Best high quality NEW tubes?

[hotroady]

Thanks - I have a SE EL34 amp and so have a pair of the SED tubes, and a couple of other pairs of NOS tubes. But my new monos take 8 tubes so price vs. performance is a little tilted towards price if you know what I mean. I have 8 of the JJs and 8 generic China tubes that I've had for years as backup. One of these days I'll get some better EL34s.

I forget who it was now. Anyway someone on AudioKarma ordered 8 when he found out they were no longer made. He was real happy with them. Probably not hard to search threads. EH were a fairly rugged tube. Maybe the 6AC7 would be worth trying.

 

[Hermit418]

Thanks -- I looked at their website & found info... but I hadn't gotten a chance to come back to this thread & amend my post (sorry about that).

I am always on the lookout for 2A3 options -- although I've gotta say that the Sofia "meshplate" 2A3 tubes, silly looking as they are, do sound good.

EDIT Those remind me of the old Kron Labs tubes, or maybe the AVVT tubes of yore?

Doesn't EH have a 2A3 which has gold grids? Last time I bought tubes went with EH 6CA7s (matched Quad) from Tubemeister and been very happy especially with the cost. They sell several brands and their prices are among the best I could find.

EH vs JJ in side by side only difference I can find is the JJ is a little more output wattage. The sound is either even or the EH a slight edge on mids/treble area.

After looking at the link above glad I went with the tube amp I did, would hate to have to replace some 2A3s or even a set of 300B at what that site charges.

Perhaps their products are worth the prices, but I am not convinced that they are yet. Had the opportunity to listen to many amps using tubes from the original manufacturers and also Chinese or the Eastern block issues. Some even measure their tubes using very involved equipment and processes, to date a measurement difference hasn't made an audible difference.

Which causes me to question why people pay the prices of some sites when you can get the same tube or a equal sounding offering from sources for considerably less.

I would like to have the chance to do an A/B listening test with an amp using some of these $$$$ tubes perhaps that will provide the proof of the difference and justify at least to me the reason to spend 6 months car load payments for a set of valves.

Not trying to ruffle feathers but I haven't heard a difference and isn't that the bottom line? what is sounds like, longevity and cost...

Until then, waiting for that day and will listen to my little inexpensive valves....

Hermit

 

[btol]

Another happy user of EH 6CA7'S. Use them in my SEP RH Universal variant and they sound great to me.

 

[Hermit418]

Another happy user of EH 6CA7'S. Use them in my SEP RH Universal variant and they sound great to me.

Talked with Bob at Tubemeister and he said go with the EH 6CA7s you will love them and he was right. took about 120 hours to break in but man there is a difference along with the 6AK5s!!!

I tried them with the original Chinese tubes and they have a nice airy quality but the 6AK5s just tighten the bass up and still have the nice open top end. The original power tubes only have about 130 hours on them so I may toss them back in just to get an A/B now that the EH have settled in.

Another bonus if you have RF problems ask him about ferrite chokes as they clamp on and the different mixes of materials are perfect for frequency dependent issues.

Hermit