These days I’d also be leery of counterfeits of tubes that are now 70 and more years old. The best sounding KRs are the black glass variant. You can’t see what you’re buying.
Is there a strategy in preamp tube placement?
My SLP-98 has a gain stage and a buffer stage, both with 6SN7 tubes. Do seasoned tube rollers look for different sound characteristics to occupy each position? ex. A tube with good tone and texture in the gain position and a tube with good dimensionality in the buffer stage, or do they use the same tube at both positions? Or is this process truly random?
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YEP (Brent charges $5/tube for noise testing)! A vid, describing his testing method, can be found just into the the tube description portion of this page: http://www.audiotubes.com/6sn7.htm
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The 1940s, Ken-Rad, VT-231/JAN-CKR/6SN7GT has bottom gettering, a very unique top mica and support structure, including copper posts*, which are plainly visible (blacked glass or not). I’ve never seen a counterfeit CKR proffered, though: I’m certain I’ve not seen everything for sale out there. On the page linked previously; Brent has a three part vid, on spotting genuine NOS tubes, worth viewing by any seeker. *ie: https://www.ebay.com/itm/185479311423?hash=item2b2f6db03f:g:6~QAAOSwGRliuJhB |
btw: Crazy price on that linked, eBay pair of KRs (to me, anyway), BUT, then there’s: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174924762007?hash=item28ba540b97:g:1UYAAOSwfj1hNNVb (PLUS SHIPPING!) That French seller is clearly very proud of his tubes!
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I bought my wide variety of 6SN7s and 12SX7s back in the 80s and 90s. Thankfully, I am not in the market. I would agree that counterfeit 6SN7s would be easier to detect than counterfeit 9-pin miniature triodes, e.g., Telefunken, but there are many among us who don't know what you are talking about when you use terms like "bottom gettering, a very unique top mica and support structure, including copper posts*". So, I am just saying know your source. |
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