SED'S EL-34

[Hollywood]

okay, I am looking to buy some more quads of SED el-34's... Where are you guys having the best luck at this time? I am looking for matched Quads...
I seem to remember the thread on here when the prices went up and some one mentioned SED's that were failing from a particular vendor if I remember right.
Also. I am considering buying some Siemens el-34 tubes also...... RFT's.... Power and pre tubes. Where are you guys scoring those as well ?

 

[steve_k]

Advice: buy your SED's from Laura. You can rest assured that the quad is matched.

I think that Tube Depot has the reported failures and are selling at 15% off. Now, I may be guessing, but they just finished running the sale on the SED Factory 2nds. Hope they aren't up to some funny business here because I have ordered there a lot in the past. So, be cautious...

Laura had some RFT's because I just got one a few months back. You only need one in an amp and run it in V1. I know they work well in Mark's mods. I think my standard Marshall tube scheme is going to be an RFT or Mullard NOS in V1 and Penta Chinese in the rest of the preamp spots. SED's or ARS Tesla's for power tubes.

Steve

 

[Laura]

The only SED issues I have seen or heard about are from folks buying "factory seconds". Factory seconds=buyer beware...

 

[steve_k]

The only SED issues I have seen or heard about are from folks buying "factory seconds". Factory seconds=buyer beware...

OK, so it was the 2nd's. Tube Depot is the only one I know that ran that special. Thanks Laura and good to know. Now, what's to prevent Company X from finding me a quad the matches up and putting the regular sticker on the base, instead of one that says 2nd? There are no other markings as I am aware.


Steve

 

[Laura]

The only SED issues I have seen or heard about are from folks buying "factory seconds". Factory seconds=buyer beware...

OK, so it was the 2nd's. Tube Depot is the only one I know that ran that special. Thanks Laura and good to know. Now, what's to prevent Company X from finding me a quad the matches up and putting the regular sticker on the base, instead of one that says 2nd? There are no other markings as I am aware.


Steve

Tube Depot is the US wholesaler for all US dealers of SED so they are probably offering the "factory seconds" instead of dealing with returns to the factory. I never bought factory seconds so I don't know what they consider "factory seconds". I am assuming that they are tubes with physical abnormalities or tubes that did not "test well" on their gear.... I had a few customers ask me about "factory seconds" and I advised against it but some went ahead and bought them. Some had good luck, some didn't... I suppose if someone wanted to buy them and relable them as "firsts" they could...

 

[blackba]

With the price increase of the SED EL34's, I will probably go Tung Sol El34's the next time I need some.

Laura, are you planning to carry the Tung Sol EL34's or Tung Sol 6L6GC's?

 

[parntz145]

Dont bother with the factory seconds. They are shit! I bought 2 quads of SED EL34 and one of the quads had 2 loose bases and the other quad was 10 ma amps off on the matching from one tube to another. I understand they are seconds, but they say they test them and match them and are fine. How can they be testing tubes and send you tubes with the glass moving back and fourth from the tubes base and the matching being way off? I just sent them back and the thing that really pissed me off was I had to pay for the return shipping because they are selling shitty tubes.

 

[Laura]

With the price increase of the SED EL34's, I will probably go Tung Sol El34's the next time I need some.

Laura, are you planning to carry the Tung Sol EL34's or Tung Sol 6L6GC's?

I can get them but I am evaluating what sells and what doesn't right now. We are in the process of a move and once we are settled in, I will be making inventory decisions.

As far as SED goes, you may soon see only one US dealer unless other dealers can find a way to buy direct. Currently, there is no dealer pricing through the US wholesaler...

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

Laura,


check into the Svetlana labeled tubes.


i've got some tubes that are newer Svetlana labeled, but i'm 99.99% sure that they are relabeled SED's from the St. Petersburg factory.

Mike Fortin might know something about these? the Svetlana tubes came in the Bones i had.

 

[ericsabbath]

I've been using second factories for 7 months
I take my amp to band practice twice a week
guess I'm lucky

 

[Laura]

Laura,


check into the Svetlana labeled tubes.


i've got some tubes that are newer Svetlana labeled, but i'm 99.99% sure that they are relabeled SED's from the St. Petersburg factory.

Mike Fortin might know something about these? the Svetlana tubes came in the Bones i had.

As Baron55 pointed out below, they are not the same. SED's have welded plates and Svet's are crimped. Svetlana's are produced by New Sensor in a different factory...

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

The real SED's have welded plates, where the current New Sensor (Sovtek) Svetlana's have stapled plates. That is one of the easierst way to tell.

cool, i'll check mine when i get a chance.


hell, maybe i've got some fake SED's?



what about Ruby? there's got to be another source than Tube Depot. know Doug had some SED's that weren't SED labeled at one time.

 

[RockStarNick]

I still just don't get why someone would want to save $15-20, and stick a questionable factory 2nd into a $2000-3000 amplifier.

That just baffles me.

 

[Laura]

The real SED's have welded plates, where the current New Sensor (Sovtek) Svetlana's have stapled plates. That is one of the easierst way to tell.

cool, i'll check mine when i get a chance.


hell, maybe i've got some fake SED's?



what about Ruby? there's got to be another source than Tube Depot. know Doug had some SED's that weren't SED labeled at one time.

There is at least one other company that relabels SED's but it is not any cheaper and some people want to see the SED winged C logo on their tubes. Magic Parts/Ruby also gets their SED's from the same US wholesaler. They put them in Ruby boxes but they are SED winged C's and they are not carrying them currently due to the price hike.

 

[Laura]

I still just don't get why someone would want to save $15-20, and stick a questionable factory 2nd into a $2000-3000 amplifier.

That just baffles me.

 

[lolzgreg]

I agree with the post above.

Ruby EL34BHT tubes are also sounding nice and rich in my Ecstasy right now

 

[Anonymous]

Advice: buy your SED's from Laura. You can rest assured that the quad is matched.

I think that Tube Depot has the reported failures and are selling at 15% off. Now, I may be guessing, but they just finished running the sale on the SED Factory 2nds. Hope they aren't up to some funny business here because I have ordered there a lot in the past. So, be cautious...

Laura had some RFT's because I just got one a few months back. You only need one in an amp and run it in V1. I know they work well in Mark's mods. I think my standard Marshall tube scheme is going to be an RFT or Mullard NOS in V1 and Penta Chinese in the rest of the preamp spots. SED's or ARS Tesla's for power tubes.

Steve

I left you a very nice G.E. branded Mullard in the JMP-1

Oh!! And a nice Penta High gain/balanced too

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

Svetlana labeled on the right in both pics. they look even closer than the pics show, should have picked a flat surface for them, but thought the black background would be good.


no idea how or why, but these look like the same tubes?

 

[parntz145]

I still just don't get why someone would want to save $15-20, and stick a questionable factory 2nd into a $2000-3000 amplifier.

That just baffles me.

Its not just a $15 to $20 savings. When I bought the seconds I got a matched quad of SED EL34 for $60. I have had some that work great and others that were real shit. The thing that turned me off of the seconds was when I got them with loose bases and the biasing being way off. They state that they test and match all the seconds. I dont undserstand how they can be doing that and then ship tubes that are 10ma off from one another?

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

Svetlana labeled on the right in both pics. they look even closer than the pics show, should have picked a flat surface for them, but thought the black background would be good.


no idea how or why, but these look like the same tubes?

Those are real Both SED's

The one on the right is an older one. Notice the halo's are at 45 degree angles. The original Svetlana's were built that way. Now they are built like the tube on the left. But both are the real SED tubes.

BTW SED stands for (Svetlana Electron Devices).

SED used to be sold under the Svetlana name because that was the name of the company. But due to a dispute with a US distributor, they lost the rights to that name and Mike Mathews of New Sensor bought the Svetlana name and started selling his Sovtek tubes under that name. Creating mass confusion.

Here is a good explanation,

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... 03_WINGEDC

i knew the Svetlana story. allways thought the older tubes had the winged C along with the Svetlana name.


oh well, the confusion continues!