Let's share secrets of Lamm 6C33C tubes


Lamm owners please share your experience on the 6C33C tubes in relation to the V1 and V2 positions.

I know the Lamm is very specific with their factory tubes as to which tubes goes where but I guess many owners would have brought from other suppliers and did the matching themselves.
I found that nearly all tubes work on the V1 position but not on V2. Now, I brought tubes from The Tube Stores and they marked them with range between(18 - 39)! I wonder what would be the best combination? Anyone knows the secrets?
luna

Showing 1 response by jedinite24

Hi Maril555

I don't know the answer to the V1 vs V2 question but I thought I'd share with you my horrendous experiences with buying those cheaper 6C33C tubes that are often listed on popular auction sites.

Often times the sellers of the 6C33C tubes are overseas and they don't give a damn about packaging. Even sellers with high feedback just wrap them up in bubble wrap put in box, and drop it off in the mail. I had a set of 4 tubes come in a box that looked like a soccer team kicked the box around. The ones that do survive the trip you are lucky if they will work of test well. Out of 8 tubes I purchased 2 were good enough to use in my amps. Others arced, died a quick death or were just plain DOA.

Lamm and other US sellers may charge more for these 6C33C tubes but I believe they have to go through a lot tubes to get decent ones for their gear. I really wouldn't buy 6C33C tubes unless they were tested. Too many things can go wrong if you get a bad set. I blew the fuses in my amps how many times buying these cheaper 6C33C tubes. I was lucky I didn't damage my amps or speakers. I got real lucky and scored Lamm tested 6C33C tubes from an estate sale at a very decent price. Each box did have a specific V marking but in my case that didn't matter to me. There was no documentation with these tubes stating why each tube had a V marking.