Where to buy cheap vacuum tubes?

I'm looking for a place to buy vacuum tubes that are not priced in excess. I'm referring to NEW tubes. While tubes are not used too much anymore, some of us still use them, particularly for audio amps. Seems there are quite a few sites offering them for audiophiles, but their prices are usually outrageous. Anyone know of a good source for cheap, but good quality tubes?

Thanks

Reply to
jw
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It's a niche market, with niche prices. They're labor-intensive to manufacture, and use expensive materials and plant. When they were made in millions for the consumer radio and TV industry, it was different.

Pricing industrial heating tubes, thyratrons, transmitting tubes, etc. will turn your hair white.

You *might* find some audio types at swap meets, but the audiophools have probably got there first.

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Reply to
Fred Abse

May not be of much direct help to you, but there's an enthusiast who shows up at the Electronics Flea Market in Cupertino most months (alas, the last one of the year was on Saturday) who had boxes of new-stock tubes of several popular types, listed by factory (some were Chinese, some Russian). He was selling several types for $5-$6 each.

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Reply to
Dave Platt

Hm...Joerg always promote digikey in Germany, it is time to strike back. :-)

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Olaf

Reply to
Olaf Kaluza

On Ebay they sell lots of russian made good quality (also military grade) tubes from the 80s. I never purchased those tubes but heard good reports about them. Some day I might try the subminiature low voltage triodes for guitar distorion effects.

Reply to
asdf

snipped-for-privacy@myplace.com schrieb:

Hello,

if you want to sell something to audiophiles, it must be expensive. An audiophile would not by good parts for a cheap price. A cheap part can't be good in their opinion, the same part for an expensive price and with some advertising lies is excellent in their opinion.

Bye

Reply to
Uwe Hercksen

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These are realy cheap tubes from poland and the qualtiy is outstanding!

Ebay: PCL86 (390347802887) Perhaps I should buy some for future use, because I use my headamp very often....

Olaf

Reply to
Olaf Kaluza

Prices here seem fair, with new parts offered where applicable.

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RL

Reply to
legg

When was russian anything even closely related to "good quality"?

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

Hm...I think their rockets never had a problem to choose between miles and meter and still working now.

Olaf

Reply to
Olaf Kaluza

Their ICBMs are very high quality and very, very accurate. Good thing they were never tested in anger.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

My Russian-made microscope is good. A microscope made in China is more likely to be crap.

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Reply to
Tom Del Rosso

"Tom Del Rosso" wrote in news:j9rrlh$m8d$1@dont- email.me:

A Russian Oktava MK219 microphone is also good. To get that kind of performance from a US made mic, for example, probably costs a grand.

I won't get into a long debate over it, but credit where credit is due....

Reply to
Lostgallifreyan

I wish we saw more imports from Russia and less from China. Victor Belenko (MiG 25 defector) suggested that low-cost private planes could use Russian airframes and US avionics.

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Reply to
Tom Del Rosso

Russia is not a WTO member, so they're subject to all sorts of harassment and tariffs on their exports (eg. Jackson-Vanik).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

It is strange that one is in the WTO and the other is in the G8. No sense to it.

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Reply to
Tom Del Rosso

acccording to the russians?

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

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