[TheStixter]

I've been looking for these tubes FOREVER. And I FINALLY came across a pair. My question is thou...are they worth buying and do they look LEGIT to you guys? I'm new to tube-rolling and I don't want to get played...get it?..."played?" ...I need the expert opinion...and considering I only need ONE of these bad boys, the other one is up for grabs if I do get them. Let me know if anyone is at all interested. Best offer will probably win.
 
The owner tells me this: Both are identical and have the same codes "3213999". Date coded "6108" and 6206".
They test and appear NOS, but there are no boxes.
GM tested at 62/61 and 61/62 (Minimum 30/30).
Tested on a TV-7D/U Dynamic Mutual Conductance tester. All tubes are tested for shorts and gas. Guaranteed good.
 
Which one of these tubes is in better condition? And should I buy? Pictures below.
 
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK:

 

[Zombie_X]

They are legit and worth about $40 or so each, used ones are about $25-$35 each. I use the Tung-Sol 7236 and 5998 models on my WA3+ amp with fantastic results. I would go for the 7236 as they provide the warmth of the 5998 model and extremely tight and defined bass that is typical of the 7236 variety of tubes.
 
It's hard to say which one is in better condition because looks aren't a good way to judge a tube. Also the values recorded are useless because they are different on other testers. I have a nice old vintage military tester and my tube reads at 84/87 with is very good, but like I said it varies amongst all testers.

 

[TheStixter]

Quote:

They are legit and worth about $40 or so each, used ones are about $25-$35 each. I use the Tung-Sol 7236 and 5998 models on my WA3+ amp with fantastic results. I would go for the 7236 as they provide the warmth of the 5998 model and extremely tight and defined bass that is typical of the 7236 variety of tubes.
 
It's hard to say which one is in better condition because looks aren't a good way to judge a tube. Also the values recorded are useless because they are different on other testers. I have a nice old vintage military tester and my tube reads at 84/87 with is very good, but like I said it varies amongst all testers.

 
Gotcha...this guy is wanting $100 total for the pair...shipping included. I'm assuming they're used if they're at 62/61 ..isnt below 60 considered bad? 80 and 90 testing is great and in considered in new condition right?...My biggest thing has been even finding these thou, but I dont want to get them if they're worn out and in bad shape. The pictures were just to make sure they look like 7236 Tung-Sol tubes...I know you can't really tell they're condition from look. Anybody else with an opinion on what I should do?
 

 

[Zombie_X]

I would just pass on them because there is not enough info such as the tube tester used. And yes anything below 60 is considered bad.
 
Get one from Tube World. They have one for $38 and it tests good. I have boguht from them quite a few times and have always had excellent service and lightning fast shipping (same state as me). They also have some Cetron tubes which are the exact same as the Tung-Sol's since they purchased the 7236 tooling from them. They have one that tests fairly high for $50 which is not too bad a price. https://www.tubeworld.com/

 

[TheStixter]

Quote:

Tested on a TV-7D/U Dynamic Mutual Conductance tester. All tubes are tested for shorts and gas. Guaranteed good.
 

I don't have any idea about testers thou. And the Tung-Sol 7236 on TubeWorld already sold. So the Cetron tubes are the same thou? Can anybody back that up?

 

[Zombie_X]

It's stated on the page with them and the 7236 sold already? I still see it on there...

 

[TheStixter]

 
Quote:

It's stated on the page with them and the 7236 sold already? I still see it on there...

Under the picture it says Sold for me. Thanks for the info thou! Do you work at Beyerdynamic? Or just a fan? I have a pair of DT990's 600ohms. Love 'em.

 

[Zombie_X]

I don't work for them but I know a lot about the DT770-DT990 and some other models like the T1.

 

[diego]

Those tubes look exactly like mine if that helps. The scale on the TV7 D/U does not go to 100%. For instance the minimum on a 6080 is 36  and on a 5998 is 40. The problem is that I couldn't find the 7236 in the manual so I don't know how they tested them.

 

[tdogzthmn]

does the 5998 compare to the 7236 in most sonic aspects? I picked up a 5998 not too long ago for $30 but I have also been looking at the 7236 for use with my lower impedance K400 (120ohm).

 

[TheStixter]

Quote:

Those tubes look exactly like mine if that helps. The scale on the TV7 D/U does not go to 100%. For instance the minimum on a 6080 is 36  and on a 5998 is 40. The problem is that I couldn't find the 7236 in the manual so I don't know how they tested them.

He's states that the minimum is a 30/30 for these Tung-Sol 7236 tubes. I've always heard that "good condition" is consider 60/60 and up, but at the same time, I'm not sure of the scale of his tester. If the maximum is not 100% then it'd throw everything off. I'm still debating on either getting these 2 or the one $50 Cetron on TubeWorld. TubeWorld states the two tubes (Tung-Sol 7236 and Cetron 7236) are tooled the same, but can anybody back that up? Are they REALLY the SAME tube just with a different name on them? I'm only needing one 7236, which is why I'm leaning towards the Cetron, but I'd rather have a legitimate Tung-Sol in good condition and for all I know, this pair is in perfect condition, and he's asking $50 for each as well. I just need some expert opinion. I'M STUCK

 

[diego]

@tdotzghmn - 6080, 7236 and 5998 are similar tubes. The main difference is the transconductance which is around 6500, 12500 and 15000 respectively. For a cathode follower like the WA2 the higher the transconductance the lower the output impedance. So, if you already have a Tung-Sol 5998 you don't need to buy a 7236 unless your headphones match better with a higher output impedance.
 
@TheStixter - The TV7 has a scale that translates to transconductance depending on the range the tube is checked. 6080 and 5998 tubes are checked in different ranges so the results are not directly comparable. 6080s are tested in range C and you have to multiply the result by 50 to get transconductance while 5998s are tested in range D and you have to multiply by 125. Either way 60 seems low because 7500 (60x125) is low for a 7236 tube.

 

[Skylab]

Unless you know the exact scale of the tester, and how to interpret the test numbers, the numbers are completely meaningless. Almost all testers are different in terms of what they report. Some testers ( like my B&K 650) have a scale that reports actual transconductance, but many require some calculation to get to the transconductance number, and many don't even test transconductance. The tester should give you the target 100% number, and then what percentage the tube is actually testing at.

Cetron 7236's are basically identical to the Tung Sols, as Cetron bought Tung-Sol and kept producing some tubes, including the 7236.

 

[tdogzthmn]

Quote:

@tdotzghmn - 6080, 7236 and 5998 are similar tubes. The main difference is the transconductance which is around 6500, 12500 and 15000 respectively. For a cathode follower like the WA2 the higher the transconductance the lower the output impedance. So, if you already have a Tung-Sol 5998 you don't need to buy a 7236 unless your headphones match better with a higher output impedance.
 

My amp is a Bottlhead crack which uses a 6080 tube and 12au7.  My headphones are the HD600-300 ohm and K400-120 ohms.  I have noticed that with the 5998 installed in the amp the K400 is much louder and the sound gets distorted at higher volume where my 6AS7G does not get distorted at higher volumes.

 

[Zombie_X]

From my understanding the 7236 tubes have a much higher output impedance and higher output power as well. This is correct, no?
 
I always found than my T1's sounded louder with the 7236 and have decreased volume on the 6080's. Also the sound IMO is much better on the 7236 tubes as they are very clear sounding.