Why Purchase used tubes?

I'm looking for a very high quality pair of 6922s for my SET pre. Doing my homework, it seems that the Amperex Pinched Waist D Getter PQ is the Holly Grail. Man, are the nos expensive. $560 was a price I was given for a pair. I really don't know if that is fair. I would love to go NOS. What tube comes in a very close second?

My friend buys really extravagant tubes, used. Telefunken 12AX7 are his favorite pick. He pays a fraction of what people do for NOS. Then, he tests them using a far more elaborate method than most - using an ocilloscope as opposed to a tube tester. He ends up with piles of incredibly good sounding tubes (better than a lot of NOS in actual use), and again, at bargain basement prices.

I like the Siemens 7308 tubes in a phono stage they are very durable. I find that the Amperex 6DJ8 Buglboy tubes sound nice in tube output CD players, and you can find them very cheap on Agon. Good Luck.

When it came to tubing the EL34's in the power supply of my Aesthetix Io and Callisto, I bought the most premium NOS available to insure maximum possible performance. In my Aesthetix this is justified as I have no intention of switching brands and this equipment cost multiple times my investment in these super premium tubes.

If I bought a used Wolcott Presence stereo amp for the bedroom and wanted great sounding tubes, no way would I shell out for original boxed Mullards. Good used tubes beat the stock to death and at a price I can justify.

To clear up any confusion, Wolcott was my reference amp for many years, it is an EXCELLENT design, both in it's stereo and mono block configurations. My comment about super premium tubes in the Io and Callisto are due to the sensitive nature of both high gain preamp and/or moving coil phono stages. Plus, only two tubes are required rather than 16 in the Wolcott.

A bad tube in a Wolcott and one of the bias lights fails to light and you know to switch it. Tube fails in moving coil phono stage and things could get nasty.

In any case, I don't want it to appear that Wolcott is not worthy because I suggested used Mullards would be a smarter buy than new in box variety. My mono blocks required 16 and at $200.00 each for "NOS in new boxes" Mullards I'm out $3200.00. Used that sound as good cost me $800.00.

Leaves more money for other things, same sound quality on both sets of tubes.