ARC Ref 3: Tung-Sol 6550 in power supply?

DEV, I agree with OneObgyn on the 6550 in power supply: the SED seems overall to be a more appropriate choice for me; I was able to compare new tubes directly. EH6h30PI Gold and the Sovtec 6H30PI apparently come from the same plant. According to the TUBESTORE they are not distinguishable electrically; I have compared a depleted Sovtec set with a new EH set, so I cannot say which I like better. Now on tube aging. . . in my opinion the SED6550C in PS is due for replacement after 800 to 900 hrs. The Sovtec 6H30PIs seem to start to decline at 1800 hrs of operation.

I hate to be repetitive but IMO there is absolutely no reason to use any other than the ARC recommended tubes

Thanks, time to get some new tubes and hear the difference. What's the difference between the tubes that are being sold by Gon members in the ARC section which are half the price and buying directly from ARC and paying at least 100% more.

How much does ARC charge for their 6H30's?
Are they PI's or DR's?

John

To the best of my knowledge, ARC supplies a matched set of 5 Sovtek 6H30PI for approx $240. The same tubes can be sourced from the Tubestore for $21 each, with a $5 premium per tube for matching. EH golden variant is about $2 more than Sovtek. See:
http://thetubestore.com/6h30types.html
Guido