Outstanding tube sockets?

[Cliff Schecht]

I with diagrammatiks, don't cheap out on the sockets. Whenever I can find them I use the old brown phenolic Cinch style sockets. I've never had one fail and if you are patient they can be had for a very fair price. For new manufacture I just go with Belden - they are solidly built and have a great reputation as well.

[David Root]

Those NOS Omron octal phenolic sockets from Apex Jr. are very good value, I use them up to about 400 or so Vp, made in Japan.

[Lonely Raven]

I with diagrammatiks, don't cheap out on the sockets. Whenever I can find them I use the old brown phenolic Cinch style sockets. I've never had one fail and if you are patient they can be had for a very fair price. For new manufacture I just go with Belden - they are solidly built and have a great reputation as well.

Do you have a link, brand, model or example of what old brown phenolic cinch sockets you're talking about to help me find some?

[Structo]

I think this was the style I used on my last 100w amp.
I like the dual eyelets for heater wiring.

To you guys that have built a lot of amps, do you think this type of pin contact is better than the wrap around style?
Which seems to hold up better over the years?

This type with the two contacts on the pin?

[img2336]http://www.apexjr.com/images/OmronSocket.jpg[/img]


Or this type of wrap around pin contact?

[img:623:338]http://www.apexjr.com/images/11pinPCmount.jpg[/img]

[Cliff Schecht]

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... -ST9-213MX

Cinch is a brand. They aren't cheap from AES but they at least have them. IIRC Ken Fischer used these for some of his TW's..

Amphenol also makes great old micalex sockets but those are even harder to find.

[Lonely Raven]

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... -ST9-213MX

Cinch is a brand. They aren't cheap from AES but they at least have them. IIRC Ken Fischer used these for some of his TW's..

Amphenol also makes great old micalex sockets but those are even harder to find.

Ahh, I didn't get that was a name brand. Cool, I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!

[Cliff Schecht]

I think this was the style I used on my last 100w amp.
I like the dual eyelets for heater wiring.

To you guys that have built a lot of amps, do you think this type of pin contact is better than the wrap around style?
Which seems to hold up better over the years?

This type with the two contacts on the pin?

[img2336]http://www.apexjr.com/images/OmronSocket.jpg[/img]


Or this type of wrap around pin contact?

[img:623:338]http://www.apexjr.com/images/11pinPCmount.jpg[/img]

I much prefer the first type you posted with the double holes. I prefer NOS or vintage when I can find them but again the Belden stuff is top notch nowadays. Only problem I have with Belden is you can't bend the tabs AT ALL or they will break off. If you find these old/NOS then they tend to be phenolic, newer stuff is micalex or plastic. I prefer phenolic because of the heat resistance.

[diagrammatiks]

partsconnexion sells these guys...

teflon/micalex composite.

the pins look like they are molded right into the plastic

[img:300:263]http://www.partsconnexion.com/media/pro ... -72130.jpg[/img]

the qqq's seem pretty good too.

[img:300:199]http://www.partsconnexion.com/media/pro ... -71376.jpg[/img]

angela also sells the qqq.

both are less then 5 each.

I've looked over the cmc teflon ones a bunch but I still need to be able to bend pins around so the post terminals don't work for me.

[diagrammatiks]

grab the teflon. they'll never need to be replaced. lower pin to pin capacitance. no risk of arcing.

Not so. I've had to replace some high voltage plugs on a microscope that were teflon - they arced VERY well.

was the teflon arcing or were the pins arcing?

teflon has no risk of the material becoming conductive.

[Prairie Dawg]

I prefer military surplus Amphenol sockets when I can get them. I did get a bunch of Chinese made bakelite sockets a couple years ago and they're quite good as well.

[bluesfendermanblues]

I think this was the style I used on my last 100w amp.
I like the dual eyelets for heater wiring.

To you guys that have built a lot of amps, do you think this type of pin contact is better than the wrap around style?
Which seems to hold up better over the years?

This type with the two contacts on the pin?

[img2336]http://www.apexjr.com/images/OmronSocket.jpg[/img]


Or this type of wrap around pin contact?

[img:623:338]http://www.apexjr.com/images/11pinPCmount.jpg[/img]

@Tom, based on experience with the ones used in SF Fenders, I prefer the "wrap around pin contact".

I have serviced a lot of those over the years and when the contacts have lost their firm grip - after many hours of warm up/cool down as well as from changing tubes - its pretty much a standard procedure to tighten the pin contact with a small screwdriver. They seem to last forever, but again that was the old ones from the 70s - so guess I have to say NOS "wrap around pin contact"

[Lonely Raven]

Funny you mention that...part of what made me think to ask about tube sockets was that I'm just finishing up a SF Super Reverb basket case. I've got a chassis, transformers, cabinet, and speakers from different sources, and I'm putting it all together. I had an intermittent popping so I thought I'd retention the sockets with a jewelers screwdriver and the popping went away.

[Zippy]

grab the teflon. they'll never need to be replaced. lower pin to pin capacitance. no risk of arcing.

Not so. I've had to replace some high voltage plugs on a microscope that were teflon - they arced VERY well.

was the teflon arcing or were the pins arcing?

teflon has no risk of the material becoming conductive.

When it was disassembled, there were arc traces between pins. To the tech and me, it didn't matter that the teflon couldn't become conductive. Fact was that arc traces rendered the part unusable and required replacement. The teflon failed to suppress the possibility of failure by arc.

[Lonely Raven]

Not so. I've had to replace some high voltage plugs on a microscope that were teflon - they arced VERY well.

was the teflon arcing or were the pins arcing?

teflon has no risk of the material becoming conductive.

When it was disassembled, there were arc traces between pins. To the tech and me, it didn't matter that the teflon couldn't become conductive. Fact was that arc traces rendered the part unusable and required replacement. The teflon failed to suppress the possibility of failure by arc.

That sounds like a design flaw, not a problem with the Teflon.

[pamaz67]

http://www.cmc-audio.com/teflon-tube-sockets-c.html

Nit really confortable to solder them, and you'll need to isolate each pin with a few shrinking tubing.
But the quality is excellent.
They are around 10 usd each.
paolo