Telefunken vacuum tube E88CC-TK; NOS versus brand new.

Music is very important to me, not stereo equipment; however, the importance of stereo equipment changed after I wandered into a high end emporium in 1990. Before that time, I had absolutely no idea how good music could sound when played on "High end equipment". That was also when I discovered tubes.

The thought never occurred to that I had been listening to tubes from the time I was born, and that transistors were what was new. Somehow "they" made me believe transistors were the thing, but after "re-discovering" tubes.....you know the rest.

It's nice to be communicating with people who know just how far a good pair of tubes can elevate a phono or preamp, and I am learning a lot. I have a question for you, with NOS tubes, it's difficult to ascertain how much of the price is due to scarcity, and how much is due to the outstanding ability of the product to deliver the goods. Do you have any comment on that?

@orpheus10

mostly scarcity

there are old stock tubes that deliver all or most of the magic of some of the ’famous’ ones - for say half the money or less, all about supply and demand

witness 12ax7 vs 12au7, or german telefunkens vs hungarian tungsrams

Thank you JJ. I know for certain that RCA NOS 12AU7 deliver good value.

You've confirmed my opinion of very high priced tubes before I purchased any.

While I agree that "tube rolling" can make an audible improvement in SQ, I think of it as something one can do if one has no further understanding of electronics or skills on the workbench, the use of which can effect much bigger and more permanent positive results.  More permanent because tubes age, and in doing so they change characteristics.  So, for example, "matched pairs" of tubes usually will not stay matched for long.  And any tube will change sound over time. But a better sounding film capacitor is for all intents and purposes, forever.

While searching for three matched pairs of early Sixties (grey shield/external date code*) Siemens CCa’s, for my BAT CDP’s output stage, I purchased a matched pair each, of the same generation/iteration E88CC and E188CC (only those found with close balance between triodes and high mA, etc).     As most probably know; the CCa was a specially tested/selected, low noise designation, used by the German and Dutch Post (more on the link).      Bottom line; they all sound almost identical, in the CDP (low noise not being as critical).        Nice thing about these 10K hour tubes; they just continue to test very closely balanced, between triodes and their matched-pair partner, after ten years.       Makes them worth every penny, in my estimation.                 *The silver shield/internal date code CCa’s always sounded too zingy, to me, whether in my ARC SP-9, SP-14 (when I owned them) or- the CDP.                  https://www.tubemuseum.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SH%5FCCa%5Fsingle                                Yeah: low supply and high demand (there’s a reason).