tube testers

Midnite Mick
Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
edited February 2007 in 2 Channel Audio
I am looking for advice regarding a tube tester as I know nothing about them. The fact that the monoblocks that I purchased have 3 different types of tubes in them, as well as one in my cdp, and one type in my preamp, I am assuming I would need one in order to pinpoint the cause of any sonic losses in the future. Are testers fairly simple and are they virtually all the same?

Thanks,
Mike
Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Consonance cd120T
Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Usher CP 6311

Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
Post edited by Midnite Mick on
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Comments

  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited February 2007
    Just getting my nose in here...interested in this :)
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited February 2007
    HTrookie wrote:
    Just getting my nose in here...interested in this :)

    Welcome.

    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • candyliquor35m
    candyliquor35m Posts: 2,267
    edited February 2007
    same interest here. Hickok seems to be the brand everyone is after but I think most of them will do the job that most of us are wanting them for. From what I've read, it's best to have a Hickok if you're going to be buying and selling tubes like in the business sense. I bought a non-working Precision 10-12 on CL for $45 and haven't decided whether to spend the money to fix it or cut my losses and give it away. The guy claimed it worked but he was like 80 years old and probably needed the money worse than me so I didn't take it back.
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  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited February 2007
    Also interested here. Seems like a lot of money to buy one if you won't be selling tubes yourself and certainly Hickok seems to be the brand to own. Does anyone know if the guys who sell tubes provide a service for testing tubes purchased elsewhere?

    If it were only a few dollars to test them it might be cost effective to do this rather than spend a boatload of money to own one. Just a thought.

    Of course I'd be worried they take my tubes and if they were good keep them and give me crap back and I'd never know cause I didn't have a tester.
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin T2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC: Denafrips Pontus II Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Pass X150.8 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Morrow M4 ICs & Audio Art SC-5 ePlus, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
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  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited February 2007
    There are always some old on ebay that sell for cheap; of course you need to be lucky to get a good unit. Buying a new one would not make sense. At least for me that would only use it to test my own tubes. It's just that it would be cool to be able to test them...
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited February 2007
    How does one know then when a tube has lived its life? I mean if you have multiple tubes in the chain how do you know which one needs to be swapped?

    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited February 2007
    You don't; play safe and change them all every two years ;)
    _________________________________________________
    ***\\\\\........................... My Audio Journey ............................./////***

    2008 & 2010 Football Pool WINNER
    SOPA
    Thank God for different opinions. Imagine the world if we all wanted the same woman
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited February 2007
    I see. So just start buying here and there occasionally I guess.

    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter