5 with 2 top caps so not for the faint hearted.

I must have over 1,000 valves and most of them will be going on sale now as fast as I can list them. Loads of DHTs like 01A, 112A, 26, 10Y, 4P1L, 2P29L etc etc. Also a lot of rare radio triodes from the 1930s like REN904 and its equivalents. PM me if interested. Andy.

 

[Jazid]

I notice Richard by his absence from this thread. Like him I also have a couple of glowing friends stored away somewhere...

 

[ChemMan]

I like this, but I'm still worried. My KT77 Genalex Gold Lions are now double the price on https://www.banzaimusic.com/Tubes/
and the only reasonable replacement seems to be the Svetlana winged which is double the Lions again. It's certainly possible that any Russian made tube may either become unavailable or simply too expensive to justify. As I've learned mainly via @rabski and @pmcuk it's the circuit rather than the tube, but if VTL ships with Gold Lions, they designed the circuit with that in mind I would guess.

 

[marko]

A solitary 6111WA miniature Triode.

 

[Psilonaught]

I have a few...all in my system

X38 in my monoblocks (28 6ASG and 10 6SN7)
X2 in my preamp (EML 45 mesh globes)
X2 in my dac (WE300b replica)

X42 in total

I have a few spares in the cupboard.

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

2, in my CDP and a spare set.

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

I have a small collection. There's a box of mixed signal valves that came from one source (some Mullard), a quad of Black Treasure KT88s, 16 x EL 84 (Russian) that c/w the Unisis, a spare pr of Tung Sol EL34s I bought at the Tonbridge Audiojumble recently to try in my Megahertz SET, a box of Russian 12ax7 (maybe 24 valves) I bought off eBay 10 years ago, 4 pristine matched 2a3 Psvane Black Treasure I bought from Jezr to back up the ones in my prospective Parafeed SET from Disarmament, a single spare 300B (cooking),a quad of Audionote 300Bs pair of 845s, a bunch of 6sn7s and 6Ls7 another pair of Psvane EL34s, a box of Russian 6H8C and and a few others (assorted).

Plus the ones actually deployed in amps in my systems.

Jack

 

[toprepairman]

I have a few but won't say how many in case I start a bidding war with Richard.

 

[DomT]

A frivolous post but I just picked up a valve storage case (thanks loads Dom) and sorted them out into one place at last. I'll bet there's some of you out there with loads more than this

Ian hopefully you picked up both cases and so you will have another one to fill up!

 

[rabski]

Depending on whether you take Anne's opinion or mine, I have too many or not enough.

 

[hifinutt]

if you go down to the black country museum they have a lovely shop with some in !!

P1060148 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

P1060144 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

P1060145 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

 

[dave]

Quite a lot, probably between 500 and 2000. I have been saving pulls since my early teens, so I do have quite a few Mullard ECC83s Once at a radio rally found some one selling them for a reasonable price, £2 a box, so I had a few of those, mostly tv valves, and more recently little boxes have been turning up from Russia and Ukraine with flavour of the day tubes. Have also been lucky occasionally on eBay and forums so have a few EL34s and PL509s. I just like to look through them sometimes, I find it very satisfying, I could stop at any time.
Being tight helps there, even the previously cheap ones seem to have inflated, so acquisition seems to have stopped, and now trying to put them to use. I am going to try 5 PCC189s in valve crossover project for example. I have a personal mission to design interesting circuits with all of those strange holey Mazda valves.

image from:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1880727297I have no interest in this sale.

 

[pmcuk]

Like Dave I've been collecting less common valves just on the basis that they sound good - better than the usual 12A*7 and EL34 types. A lot of DHTs which do hold their value. But also some which don't sell often because very few people use them, like 1930s radio triodes which are wonderful. So they have theoretically a high value because they're scarce, but it takes a while to sell them. I also bought a lot of glow tubes - voltage regulator tubes for 105v or 150v. I don't use them anymore and they don't sell at all, though they're actually useful in the right circuit. It's sad that almost all commercial equipment ended up using the usual 12A*7 and EL34 types when there's so much out there that's so much better. An exception is the 6SN7 which is one of the really good sounding valves. You don't see it in guitar amps, though, never made it into that part of the market though the 6SL7 crept into some designs.

 

[steve 57]

I started collecting them in the mid 90s and ended up with 10,000 plus, since I retired I've sold at least £15k of them but still got many thousands
My main interest is px 4 and px25 output valves and british 5 pin amplifier triodes.

I prefer the old british globes, early mesh plate mh4 and the early 30s cosser range - 41mp, 41 mhl and others with box mesh plates
Early mazda shortpaths sound good too.

I've a got enough to last me out for my home made amplifiers

 

[pmcuk]

My main interest is px 4 and px25 output valves and british 5 pin amplifier triodes. I prefer the old british globes, early mesh plate mh4 and the cosser range - 41mp, 41 mhl etc. I've a got enough to last me out for my home made amplifiers

You're sitting on some valuable stuff there! Good choice of what to collect. I have quite a few old British globes like the TDD4 which is a cracking valve. Plus a lot of the European types like the REN904, E428, AG495, AC2, CC2 and so on. All wonderful sounding, very pretty in gold and silver bottles, and only really collected by the radio guys. Most DIY valve builders don't even know of their existence, though there's more interest in Germany, France and Holland. The 1930s were a golden era for valves and many still survive.

 

[John (big)]

I have replaced all of the ECC82/12AU7 in my system with 6N8S (6H8C)/6SN7 inc. 2 x Chinese military metal base 6N8P T class they are stunning made ages before the Shuguang factory burnt down. I have replaced ECC83/12AX7 with 6N9P/6SL7. in the phono stage 2 x 6N2P EB OS now unobtainable. I x 6N1P cathode follower.

I have used a Ukrainian valve dealer for years, now I can't contact him we became almost pen/PC pals I pray he is OK! he sourced the 1958 Foton 6N8S & 1961 Reflector 6n9s same internal construction as the highly regarded Melz valves at considerably less cost.

I also kept all of the original valves for my Troughline stereo + a few extra EM84 magic eyes. also 4 x Baldwin(RCA) ECC82, , 4 RCA 6CG7 clear tops, 4 x 5814A, 2 x Mullard VC4004, 8 x Chinese military 1980's Bejing CV4004 (UK nuclear plant spares) 4 x 5751 8 x 5755 there are 10-20 others that I can't remember, oh nearly forgot 4 x new matched KT 120 power amp spares & 2 x 1957 Svetlana 5C3C,s (5U4G) winged C rectifiers.

I have 2 x spare 6N2P EB OS, liked by Bigman80, I introduced a friend in the trade to the OS he uses them in his expensive pre-amp & phono stage. as upgrades 20 x 6N2P all Voskhod 1960's - 1970's gold coils & pins triple mica. 12 x 6N6P Foton including very rare ones like below as Lampizator wrote
"It is a genuine Soviet design, unlike most of their tubes which they copied from the West all the time. The closest equivalent is the Ecc182, E182CC although the pinout is different, .
We do not want to use the impulse variant 6N6P-i later named 6N30P. We want the good old 6N6P only"



Lampizator's take on the 6N**P family http://www.lampizator.eu/UPGRADE/upgrade noval tubes to 6H6P.html

 

[Ian]

I would just like to say that some of these responses are brilliant or insane, depending upon whether you're Rabski or Mrs. Rabski

 

[Beobloke]

Just had a quick count and it appears 27.

All small preamp valves, all in a box and all from my uncle’s workroom clearout when he died.