The real problem is that out of a lot of 500 tubes, sometimes as many as 200 would test bad and/or be unmatchable and the manufacturer does not take them back.
Do you Know a Trusted Seller of Chinese Vacuum Tubes?
With the terrible Russian offensive/war and the drying up of NOS tubes, I ventured more deeply into Chinese tubes.
Does anyone have a recommended seller who might actually test for noise/microphonics? I wish Kevin Deal's outfit would start carrying some of the premium offerings. I'm surprised he doesn't given (I think) Primaluna branded tubes are likely Chinese (Shuguang, maybe?).
Some of the Chinese preamp tubes I've tried sound glorious. Getting them without noise can be a challenge.