Orange Valve Tester MKII

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War_in_D said:
Being from the UK, would you have to use it with 230V power source? Don't forget that you'll have to pay import duties too if you buy overseas.
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I wouldn't think so, but would probably need a US adapter...which I didn't account for, so this will be a fun experiment whenever it arrives.

No idea how import duties work, but the handful of times I've bought things abroad it was always all included.
 
ners said:
I wouldn't think so, but would probably need a US adapter...which I didn't account for, so this will be a fun experiment whenever it arrives.

No idea how import duties work, but the handful of times I've bought things abroad it was always all included.
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I did a quick Google search, and if what I saw was correct, anything under $800 there isn't any import fees/duties. Between $800 to $1800 it was a flat 4% of the price, so not too bad considering. I've got an offer in at eBay on the ones that Sweetwater has listed. They countered my first offer with the same ~$50 off they sent me the first time. I countered back again at a little bit higher, and haven't gotten shot down yet so I guess we'll see what happens. I figure they'll just let my offer expire without a response.
 
dead-pan said:
https://maximatcher.com/product/maximatcher-ii/

https://maximatcher.com/product/maxipreamp-ii/

I have no experience with these but they are what I considered buying after I sold the VT1000.

I since bought a vintage Jackson tester that I have never even powered on.

Honestly, a bias probe is all I really need.

I generally test a ton of tubes in each amp to see if there is a specific combination I like best. A tester couldn't tell me this.

I've had power tubes fail, sometimes taking out the screen grid resistors and fuse. Sometimes not. A tester couldn't have prevented this.

Hell, I even like mismatched power tubes in old Fender amps...

Just my thoughts.
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I have 2 devices I use....one, a vintage (lol) Mighty Mite suitcase tube tester, 50 bucks on eBay long ago...and a bias tool, which is basically a tube socket that plugs in to a multimeter. The tube tester tests for emissions(ie how good/tests new or no?), grid leaks and shorts. It's never steered me wrong. I've bought many used/strong tubes and immediately returned any that didn't test good or had grid leaks/multiple shorts. Once I test the tube and it passes, I then use one of my amps to test the ma/voltage to match. The bias tool tells me what ma number each tube has; I simply write that on the tube base and that's how I match my tubes. I did that with all 60 or so EL34s.

Like you, I actually like the tone with the lowest ma tube 7-10ma lower than the highest. For example, my quad of Siemens in my 72 SL bias in at 31ma up to 39ma. I put in a different quad that were more closely matched, and it didn't sound as good. Go figure.

I get that the more expensive testers can do much more than my setup, but mine hasn't missed anything in testing for bad tubes. The MT 100 I got last fall, had a new TAD 6L6GC red plate the first night....after removing those tubes I tested them...all of them, brand new TADs, tested at 85% emission where 80 is minimum good. Lol. These are 'New' tubes. By contrast, I put in a quad of 90s Sovtek 5881s and they tested at 115%...120% is the max....and they've been running great ever since.
This is a prime example of why I don't waste my time with any 'new production' power tubes.
They're shit.
 
Just picked one of these up from ZZounds, should be here Wednesday. I'm going to check it against my power tubes that I recently went through with my Maximatcher. If it shows consistent results as far as matching power tubes goes, I'll probably be turning the Maximatcher out to pasture and moving it on. I like the idea of having actual numbers, but for my needs as long as it'll consistently match power tubes then that's all I need. Added bonus for being able to check preamp tubes as well in the same unit.
 
War_in_D said:
Being from the UK, would you have to use it with 230V power source? Don't forget that you'll have to pay import duties too if you buy overseas.
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Welp...
1000006029.jpg


I think this an American version of the outlet cable? Don't know what that three barrel connector is officially called... https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...8M-AJqnlvfJ9RWiD474uRYcTnt1mYh04aAs2WEALw_wcB
 
ners said:
Welp...
View attachment 329022

I think this an American version of the outlet cable? Don't know what that three barrel connector is officially called... https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...8M-AJqnlvfJ9RWiD474uRYcTnt1mYh04aAs2WEALw_wcB
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I'd actually contacted HiFi Collective before I bought the one I got from Zzounds. They said they could have sent it with a US style plug, you just needed to let them know that that's what you need. If you didn't reach out to them prior to buying, they probably sent it with the UK plug as standard. I'm still not sure if the power source that you plug it into would be compatible with either 120 volt or 230 volt. That's what had me concerned.
 
Yeah probably should have done that, but they really should just assume based on the shipping address.

The brick is what determines volts/amps and are transformers to whatever the device needs (19v), then the outlet cable is purely for plugging in wherever. This brick says 100-240v so it's basically universally compatible and you just need the proper adapter.

I started googling product number from the brick and its quite literally just a laptop charger.

EDIT: Found an old laptop cable I could use and this thing seems to be working fine.
 
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Any more experience with these things? If it's being powered by a simple AC/DC converter, then it can't possibly test tubes at actual operating voltages, which makes it pretty much useless...
 
FourT6and2 said:
Any more experience with these things? If it's being powered by a simple AC/DC converter, then it can't possibly test tubes at actual operating voltages, which makes it pretty much useless...
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Still have mine, still using it, still working fine. Don't know anything about "how" it works regarding voltages, etc.., other than it confirmed what I already knew about tubes I have that had been tested with my Maximatcher before I sold it. Meaning that it showed matched when the Maximatcher showed matched, and it weeded out the same tubes as "bad" that both my Hickok 800 and Maxi showed as bad. Good enough for me. I'm not a tube reseller, so I Just needed something that can at least tell me if tubes are good/bad, matches them within reason and that worked for both power and preamp tubes, so it fit the bill.

I keep hearing people say "it can't possibly", and "if you don't get actual numbers" blah, blah, blah... All I can say to those folks is don't buy one if you don't have confidence in it. :dunno:
 
War_in_D said:
Still have mine, still using it, still working fine. Don't know anything about "how" it works regarding voltages, etc.., other than it confirmed what I already knew about tubes I have that had been tested with my Maximatcher before I sold it. Meaning that it showed matched when the Maximatcher showed matched, and it weeded out the same tubes as "bad" that both my Hickok 800 and Maxi showed as bad. Good enough for me. I'm not a tube reseller, so I Just needed something that can at least tell me if tubes are good/bad, matches them within reason and that worked for both power and preamp tubes, so it fit the bill.

I keep hearing people say "it can't possibly", and "if you don't get actual numbers" blah, blah, blah... All I can say to those folks is don't buy one if you don't have confidence in it. :dunno:
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Thanks for the info.

My point about voltages, though, is important. You can test a tube at 19v on the plates and it might show good. Put it in a guitar amp, with 200v, 300v, 500v+ on them and it won't perform the same.
 
FourT6and2 said:
Thanks for the info.

My point about voltages, though, is important. You can test a tube at 19v on the plates and it might show good. Put it in a guitar amp, with 200v, 300v, 500v+ on them and it won't perform the same.
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Same with capacitors, but I do use a tester anyway.
 
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