emergency tube substitution question

Tubes Asylum

Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

There's a stereo tube hi-fi tuner/amp for sale at an estate sale that I need to quickly test before I decide whether or not to buy it. Problem is, one of it's amplifier tubes is incorrect, and there are no spares here. The 3 other amp tubes that are still in there are 7189s, which I believe are roughly the same as EL84s and 6BQ5s. But in place of the 4th one is a 6S4, with which I'm unfamiliar. I'd really like to be able to plug this in and make sure it lights up and doesn't have any obvious signs of problems. OTOH, I don't want to cause any problems by switching it on with the wrong tube in there.
So my question is: would it be safe to test this thing for a few seconds with the "wrong" tube in place? If it helps, I absolve anyone from liability if it turns out to fry the tube or the unit. If anyone can respond soon, I'd appreciate it. I'm trying to buy a few minutes before I have to buy it or not, but I can't wait too long or they're going to sell it to someone else.
Thanks!

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Topic - emergency tube substitution question - rch427 15:41:42 06/04/06 (5)

Re: emergency tube substitution question - vanofmonks 16:37:34 06/04/06 (0)

Next time - unclestu52 16:22:54 06/04/06 (1)

Re: Next time.......Simple... and elegant solution! - ARC 16:11:43 06/05/06 (0)

Re: wrong tube - Ron Oehlert 16:05:15 06/04/06 (1)

Re: wrong tube - rch427 16:12:37 06/04/06 (0)

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