Where do you buy your tubes?

Where is a good reliable place to get tubes? I see some nice deals on eBay but am weary. I'm looking for some
Cv181-z Black Treasures and SED Winged “C” 6AS7s specifically.

Thanks for any advice.

 

TubeDepot.com in the U.S.

TheTubeStore.com in Canada.

 

Upscale Audio

 

+ one on the TubeStore. Good people and fast shipping to the US.

 

I've had good success from Brent Jesse (audiotubes.com). I've also done very well from upscaleaudio.com. My wallet doesnt thank me, but my Rogue amps have.

 

The Tube Store, Upscale, Brent Jesse, and Tube Depot for me.

But I have also done just fine on ebay. Just be a careful and selective buyer and you'll probably be ok. If you can't afford to lose if a purchase goes south then I would stick to the other options. But it's usually not hard for a buyer to get their money back if they have been wronged (and even if they haven't).

 

Thanks everyone,

I’m a tube newb and want to make sure I’m getting the real deal. I just made an offer on eBay for the SED Winged C 6AS7s. Taking a chance.

 

Don't forget Tubes-R-Us and Crazy Otto's Tube Emporium.

 

For the Treasure tubes I'd go with the Psvane versions and buy direct from Grant Fidelity rather than a third party seller. Grant Fidelity gets the best tubes of the batch. Third party sellers get the others. But yeah, the Psvane tubes through Grant Fidelity can be more expensive. For the amps I'm buying the tubes for I'm not that price conscious about tube prices. I'm more interested in sound than the price to get it. Here's a history of Treasure and Psvane: Who is Psvane? | Psvane & Treasure Audio Tubes

I'm using the Psvane CV181-TII tubes in my headphone amp. $290 for a pair for new production (ouch!). But for this amp I don't care since I like the sound with those tubes.
Keep in mind that the Psvane and Treasure CV181 tubes are really 6SN7 tubes and not true CV181 tubes. The CV181 marking on them is marketing and not the same as the CV181 of old.

 

1 more vote for thetubestore.com in Canada. Very reliable, and they ship worldwide very fast, excepting a couple of NOS tubes I bought locally in Argentina, I bought all the rest of my tubes (I filled up a big drawer), both new production and NOS tubes from their supply.

 

For the most part I use: The Tube Store, Tube Depot, Cryoset, and Upscale Audio in no particular order. I try to avoid Ebay as much as possible. It’s too much of a crapshoot and I prefer not to get burned there.

 

I bought a quad of Winged "C" (SED) EL34's from the TubeStore a few weeks a go. Even tho they are still breaking in they sounds sweet with full bass, mids and highs that are not overpowering and have great detail.

 

I’ve had good luck withUpscale with both new and vintage tubes b

 

I have all Manley gear so if I want stock tubes, I go to Manley. If I'm looking for something different, Upscale Audio. Plus they are both local to me.

 

Viva Tubes through eBay. Cheaper than other places, never had an issue with their tubes.

 

Another good tube(etc) seller:Antique Electronic Supply. In USA. Very reasonable prices.

 

Any tube retail store is ok for common new manufactured audio tubes. Upscale Audio are best for matching power tubes for push-pull audio amplifiers. Rare and high-end tubes stocks are best at Brent Jessie. Find-a-tube is not an audio tube based seller, but has a lot of tubes and less expensive vs most all other tube supply sites. FindATube.com: Vacuum tubes by mail order, vintage radio parts, antique electronics, buy vacuum tubes

 

I mainly get my output tubes from the Tube Store.
Input tubes have come from all over. The current set from Jim McShane.

 

The Tube Store, Brent Jesse, local sales, eBay sometimes.

For any new production The Tube Store is great.

 

For Europe, I have gotten good tubes from JAC Music in Germany. He has very long delivery times, though. And I also don't share his high opinion of the old Tesla premium tubes. But he is clearly very knowledgeable.

Watford Valves--not cheap, but they have a good reputation AFAIK.

Then there is NOS Tube Store . The owner, Koray, is the real deal. He gives you honest advice on what to buy, and also steers you away from things he doesn't believe you'll be satisfied with.

I also find that I have gotten good tubes from Langrex. They are not a boutique store, though, so they don't seem to do matching on all their tubes.

 

My main tube supplier is Upscale Audio. I've used most of the big online outlets but I get the most tube life/longevity from the folks at Upscale.

 

Brent Jesse is the best!!!

 

The Tube store, Tube Depot and Upscale Audio are my go-to tube dealers. However I deliberately avoid one very popular dealer referenced above because they designate used tubes as being "NOS", which I think is pretty sleazy.

 

Not going to tell us which one or give more information?

 

Sorry, but I don't like to name the names for sellers who I would be inclined give a poor review on the internet. Just read the fine-print on the website for one of the dealers above who miraculously sells thousands of "NOS" tubes for way below the going prices for genuine NOS tubes, and figure-out who this is for yourself... It's not hard to figure out. The dealer in question does not sell any new Russian or Chinese tubes.