Metropoulos Forum

What testers are good for our tube amp applications without getting into crazy $?

If you want to test power tubes then most of the older testers that you see for sale on Ebay will not test at a high enough voltage to give you truly accurate results. Most will provide you with enough info to determine if a tube is working properly though. Now for preamp tubes they do a fair job. Some models are only simple emission testers while the better models give transconductance readings also. Keep in mind that most of these older testers will likely need to be refurbished and calibrated to give you accurate results. This could cost you another $150-200 depending on condition. Now there are some very nice modern day testers such as the Maxi-Matcher and Amplitrex that will test power tubes at real amp voltages and also allow you to match power tubes. These are very nice testers but pretty pricey for the average guy. The new tester that Orange released a couple of years ago seems pretty nice and only cost around $500 I believe. I'm not sure of it's test voltage though so I can't say whether it would do a decent job on power tubes.

That's good info to keep and use for sure. Thank you.

Orange VT1000
https://www.orangeamps.com/products/acc ... nt/vt1000/

.... attempted to DIY path...?
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... ester1.htm

N3m0 7h3 Fi5h wrote:Orange VT1000
https://www.orangeamps.com/products/acc ... nt/vt1000/

.... attempted to DIY path...?
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... ester1.htm

Now these are just cool. Very easy and simple. Pricey on the Orange unit but as simple as it gets. Will look at the DIY. The only drawback is that I don't see it being able to tell how closely matched the two sides of a 12AX7 may or may not be.

Regardless new vs old, I found my B&K707 the most valuable tool I have. I bought it from a local tech who I grew up with and after 17 years is still going strong. Youll be able to tell whats going on regardless of NOS or brand of tube. Its right there, what you cant see. And the needle says more than a digital number too. How fast it rises, bounces etc. Best cool tool on your bench for sure.

Finally bought one. It's a Knight 600 series in good working condition. We'll see.