Edwynn
Posts: 4105
Joined: 10/26/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: njlauren
Yeah, some tubes go for a lot. The Harmon Kardon amp I have has original tubes in it, and they are German telefunken tubes as well as Harman Karden's own, and apparently if they are in working condition they are worth a lot....I would love to own an old Macintosh tube amp, but they are almost as expensive in working condition as new ones.
The Telefunken valves can fetch a high price if they are NOS (new, old stock), but I would just keep them in place in your situation (i.e., 30-40 yr. old Telefunkens).
I've heard nothing but good about Jim McShane, here;
http://www.mcshanedesign.net/tubes.htm
He refurbishes HK Citation amps, and himself recommends another restorer, too. Some people do modifications on these things up to $3,000 and more, but he and his cohort accommodate those with normal sensibilities also. Shoot him an e-mail.
But he's not in your area. There are a few good Scott, Fischer, et al. restorers in your area, which any good one would deal with restoring your amp for a decent price. Just don't let them replace those Telefunkens unless they show you the actual test saying they are almost dead.
But as you learn more about these tube amps, learn enough to convey to other victims of this most wonderful obsession that they should replace the rectifier tube as a matter of course, before they fire it up the first time. They don't cost much, and the original can be tested later. Or just take it into a qualified tech before turning it on in the first place, perhaps the safer course.
A bad rectifier tube can spit out 4 power tubes all at once, not to mention cooking the output transformer beyond repair.
Lest the general audience here think that valve amps are more 'dangerous' or anything, in my years of work in pro audio, three speakers got blown by "sand amps" (transistor amplifiers), and none by tube amps. But then the Altec amps of either variety were made to withstand almost any event just shy of a Titanic disaster (it was Crown or Crest amps that did that).
Tube amps are unmistakably louder for a given output power rating. You'd need an 80-100 W transistor amp to get the speakers to sound as loud as a 35 W tube amp. But this doesn't even get to the fact that tube amps have a far superior overload or otherwise sonically benign distortion profile as opposed to transistor amps. Tube amps approach their clipping limit slowly, whereas transistor amps slam into a brick wall.
If you really like music, and especially a better variety than what we have as current output today, and ... if you have at least somewhat sensitive ears, tubes (or valves) are the way to go.
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