Crosley 307TA TV
 

Lately I've been getting back into TV's.

I picked up this Crosley 307TA about 10 years ago and never bothered to look inside it or restore it. I was checking the CRT and then noticed what was being used as the 5U4 rectifier tubes.

Very nice surprise!!!

Hoo boy, probably wanna toss those old things out and get some proper 5U4's in there. :thmbsp:

I have that same set but mine has the rustic "Stored in a leaky barn" finish.

Vacuumtubes.net lists the WE 422A at $190. They don't have 274B listed, but they're asking $600 for a 274A!

(That's a nice looking set. Mine is more like a twin of Eric's!)


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Wow , dave , thats a lot of moola for a vaccum tube .

Well, most of their tubes are N.O.S., not used. And their prices seem to run up to 10 times higher than the same tubes sell for locally. Still I wouldn't throw 'em out!

BTW, the 274B is a "sexier" version of the 5R4GY, and would probably work here in place of the 5U4. And the 422A is a direct substitute for the 5U4, so although they're obviously not original equipment in this set, they're not out of place either.

I guess that's one of the RCA 630TS clones, eh? I kind of like the cabinet.

Those tubes must be obscure. I didn't find them in the first two online references that I clicked.

What's the big attraction? Scarcity? Used in things like theater amps that certain people go nuts over?

Maybe you should flip the tubes on eBay and repay what you spent for the TV. Some people seem to pay almost anything for a tube labeled Western Electric :)

Phil Nelson

Used 274Bs are around $1000 on eBay, people are very obsessed with that Western Electric stuff, I've dealt with some of it and it certainly is very well made.

I've sold a lot of tubes on Ebay including Western Electric brand.

The reason I was so surprised is that these are very expensive tubes and someone in the past put them in the TV to be used as 5U4 rectifiers.

I've tested the tubes and they are good. I know the 274B goes for about $900 and the 422A goes for about $200.

Many people, mostly audiophiles, believe that Western Electric tubes are so much better made that they are worth the cost difference. I don't really agree with that assessment.

Most of the time I have sold these types of tubes to collectors in Asia.

If you take a look at any Western Electric equipment sold on Ebay you will see very high prices paid. This not only includes tubes but any parts, speakers, amplifiers, etc.

By the way, the TV cost me $50 about 10 years ago.

I bet back when those tubes were installed they weren't anything special, just something they had laying around!

Yeah, I don't sell much myself (I'm more of an "accumulator") but the few bits and pieces of not very remarkable W.E. stuff I've unloaded over the years usually went to Asia and astonished me what it sold for. If I had them, I'd unload any of the magical tubes that offer "purer sound," "clearer tone," "mellower frequency response" and all that other malarky and replace them with garden variety 5U4s and 12AX7s in my equipment. My personal favorite piece of nonsense is those "audiophile" oxygen-free AC cords that sell for several hundred dollars apiece!

Many times when I've purchased tube audio I've removed the Telefunken and other expensive tubes, sold them, and replaced them with more common brands.

I have about 40 TV's (1940's) and about 80 radios (1920 to 1950). I usually sell the expensive stuff. When I say expensive stuff I mean things like pre-war TV's and catalin radios. I just can't see keeping a catalin. It's not for me. The money enables me to keep my hobby going. I main enjoyment is restoring the radios and TV's.

The guy who put the WE tubes in the TV may have worked for WE and it meant nothing to him.

Years ago I used to attend the Consumer Electronics Show for business and I always enjoyed the nonsense products of the year. My favorite was always the pre "burned in" audio cables. They claimed that by burning in the cables the electrons were lined up ready for your listening enjoyment!

We're off topic, and I think the subject has been covered before here, but heck, I always enjoy a good laugh. It seems I was off by a few dollars about the power cord: http://www.highend-electronics.com/50.html "Clairvoyant 4D ZX power cord 1 meter" $1,749 wholesale.

Quote: "ultra-musical, ultra-detailed, smooth, transparent, and quiet with huge soundstaging."

Check out also the fuses, further down on the page, which are "Wonderful rich and full sounding." New and used fuses are available, for only $20 apiece!

:lmao:

(Or maybe I should watch what I say on AUDIOKarma!?!)


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Are the used fuses sold "as-is"?

I bought one once and it was shorted! :D

This whole thing gets even stranger.

I can't make this stuff up.

Originally all l noticed in the TV where the rectifiers (WE). I finally took a closer look around the TV and in the HV cage I found this. It was in the 6SN7 socket. It tests good. Even though the markings have worn off, it's a 6SN7 or 5692 red base.

They are going on Ebay for about $50 to $100 each!

I wish I knew the guy who had put all these tubes into this TV. I don't even remember where I purchased the TV 10 years ago.