Vintage tubes skyrocketing in price

"The odds of actually getting TRUE NOS tubes are pretty small."

Maybe, but true not if you know where to shop. And that's specifically NOT on Epay.

Besides, the term NOS is even open to interpretation itself.

-Ed

The dwindling supply is certain part of the problem, but so is inflation. Remember that a $5 tube in 1950 would now cost you $37. Best advice is to buy what you can afford now or you will regret it later.

Tbg Hi.
How much do you think a pair of 6922 Telefunken or Siemens of 1960-1970,should retail for into todays market?
I've seen them at 300-400$ dollars.I need two pairs.
Does it worth it ?Would I get a 800$ sound improvement?
Open to opinions from the more experienced fellow audiogoners.

Yioryos, first of all, 6922 Telefunkens are not very good (in my opinion). You should consider 6DJ8 Telefunkens instead.

I just clicked over to EBAY and looked at completed items.

Today, 6 Telefunken 6DJ8's closed at $25.00 each, "pulls" from a Hewlett-Packard oscilloscope. HP graded tubes tougher than most equipment manufacturers and these in good shape would be as good as new.

This type tube has a VERY long life. I put a used pair in my Aesthetix Io about four years ago and they still test and sound perfect.

Another 6922 option is the Mullard gold pin. I bought dozens of these a few years ago and prefer them to Siemens. I'll bet they can still be found if you look around.

I have hundreds of tubes, many NOS such as Genelex KT77 are getting too expensive, but other options usually exist, and in this case the Mullard EL 34 XF2 B.

I just purchased 17 of these XF2 B Mullards (all test new) at $53.00 each. Some people ask that for Russian Mullards EL34's, reproductions which are no better than Electro-Harmonix.

So, I believe NOS (or good used) vintage tubes are not only worth the effort and investment, they are a necessity in a high end hi fi system. Don't get distracted and pay the highest price, shop smart and stock up on the tubes you really need when you find them at a fair price.

Yioryos, I have recently sought Seimans CCas which are related to 6DJ8s. I ended up paying $215 for two. They came from Argentina, which gives you an idea of how rare NOS is becoming. There are also sought after Telefunkens CCas which seem to sell for more. I doubt if you will be able to buy four at one time, but what it really takes is patience in watching what is up on Ebay.

You ask whether you will get an $800 improvement. This is impossible to answer for someone else. I have an Exemplar/Denon 3910 universal player which used the 6829/7062 type tube. I have found they 1950s Amperex 7062 pinch waists which probably cost about $75 @ to be clearly superior. I would not want to do without them.