Preamp Deal of the Century

Thanks Tonnesen and Jazzdude. So one path would be to find some used tubes first to discover what I like, then buy new for greater cost. Does it look like the site I quoted prices from (www.tubeseller.com) is reasonable?

Any suggestions out there for a resource (website or book or maybe in your own words if it can be put into one paragraph)that would get me up to speed on "rectifer tubes", "power tubes", and any other types of tubes in the Syrah, and that would give me an understanding of Jazzdudes sentence "...rectifier is set to output 370 volts. The voltage-regulator tubes burn 70 volts etc." This stuff sounds interesting.

When you say most agree that the 6SN7GT and VT-231 sound much better than everything else, do both Sylvania and KenRad make a 6SN7GT and a VT-231?

I just finished sending Mick a message with some tube questions before reading your posts. He has been very willing to answer questions along the way, looking forward to what he has to say on these questions.

6SN7GT and VT-231 from the same time period are the same tube. VT-231 is the military designation. You see it alot because from time-to-time the military auctions stuff in storage. If you are buying NOS/NIB 40's vintage 6SN7's it is probably easier to find VT-231's than it is to find 6SN7GT's.

IMO Brent Jesse has the most reasonable tube prices (with very good quality) of any online dealer. I have bought from Brent before and will do so again.

Bruce Wenger of BWS Consulting (search google) is probably the most service oriented dealer I know. He designs and mods tube gear and dacs but he also sells from his tube stash. Bruce always calls me a couple days after an order to make sure that I am pleased (no one else has ever done that) and if I bought two sets of tubes from him and found that I preferred one over the other he would let me trade in the less preferred set for something else (I've never taken him up on it though). If you buy something from Bruce you can be sure it is good. I told him once I wanted 4 pairs of NOS Sylvania VT-231 and he called me back later and said that he only had 3 NOS matched pairs that he could make and that any other matched pairs he had would be in used condition. Some other dealers would have been tempted to "MAKE" a pair just to get that extra sale, but not Bruce. Bruce's prices are not cheap, they are roughly on par with Bob Malecki of tubeseller.com.

I've bought from Bob before also and will do so again but he never has Sylvania VT-231's. Also Bob Malecki only has 6SN7's for sale, so no matter how much you like him you will have to go somewhere else for you power tubes and rectifiers.

Tonnesen, do not hesitate to try the cables that Mick recommends, The Music Cables (www.the-music-cables.com). I am now using them in my entire system with great pleasure. Very neutral and QUIET! They are relatively inexpensive, as cabling goes these days and you have a money back guaranted.

Mike, back on 9-29-02 Bwhite indicated the TMC cables are so stiff as to make them difficult to deal with. Do you find them to be stiff but managable?

wow...461 posts...is this a record? Hell, makes me want to buy a vinyl for the first time in 20+ years just to....belong.