Why Purchase used tubes?

http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#6DJ8-2

Per Joe`s tube lore.

My favorites that I picked up on ebay....

amperex 6922 PQ white label, US made (shield, gold pins).

amperex 6DJ8 orange globe logo, Holland. (shield, steel pins).

Both are excellent tubes and matched pairs can be picked up very reasonably.

Don`t be too concerned about them being NOS unless you want to spend more money. If the sellers have mega positive feed back ratings, and until I buy my own tester, I`ll take their word on their test results.

Have fun on the hunt. I certainly did.

Warrenh, looks like you've been spending time reading Joes Tube Lore. If so, remember that his picks are based on HIS equipment. His greatest enthusiasm is reserved for Amperex offerings. In my system, I find that some of Joe's favorite Amperexes appeal to me less than Siemens 6dj8's from the 60's. Before I'd ever blow $560 on a pair of tubes, I'd be sure I liked the "house" sound. You can pick up Orange Globe Amperex 6DJ8's (assuming you can use 6dj8's) for a song compared to the most coveted Amperexes. I agree with Joe on those tubes, I think they're great. As to the price of pinchwaist d-getters, "fair" doesn't mean anything, we live in a free market economy. There's a very finite quantity of a highly coveted commodity and if people will pay the asking price, it's unrealistic to expect altruistic pricing. It's all a matter of perspective on the worth I suppose. To me, I don't think the difference between the "best" tube and close contenders is worth hundreds of dollars per tube. Others obviously feel differently.

My experience:
Bought new 6CA7 power tubz directly from ebay seller new matched quads turned out $<8/piece over 3 yrs ago.
Often run amps 24hrs during weekends and once-in-a-while check the bias...
Still hasn't change a notch!
Still noise-free!
Still have extra set for the amp... How's that?

Warren,

No guarantee, thus buy from reputable sellers. NOS can test new but can be used. Also, tubes I believe don't have a linear curve when it comes to life span. More like dropping off a table.

I buy used to try out tubes to see how they sound in my system. The ones I like, then I buy NOS. It makes no sense to pay hundreds on NOS tubes that end up not sounding good in your system.

Matty

Hey Photon46, I use the same tubes (Amperex Orange Globes) and agree with you that they are a good bang for the buck tube. I bought a quad for my Lamm's and since I only use 2 at a time, I figure I am set for life. They sound more refined than the stock Sovteks.
(I have heard the legendary pinched waist PQ's, in my system, and they did sound great, but not much better than the Orange Globes, IMHO. And at one tenth the cost, I'll stick with the Orange Globes.)