Sources for 3S4 tubes?

[russtafarian]

I finished my Quickie last night and listened to it in the big rig for a few hours.  I am pretty impressed!  I did notice that one tube was much more microphonic than the other.  No big deal, I'll try some tube rolling.

So where I can pick up some more 3S4 tubes to try out.  Web links appreciated.

I've seen them priced anywhere from $4 up to $12 for "premium" tubes.  Should I go for a pair of "premium" tubes or spend the same cash on a half dozen standard tubes and find the quietest pair in the bunch?

Thanks for a fun project.

Russ

[Caucasian Blackplate]

I believe the tubes of British and French origins (probably the Telefunkens also) are a bit less microphonic than your run of the mill GE's. 

RCA 3S4's have also been reported to be less microphonic than the GE's.

A good bet would be to find a tube seller with a ton of them that will sell you a mix of non-GE 3S4's. 

[booangler]

... Should I go for a pair of "premium" tubes or spend the same cash on a half dozen standard tubes and find the quietest pair in the bunch?

Russ,

I have been contemplating the same thoughts. I was thinking about buying one par of premiums, and a bunch of others just to tube roll. However, I just have not been able to pull the trigger on the purchases.

Happy hunting. Keep us posted.

Alan

[induna]

I finished my Quickie last night and listened to it in the big rig for a few hours.  I am pretty impressed!  I did notice that one tube was much more microphonic than the other.  No big deal, I'll try some tube rolling.

So where I can pick up some more 3S4 tubes to try out.  Web links appreciated.

I've seen them priced anywhere from $4 up to $12 for "premium" tubes.  Should I go for a pair of "premium" tubes or spend the same cash on a half dozen standard tubes and find the quietest pair in the bunch?

Thanks for a fun project.

Russ

I picked up a pair of RCAs from Antique Electronic Supply (http://www.tubesandmore.com) and a pair of Amperex from Tube world (http://www.tubeworld.com). The RCAs are much less microphonic than the GEs that came with my kit. The Amperex tubes are not microphonic at all. The RCAs cost $2.50, and the Amperex $7.50.

[Doc B.]

I would caution everyone about making assumptions regarding microphonics or noise based upon the sampling of one pair of tubes of a given brand. It's a starting point, but even some of the most highly regarded NOS tubes can be quite inconsistent from sample to sample when it comes to microphony and noise. There are certainly some types that have a reputation for microphony - the RCA 5963 variant of the 12AU7 family comes to mind - but I have some very highly regarded EF86 types designed specifically for low noise performance that are microphonic as well.

The best way to get a handle on which 3S4s might be the hot tip is for the community to continue to share their experiences here. If we get multiple reports of a certain brand being better or worse we begin to develop a useful reference. I guess what I'm saying is that this early in the game everyone who can should be buying two or three types, trying them out, and sharing their results.

[russtafarian]

Thanks all.  I ordered ten 3S4s from Antique Electronic Supply since they are on sale for $2.24 each.  I'll try them out when they get here let you all know how they work.

Listened again last night and damn this thing sounds good.  Original plan was for this to be a headphone amp for the office.  Now I can't get it out of the rig at home.

Russ

[STURMJ]

I got Canadian Westinghouse 3s4's from tube depot.  They have no microphonics like the tubes that came with the kit, Zenith's, however they sounded good, (maybe a little flabby w/o the hamond plate chokes).  Also, it should be noted that they let you order 3s4's but don't specify make ( I guess they send what they have)

[booangler]

Hi All,

I found a great local source for some. I ordered 2 large handfuls, I'll report back after I get them in my hand and plugged in the board.

[Len]

Hi All,

I found a great local source for some. I ordered 2 large handfuls, I'll report back after I get them in my hand and plugged in the board.

A local source for out-of-production tubes? We definitely need to have a Bottlehead meet in your part of the woods :-)

[booangler]

We definitely need to have a Bottlehead meet in your part of the woods :-)

Len,

I have been thinking about that, just not sure how many we might get? I can not see that happening before Christmas.

Alan

[booangler]

[Hi All,

I found a great local source for some. I ordered 2 large handfuls, I'll report back after I get them in my hand and plugged in the board.

Len,
My local source proved to be short on 3S4's ( imagine that he wanted to keep some for his own use). I only have 6 coming. He did come through with a bag of tubes for use in Pete Millett's Engineers Amp that I was excited to read about. Worked out in the end as now I have some Mullard's and Brimar's coming. Reports to follow

Alan

[Len]

...I have some Mullard's and Brimar's coming. Reports to follow

Alan

Cool. I'm interested in how they sound. Thanks for the update.

[q]

I would caution everyone about making assumptions regarding microphonics or noise based upon the sampling of one pair of tubes of a given brand. It's a starting point, but even some of the most highly regarded NOS tubes can be quite inconsistent from sample to sample when it comes to microphony and noise. There are certainly some types that have a reputation for microphony - the RCA 5963 variant of the 12AU7 family comes to mind - but I have some very highly regarded EF86 types designed specifically for low noise performance that are microphonic as well.

The best way to get a handle on which 3S4s might be the hot tip is for the community to continue to share their experiences here. If we get multiple reports of a certain brand being better or worse we begin to develop a useful reference. I guess what I'm saying is that this early in the game everyone who can should be buying two or three types, trying them out, and sharing their results.

Great advice, I have taken a more mechanical approach to this problem, but i do plan on trying some of the sources revealed in this thread
I have the Quickie more than 10' away from the drivers and is on my old Target stand. I still get a little ring here and there when I fiddle with the controls. It's very minimal so it buys me more time to catch up with all the other options/projects this Quickie presents
thx to all for the info on where to get these tubes
q

[Natural Sound]

I have some Mullard's and Brimar's coming. Reports to follow

Good, I'd like to know how the Mullards sound. Although I don't have a quickie yet I bought a small stash of NOS Mullards from a guy in Athens, Greece. I'll be ordering a couple of quickies before the end of the year. One for me and one for a friend.

[Natural Sound]

Has anyone seen a data sheet for the 3S4 that shows average life? I imagine its pretty good. 10,000 hours maybe?