Recently purchased a BK Dyna Jet 707 tube tester on Ebay.
Sent it off to another
Ebay gentlemen that refurbish and calibrated it. All in less than $350.
Works great.
Tube Tester
Just replaced vacuum tubes in my amp. Had a power fault. Replaced the whole right channel because I did not know which tubes actually failed.
Brought back up the idea of getting a tube tester. I have searched for them a few times and have a hard time figuring out their differences and quality.
Any of you have recommendations for me on how to navigate a tube tester purchase?
Thanks in advance
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- 16 posts total
If you must buy a tube tester first learn about the features and capabilities of all the various Hickok testers. Then buy the best you can afford that has been refurbished, calibrated, and guaranteed by the seller. And keep in mind that most cannot properly test a power tube. For small signal tubes, they’re fine. I stipulate Hickok because they were the premier company and are still revered. Hence there are guys who can repair them, and parts are available. Also, they were simply the best. So far as I can tell, Hickok made the BK testers too. That’s if you’re going to buy vintage. If you want to spend big bucks and buy new, see Amplitron and others. |
It is a bit more $$ but I am a big fan of the µ-tracer. https://www.dos4ever.com/uTracer3/uTracer3_pag0.html dave |
I've had several tube testers and they all worked pretty well. But they all work and test differently. My problem was that most testers didn't test all of the tube types I was using. I finally settled on a Heathkit TT-1A, based on (but not the same as) the Weston 981-3. I can test just about any tube ever made. Mine was a factory build but many of the home builds are just fine. Like any analog tube tester it pays to either buy a unit that was recently serviced or get it serviced. That makes all the difference and provides confidence and assurance in the test values. |
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