Forums - How and where to buy tubes from Decware?

thevinoman Senior Member Posts: 71	How and where to buy tubes from Decware? 08/12/22 at 19:49:29 I will be getting a new "Rachel" in a few months, and wanted to know where I can purchase 6N1P and 6N2P tubes from Decware. I have looked through the web site and must have missed it? If there are any recommendations other than those two, I would welcome that as well. Thanks for the help.
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HockessinKid Seasoned Member Posts: 1092	Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware? Reply #1 - 08/12/22 at 19:53:47 Call Sarah. She'll take care of you. HK
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Lon

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #2 - 08/12/22 at 20:01:27

EDITED TO CORRECT INFO: Steve is offering 6N1P or 6N2P for sale. At first I thought not, but if you select the "Load More" link in the "All Input Tube" section (below the pictured tubes) it adds more tube types to the page, and both are available.

Tubes he has for sale are here: https://www.decwareproducts.com/replacement-tubes

That page is hard to find on the Catalog page; it is under Preamplifiers.

I have bought many examples of these from eBay easily, but those selected, tested and matched by Steve are the best I've ever used. You will get some tubes with the amp from Steve, a set to get the amp going, and I imagine one of these tube types may be provided.

You could also check with Wathen about Cryotone 6N1P--I thought at one point he was selling some but I don't see them listed at present. That will likely be the most expensive source.

https://www.wathenspeakers.com/wathen-cryotonetrade-tubes.html

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thevinoman Senior Member Posts: 71	Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware? Reply #3 - 08/12/22 at 20:18:08 Thank you very much. Appreciate the help.
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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #4 - 08/13/22 at 10:40:56

Thank you Lon I never found that section before, I thought it was for the whole pelican case for the UFO25 so I never clicked on it.

LON WROTE Quote:

Steve is offering 6N1P or 6N2P for sale. At first I thought not, but if you select the "Load More" link in the "All Input Tube" section (below the pictured tubes) it adds more tube types to the page, and both are available.

Tubes he has for sale are here: https://www.decwareproducts.com/replacement-tubes

Quote:

That page is hard to find on the Catalog page; it is under Preamplifiers.

I have bought many examples of these from eBay easily, but those selected, tested and matched by Steve are the best I've ever used. You will get some tubes with the amp from Steve, a set to get the amp going, and I imagine one of these tube types may be provided.

Are these tubes tubes TESTED & HAND SELECTED & MATCHED SINGLE TRIODES? including current production? Nothing is mentioned about any selection, grading process of the small signal tubes, some of the output tubes it mentions matched pairs. I understand when the amp is on the bench getting QA'D AND BURNT IN it's tubes would go through that process but when you are ordering spare tubes is there any testing done? Is there any guarantee? Nothing is mentioned about that. I believe if it was being done it would be part of the copy like they do about the tubes that come with the UFO25th stating hand selected and a red tip visible in the picture on one tube. Saying hand selected is a catchall phrase, how a tube is tested is very important, is the tube tested pass fail or is it quantitatively measured and tested by ear for noise? Are both halves matched?
These are important questions when buying premium valves.

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Lon

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #5 - 08/13/22 at 13:22:16

Well I agree it should say so on the site--there are a lot of instances where the material could be expanded, Steve has more things to concentrate on.

But if you search the forum you'll see Steve talking about how he tests tubes in ways others don't and meticulously matches, etc. He even here on the forum mentions how he tested and matched a sextet of 6N5P in his ZTPRE when I ordered them for mine.

And the last two pair of output tubes I received from him were NOT red-tipped, but are the best ever I've received. (I even prefer their sound to a Cryotone pair by a hair.)

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23503	Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware? Reply #6 - 08/13/22 at 13:58:11 A search found this first--I honestly think it refers to those with the amp and those sold as replacements: https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1525204968/5#5
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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #7 - 08/13/22 at 14:47:51

LON, OK, I believe Steve always does that when assembling and QA'ing Tube Gear. If there is a consistent method used for all tubes sales he should spell it out for Decware's own advantage, let us know on that page.

I honestly didn't know spare tubes were something Decware stocked until yesterday after 4 months and I am on the page daily trying to discern more knowledge.

Or if there is an option to purchase current manufactures tubes receiving this level of handling and scrutiny before a sale for an extra premium include that info too.

Honestly Steve is carrying the tubes for our convenience and for inexperienced customers to easily identify the correct tubes for Decware equipment.

Most tube purveyors do not have testing equipment beyond pass/fail and a chop stick test for micro-phonics, plus many charge a fee for power tube matching.

And most tube purveyors do not engineer and design World class audiophile tube equipment or have an open exchange with their clients on a daily basis.

I'm not doing this to disparage Decware in anyway, I just think inferred procedures should not be assumed to be SOP.

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Lon

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #8 - 08/13/22 at 15:12:07

I agree. I am pretty sure from the multiple times he has mentioned this on the forum he tests all tubes he sells this way, and he has the testing equipment, that's not a debate. He should have a header on the tube replacement page spelling this out. Maybe you could volunteer to update Steve's website pages for him. Wink

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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #9 - 08/13/22 at 15:58:26

I was a programmer and avionics technician for more than 20 years. After I left the Air Force I attended Columbia University for computer science and for further study in object orientated Machine Language, C+, C++, UNIX and FAPA.
In the military we had our own Internet before the public did, ARPANET, in full Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, The experimental computer network that was the forerunner of the Internet since the 1960's.
Thankfully I have forgotten it all. Smiley

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CAJames

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #10 - 08/13/22 at 16:06:54

Quote:

Posted by: BicycleJoe Lo-Fi Posted on: Today at 14:47:51

...I honestly didn't know spare tubes were something Decware stocked until yesterday after 4 months and I am on the page daily trying to discern more knowledge.

Then at some point you will come across the threads where Steve talks about testing tubes, and all the hoops through which a tube has to jump before he sells it.

For the vast majority of its life the Decware family was small and "advertising" what not something that happened. Knowledge was (and to a large extent still is) disseminated on the message board, not so much on the public web pages. Which makes sense because Steve manages the website and, for me at least, I would like him spending is time on pretty much anything else other than the web site.

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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #11 - 08/13/22 at 16:42:01

CA I have seen that in the forum, still I'm not feeling that it is part of his new tube sales. I may be mistaken but I truly believe Steve wouldn't overlook it, he doesn't seem to be that guy that overlooks and forgets.

Maybe you are mistaken and Steve doesn't actually do 100% of the website programming but someone else in the extended family is responsible now that things have exponentially grown.

I included the many reasons Steve goes the extra mile,being a tube reseller is not Decware's main business, it is a convenience for his clients.

But perhaps it is an oversight, I very easily can be 100% wrong, IDK.
I have no way of knowing for sure so you must agree it should be included not just inferred. It would be to Decware's advantage.

You might've missed my last sentence
Quote:

I'm not doing this to disparage Decware in anyway, I just think inferred procedures should not be assumed to be SOP.

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Lon

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #12 - 08/13/22 at 17:07:00

Well Joe, I'm with CA, you may not be "feeling it" but his perspective is how it has been over the years and I share it. Perhaps Steve will step in and set us all straight. I know he is working on revamping the website one page at a time. And the tube page seems to be one of the new ones, so perhaps the exclusion of mention means new practice. But in the past if you bought a replacement tube from Steve it went through his selecting, matching and testing--that has been my experience and what I have gleaned reading from others.

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CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 1663	Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware? Reply #13 - 08/13/22 at 17:29:12 Quote: Posted by: BicycleJoe Lo-Fi Posted on: Today at 16:42:01 CA I have seen that in the forum, still I'm not feeling that it is part of his new tube sales... You don't need to feel it for Steve to do it. Just sayin.
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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi Seasoned Member It's all in one note, Just Listen Posts: 534	Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware? Reply #14 - 08/13/22 at 18:10:46 Just saying I stated my position you stated yours already. There's nothing to add to the topic . My point is valid. I've been listening to Einstein on the beach while having lunch.
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BicycleJoe Lo-Fi

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Re: How and where to buy tubes from Decware?
Reply #15 - 08/15/22 at 00:19:53

Quote:

You don't need to feel it for Steve to do it. Just sayin.

I see you found this thread yesterday about Steves plans for the Future 4 years ago to make a video showing the correct way to measure and test hoping to develop a computer pgm because no one ever built a testing machine to measure 2nd and third harmonics, and how he would need to calculate prices for this service to implement it. Maybe one day it will be a reality.

IT sure would be great When He Has The Time to Put It Together. Can You Feel IT?

Quote:

Re: DECWARE'S "Red-tipped" tubes.
Reply #3 - 05/03/18 at 01:07:11
BTW, Offering Red-Tipped tubes for sale is on my list of things to do. To make it happen, I have to create a video showing the process and then update the web site with a way to order them for any Decware amp and of course figure out what the final prices would be.

The only tubes that get red-tipped are input tubes and in the case of the Zen Triode amps, also the output tubes. In amps like Torii's, or SE34I.5's where there is an input tube for each channel, the process is essential to getting the channel balance within a few percentage points and even more important to getting the lowest harmonic distortion and the same harmonic distortion from channel to channel.

It's interesting to see that a pair of matched input tubes can be have the same distortion %, the same gain, achieve perfect channel balance, but on one tube the 2nd and 3rd harmonics will be reversed, where one channel the 2nd is higher and the other channel the 3rd is higher.

Sadly no one has had the motivation to create a tube tester than can catch things like this, but if they did, it would be a computer and a scope, so you may as well just buy a computer and scope and do your own distortion analysis with your actual amplifier instead of buying a tube tester.

This is what makes red-tipped tubes desirable. You will let us know your amplifier, we will pull that exact amplifier from our archives and hand select tubes for in some cases over an hour with the computer and scope until we have a perfect pair. It is also prudent to mention that in the case of the push pull amps, input tubes matched using this process can increase the power of an amplifier by 20% or more. Just yesterday I sent a TORII JR out the door that was putting out well over 32 watts clean.

Steve

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