Can you still get tubes for radios?
We stock radio and vacuum tubes for every application from all major manufacturers including RCA, GE, Sylvania, Raytheon, Tungsol, and Amperex. If you are looking for a hard to find vacuum tube, we can nearly guarantee that it is in our inventory and available today!.
Are radio tubes worth anything?
Radio restorers are always on the lookout for 01A tubes ($10-$15) used in most 1920s radios. These tubes also used the numbers 201A and 301A depending on the manufacturer. Other early tube numbers to watch out for are 45 ($50-$70), 50 ($200+), 245 ($100+), 250 ($250-$350), WD-11 ($50-$135), and WD-12 ($30-$50).
What do tubes do in old radios?
A vacuum tube, also called a valve in British English, is an electronic device used in many older model radios, television sets, and amplifiers to control electric current flow. The cathode is heated, as in a light bulb, so it will emit electrons.
How does a tube radio work?
Energy send electricity through at a high frequency. And this energy will travel pretty far we found this out a long time before radio was invented.
Are Chinese vacuum tubes any good?
Modern Chinese Vacuum Tube Amps can be very good but are restricted by the cheap mass market valves that are produced purely for consistency and cost restraints. Chinese Tubes such as 6J1, for instance are a direct copy and hence a direct equivalent of Russian 6J1P etc, etc.
Why are old radios worth money?
Older radios tend to fetch somewhat more than newer ones, but only in a very general way. Age alone doesn’t make a radio priceless. 1920s radios are old, but some manufacturers made cheap, junky radios in those days, as in all other times. Scarcity of parts can make certain vintage sets very expensive to repair.
What are old radios worth?
With so many vintage radios available on the market, in general these radios are pretty cheap. Older models are the most expensive at a few hundred dollars. Vintage models from the 1970s and after only cost around $20 or $30.
How long do radio tubes last?
Power tubes can last years in a light-playing situation while lasting only 6 months in heavy playing conditions. It is also dependent on how loud you play and for how long. Also if you don’t correctly match up the impedances, this will put strain on the power tubes and wear them down much faster.
When did they stop making tube radios?
All radios produced during the first half of the 20th century were tube radios, since transistors were not invented until 1947 and did not start to replace tubes in radios until 1954. Which means that whether your antique radio is a cathedral or…
Are vacuum tubes still used today?
Today, there are few factories left in the world that still manufacture vacuum tubes, a technology developed more than a century ago instrumental to early radio and the go-to method for amplification until the increased popularity of cheaper solid-state technology in the 1970s.
Do vintage tubes sound better?
Vintage Tubes for Best Tone
It is a bit of a mystery, but modern tubes do not sound as good as their vintage counterparts. It could because of a drop in the quality of manufacture, but tube designs have also changed over time, and these changes seem to have an impact on tonal quality.
Are any tubes made in America?
Western Electric was established in 1869. It was re-established in 1996 for the exclusive manufacture of electron tubes and high fidelity. Woven into our story of American manufacturing is the story of sound itself.
What are old radios called?
Vacuum Tube Radios and RCA
By the end of the first decade of public radio came the RCA corporation and their patent new invention, radios with vacuum tubes for amplified signals and better sound quality.
Do antique radios still work?
Most antique radios will work once the capacitors have been replaced. If it does not work then signal trace through the circuit by injecting a signal at the IF or RF, replacing resistors or occasionally a tube where needed. Old resistors have a tendency to increase in value with age.
Does anyone collect old radios?
Collecting and restoring old radios and similar gear has become popular during the past several decades, and a number of clubs and associations exist in many states.
How do I know when my tubes need replacing?
These are the most common signs that tubes need replacement.
- Excessive noise (hiss, hum) including squealing or microphonic tubes.
- Loss of high end. Little or no treble.
- A muddy bottom end.
- Erratic changes in the overall volume.
- A blown H.T.
- The amp doesn’t work!
How do I know if my tubes are bad?
Crackling, squeals and feedback, excessive noise and muddiness or low output are all evidence of tube problems. Power tubes. The two main symptoms of a power tube problem are a blown fuse or a tube that begins to glow cherry red. Either are typically indicative of a power tube failure.
Do tube radios sound better?
So which is it: do tubes sound better, or is it all the same? Both! If you match everything, they will sound the same, but in real life, things are never matched. In reality, tube amplifiers tend to have enough distortion that does make them sound different.
Why did we stop using vacuum tubes?
Vacuum tubes suffered a slow death during the 1950s and ’60s thanks to the invention of the transistor—specifically, the ability to mass-produce transistors by chemically engraving, or etching, pieces of silicon. Transistors were smaller, cheaper, and longer lasting.
What are disadvantages of vacuum tubes?
Vacuum Tubes: Disadvantages
Bulky, hence less suitable for portable products. Higher operating voltages generally required. High power consumption; needs heater supply that generates waste heat and yields lower efficiency, notably for small-signal circuits. Glass tubes are fragile, compared to metal transistors.
Are Chinese tubes any good?
Are tube amps obsolete?
Guitar amps are not becoming obsolete. There are few reasons for that. First, software programs are still not viable enough to provide a worthy replacement for guitar amps, especially for live playing. Second, good quality guitar amps still sound better than any computer software.
Are JJ tubes made in Russia?
JJ Electronic, s.r.o is a Slovak electronic component manufacturer, and one of the world’s remaining producers of vacuum tubes. It is based in Čadca, in the Kysuce region of Slovakia.
Are Russian tubes still available?
We have confirmed that the ban applies to our seven brands of Russian tubes. Currently, the ban is set to remain in effect until the end of the calendar year. Given this export ban, we will not be receiving any further tube inventory for these brands.