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A few basic tube questions

For starting info i just purchased a pair of Quicksilver mid mono amps . These are my first tube amps i have owned .

Questions are : I plan on buying several sets of tubes for these amps by different manufacturers. When i have found the ones that i feel i like the best how do i sell the others that will have had an hours worth of use ?

Second question is in regards to the varients my amp can use . They are el34 , kt88,kt90 , and maybe a few more .Will all manufacturers of an el34 sound similar . Or might one el34 sound like someone elses kt 90 .

Third question is in regards to my new dodd preamp . That uses one tube of the 6 volt ilk . There are one of those as well in the quicksilver amps . Is it a good idea to use the same in the pre and amp ?

Lastly if anyone is interested in giving a quick (general description) on the differences of the el34 ,kt88 ,kt90 tubes .
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jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
I would buy NOS tubes (preamp or power) from reputable sources like the ones you listed. I've also had a good experience with buying from Jim McShane as well as Brent Jesse. For new reissue tubes I've had good experience with Doug's Tubes. These sellers do a better job of testing and matching etc. Buying used can be a bit of a slippery slope. If you are lucky you save some money but if you aren't you may end up spending more money than if you just went to tubemonger etc at first. I've been burned buying used tubes from non reputable sources. Most of the time they were noisy or microphonic.
polk432
1,142 posts
 
Start with getting new powercords. I put 5 Nordost Blue Heavens in my system and they made more of a difference than tube rolling my amp and preamp. Just try to get matching tubes then keep a back up(full) set plus one or two more tubes handy in case one or two fail. Best of luck.
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 
Lots of good advice so far!You really do need to let the system settle in for a while.Then after a lot of Googling about specific tubes and their sounds,change one type in one component at a time.Run the system 3 to 5 hrs. on then let it rest for 3/5 hrs.when you get to 30 hrs. any grain or glare should be gone.If you like the change,move on to the next tube type.By mixing brands you can get the perfect combo for your system and tastes.It takes much patience but will be worth it.Brent Jesse is great,the Tube Store,Grant Fidelity.
Best of luck.
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