Testing and matching GE JAN 5654W tubes
This video shows the testing of vintage GE JAN 5654W vacuum tubes using a Hickok 539B tube tester, and highlights the test parameters used for quality checks and tube matching on Hickok 539B/C series tube testers. The 5654W vacuum tube was originally designed as a premium quality substitute/replacement for 6AK5 and EF95 tubes. These ruggedized electron tubes were used decades ago in FAA and military communications applications. The 5654W tube has more recently found new life as a replacement/upgrade for 6AK5 and EF95 tubes used in headphones and other audio amplifiers, and as an upgrade for audio devices utilizing 6J1 vacuum tubes. The GE 5654W tubes in this video were obtained from factory-sealed boxes that had been in long-term storage. With the increasing popularity of tube-based headphones and other tube-based audio amplifiers in the US and Asia, sealed boxes of unused, mint-condition, vacuum tubes are becoming increasingly difficult to find. This video is an effort to further the documentation of various vintage tubes, and the test procedures used with vintage electron tubes.