Best Place to Purchase Tube Sockets in the US

[jp11801]

I need to pick up three sets of tube sockets for my Dared 845 amp and I assume I need 2 pcb mount 12ax7, 2 6sn7 pcb mount (do they make a 7n7 pcb mount?) and a pair of 845 bayonet type sockets. I really prefer high quality over saving a few bucks. Any ideas on where to buy also ceramic and teflon is one better than the other? The reason I ask is I found a local tech here in the East Bay (SF area) that will do the work if I source the sockets. Great older guy who grew up in the radio and recording industry.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

[luvdunhill]

I need to pick up three sets of tube sockets for my Dared 845 amp and I assume I need 2 pcb mount 12ax7, 2 6sn7 pcb mount (do they make a 7n7 pcb mount?) and a pair of 845 bayonet type sockets. I really prefer high quality over saving a few bucks. Any ideas on where to buy also ceramic and teflon is one better than the other? The reason I ask is I found a local tech here in the East Bay (SF area) that will do the work if I source the sockets. Great older guy who grew up in the radio and recording industry.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

Parts Connexion. Check out the Teflon Composite for the 12ax7 and 6SN7 (no loktal PCB mount I know of)... PcX is cheaper than the 'bay on these last I checked. For 845, not too many options to choose from. Slightly cheaper than the tefcom sockets are Azuma sockets, also available at PcX. If you want to spend some money, there is always Yamamoto:

Edited August 11, 2009 by luvdunhill

[Voltron]

Would somebody please design me an amp or something with lots of 316A and 703A tubes on it? That would be Munchkin-land kind of cool.

[n_maher]

Glowing Hybrid Amp

[Sherwood]

Would somebody please design me an amp or something with lots of 316A and 703A tubes on it?

Gentlemen... we have been given a golden opportunity.

[luvdunhill]

Gentlemen... we have been given a golden opportunity.

Power conditioner? Night lights?

[Sherwood]

Doorbell?

[Dusty Chalk]

Nixie Clock? With downward facing tubes for the dots in the colons? (I.E. pointing straight at you.)

Serious answer to the side question -- I saw KG criticizing Mikhail's choice of tube sockets and recommend replacing them with ceramics enough times that I googled researched the topic a little bit and found this site. The thing that I found most eyebrow-raising was the water-absorption of ceramic, wouldn't mind knowing if that's malarkey or not (they are, after all, trying to sell their own choice of materials). I have to admit to noticing my ceramic sockets getting soggy over the course of decades. Oh, wait a minute, no, that never happened.

another link

google for yourself

[Voltron]

Glowing Hybrid Amp

Very cool find, but I need moar munchkin tubes! This Yamamoto one looks cool with the "doorknob style" 316As

[morphsci]

Very cool find, but I need moar munchkin tubes! This Yamamoto one looks cool with the "doorknob style" 316As

Actually, I think that is Aerius' bedside rig.

[kevin gilmore]

The problem with mikhail's tube sockets is that the plating on the metal pins comes

off real easy, then all you are left with is regular steel which gets rust on it and

the contact quality degrades very fast. There are plenty of other sockets just

like that that are made better.

Everything said about teflon is true, but if you use the solder mount sockets and

have everything perfectly aligned, nothing ever moves. In fact if i could get

the tulip pins by themselves i would not even need the rest of the socket.

Except then you have to pay real attention to the way the octal tube gets inserted.