12au7 tube?

All,

Trust is a rare commodity in this hobby.  Being new to tube gear, I really appreciate all of the experiences, insight and recommendations.

Also, FYI - I contacted the folks at premiumvaccumtubes.com.  Their business model is 'don't call us and we won't call you'.  That's correct.  They will only communicate via email or chatbox. 

Hard to say if they are ethical, but I know I will shop elsewhere - the other vendors are happy to discuss their products, and that rapport creates trust (and, thus sales).

@audition__audio   @lowtubes. Thank you both.  It was my understanding too that all three were an arm of Amperex/Philips. The reason I asked who made what for who is I remember reading (can’t remember where) that Mazda did not manufacturer tubes…they were a rebrander only.  In any case they all do sound different.  I have all three varients of 12au7’s and have enjoyed them all over the years depending on the component they’re placed in, system matching, my mood, etc.

@audiojan 

You have a nice system. I use telefunkens and hope they will last a really long time.

When I read your first comment it seems like you're being kind of cheap. Why are you limiting your purse string in this area.??

I don't like trying out different types of tubes I just settled for something that I knew would be exceptional purchased from Jesse. 

@lowtubes there comes a time where tube life may actually exceed one’s own. Maybe a gruesome thought to some, but may as well face reality, lol. With the number of tubes I’ve collected over the years, I’ve decided to try listening to them rather than just collecting ‘em.  Kinda like money…can’t take it with ya.😵‍💫

I don’t recommend people buying a lot of tubes as I e done but I think it’s fine to pick up 2 or 3 different pairs of well respected vintage tubes and hear which they prefer. But if someone is already happy with the tubes they’re using, then I don’t see a need to try something else.  I’ve always did the tube rolling thing because I was curious about the differences. But nowadays, if I get a new component in my home and if it sounds good with the existing tubes, I usually leave it alone. About a yr ago, I purchased a very large single ended tube amplifier that uses GE 805 tube driven my a 300b and some small GE 5751 tubes with a Amperex 12ax7.  All the tubes in the amplifier are vintage and to me, the amp sounded fine. So I left all the existing tubes in the amp and went on to purchasing many of the exact tubes as backups. I don’t like having such a big collection of tubes and that is gonna be my children’s problem when I die. I feel having tubes in stock is similar to having cables in stock. All these things are tweaks to perfect the ultimate sound. I have a decent collection of cables as well, Interconnects, power cables and speaker cables. I own about 5 tube testers and have about 15 tube amplifiers.  Not suggesting anyone go to this level as I know I’ve went too far.