Tubes....did I pass up a good deal?

Keep bugging Andy, it will be worth it to you in the long run.

I was just speaking with Andy this week, and I believe that he said he just got in a bunch of NOS 6922's. Go with Andy...otherwise, there's just to much room for error out there!

Another great source is Kevin at Upscale Audio in Ca. (upscaleaudio.com). Competitive prices and quality assurance. And, he answers the phone and calls back

Rwd- if your willing to take a chance, you can get used 6922s purported to be Amperex for much less than that on ebay. I bought 4 lightly used Valvo CCas for about $110.00! And Amperex PQs should run you about $10 if they are used.

Without knowing more it's hard to say if it was a good deal or not. If they were NOS, then yes of course it would have been a good deal.

RE: Upscale - unless you have bought gear there, dont' bother - the 6DJ8/6922's (anything other than old russian tubes) are limited to the so-called cookie jar and only sold to customers who have bought gear there.

Andy did call me to mention he had 6DJ8s. Of course, it was about a year ago that I had inquired! Such timeliness. ;-)

Valvo = Phillips = Amperex = Mullard. All were brands/companies owned by Phillips, so yes, it's possible Valvo and Amperex were made on the same lines. Check the date codes for plant of manufacture. Good luck finding Amperex PQ's for that cheap ($10), even used they still easily fetch 20-35/ea if test-as-new, gold pin, 6922s, etc.

FWIW,
-Ed