Sources for 3S4 tubes?

Did anyone find better sound quality other than less microphonics with other brands of tubes?  I know one guy on the net
seems to be selling a brand as premium for $12.99 a tube and states that it goes in the Quickie....
 
I have had a Quickie for five months (now with the PJCCS) and have tried a bunch of different tubes. I have at least 40 total and they were thoroughly tested before I bought them. I am running it right now with a CD player >Quickie>Fisher SA100>Fostex FF165K Horns with Gallo TR1 powered sub crossed around 80hz.
All of them are microphonic, but some more than others. However, none of them really howl or squeal like it would in a guitar amp (and I have had some squealers in my Marshall combo). I did pickup some Herbie's dampers and I think they help a little. I have come to believe that there is no huge difference between microphonics and manufacturer because they all have them, but maybe the RCA have a little less than others. I may even get the guitar amp dampers from Herbie's and add those so both tubes have two dampers each.

RCA 1940's - very well defined bass, clear mids and silky treble, one of the most balanced tubes; wide soundstage. Microphonics 3 out 10.
Raytheon VT-174 -  similar bass and mids, smooth treble with a tiny bit of roll off; warmest tube, liquid, Very wide soundstage. Micro 5/10
Tung Sol - 1950's - huge bass, subdued mids and tons of treble but slightly edgy; average soundstage. Microphonics 6/10
RCA 1960's - Strong bass (more than Ray, less than TS), clear mids, very nice treble (less than TS, more than Ray) Very liquid; average soundstage. Microphonics 4/10
Sylvania 1950's - nice clear bass and low mids, liquid mid and highs, a very sweet sound; wide soundstage. Microphonics 6/10
Sylvania 1960's - didn't get to these yet, will update when or if I try them.
GE  - deep bass and plenty of treble like the 50's Tung Sol but with better midrange, a very wide frequency range; a little smeared overall compared to the Sylvania. Very wide soundstage. Microphonics 5/10
Tung Sol 1960's - deep bass, improved midrange and sweeter treble than 50's and overall smoother without the edge; average soundstage. Microphonics 6/10 (an improvement over the 50's TS)

Right now I like the RCA's and Raytheon the best with the 50's Sylvania and 60's Tung Sol next.
I still am not sure if there were any actually made in Europe. If there are, I would like to try them. Cheers!

 
NotBen,  this guy has some Mullards, but he is in Austrailia, I emailed and asked about cost of shipping.

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~valventube/tubes0a2-5z4.html
 
I've ordered some Amprex tubes from the 60's and Raytheons, and will post my findings (compared to the stock GE tubes) once they arrive.
 
The 40's RCA's came from a retired Air Force gentleman as well as some of the Sylvania, but the others came from a handful of different tube dealers.
My descriptions are very basic, I know, as I am used to describing tone in guitar amps, but if anyone wants further clarification about any of the tubes, just ask and I will try; one things I am pretty good at hearing is frequency and instrument separation (liquidity and depth) which I think comes from trying to find better note separation in a guitar amp.

One thing I have to say is the Quickie is a killer little preamp -- I love it.
 
The 60's Sylvania came in their original white military boxes with dates and have date codes on the glass in green printing and green Sylvania labels. The 50's came in the black and yellow Sylvania boxes with Yellow Sylvania printing on the glass and the dealer identified them as 50's. The getters, plates and micas look similar, I will have to check with a magnifying glass to see if I can ID any differences. The 50's didn't have any date codes so I am completely trusting the dealer for these.
I will try out the 60's and report back since those are much easier to ID.
 
Just replaced the stock Delco's with a pair of RCA's, wow, what a difference, even cold out of the box, quite a huge
sound stage difference!  The Delco's have a narrow small soundstage, the RCA's are wide as they can be.

Not sure what the vintage is, I don't see any dates on the box.

 
I replaced the stock GE tubes with a) 1940's Raytheons, and b) 1960's Amprex "bugle boys" (French DL-92). The Raytheons were not much different than the stock GE's, unfortunately - maybe a bit warmer sounding, but with tons of microphonics and a small, compressed soundstage, just like the GE's. The Amprex tubes are like having a new amp - the highs and lows are much more extended, the soundstage is bigger, and there are very little microphonics! The difference between these and the GE's is huge, and I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to tube rolling, differences between capacitors, etc. The Amprex tubes sound so much clearer and more "real" than the smeared, rolled-off GE's - and can be driven harder without sounding congested. The biggest difference may be in the treble, which gives the music much more "air" and provides correct positioning cues, etc. This, along with a lack of microphonics at low volumes, leads to a blacker-sounding background and better detail recovery. These were $25/pair from Tube World, which was money well spent.

Interestingly, there does not seem to be much difference between various 6DN7 tubes run on the S.E.X. amp. Maybe these little 3S4's were subject to bigger tolerances and/or differences between manufacturers?
 
After loving the improvement of the RCA's over my stock Delco's, I just dropped in a pair of Telefunkens, oh my god!

Talk about smooth highs without roll off, and deep wide sound stage....
 
Ok, so I dropped in a pair of matched Mullards CV484 variants.  Came in a white box, not sure if they are military or not.

Very close to the Telefunkens.

The Mullards are more forward on the highs and have a little simbilance to them, not much just a touch.

They do have a well deep sound stage, deeper that the Tele's by a margin.

Great sound.  Very detailed.

It would almost be a matching to a system thing if I chose the Telefunkens or the Mullards.

If the system was super sensitive or on the bright side I would probably choose the Telefunkens.  If the system was a bit laid back the Mullards would go in.

 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Telefunken-3S4-DL-92-CV-484-Pairs_W0QQitemZ300402432063QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item45f161583f


I should also mention that the Mullards have very nicely reinforced base, probably the best of the bunch.

I have noticed that after replacing the Alps I get less problems with static coming through the speakers when
I walk up to adjust the volume.  Could have been a bad solder joint as PB mentioned.
 
Wow, thanks!

I got a pair of Telefunken DL92 and a pair of the Mullard  CV484 tubes from the guy in Denver on the auction site mentioned.  Even the old boxes and packaging are cool.  The Mullards have penciled numbers inside the box flaps that look like tube tester data to me.  I'm listening to the Quickie with the Telefunken tubes now, and the first thing I noticed was better quality bass, not just a little more volume but more detail as well. 
 
http://www.tubecrazy.net/

Hi gang,
Just got some Mullards from this gentlemen. At first my order was missed due to a move and after I emailed a request for an update they rushed my the tubes at an addtional expense to them. Plus, they sent me a 2nd pair of DL92's for free!
I have not had a chance to hear them yet so, I will update as soon as I can.
It was sure nice to deal with a person online that takes care of their customers that well
q
 
machinehead said:
NotBen,  this guy has some Mullards, but he is in Austrailia, I emailed and asked about cost of shipping.

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~valventube/tubes0a2-5z4.html
Click to expand...

Did this guy ever get back to you? I tried e-mailing him several times and never got a response.
 
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