Looking for suggestions for a good and trusted tube dealer

I have purchased tubes from Brent on several occasions , all positive experiences. In other similar threads members have recommend him, and Andy as well. Some other options are Tube Depot , Upscale Audio, Viva Tubes, The Tubestore. 

Thanks for the feed back.

I was reading on Andy's website that he himself does everything from taking the order to matching/testing, packing and finally shipping.  I am looking for the personal touch and attention, but I was wondering if that adversely affected his delivery time.

You can trust Brent Jessee. I believe he does the very same things that you say Andy does when it comes to tubes.

All the best,
Nonoise

Thanks for the feed back.  FWIW,  I like his site.

@facten 

Good job, that pretty much covers the subject. I’ve used The Tube Store and Upscale repeatedly.

Nobody does it like Andy, he has better equipment than other tube dealers. When you order from Andy you have to call him on the phone, he will let you know how long it will take to receive your tubes, it's worth the wait.

I've been very satisfied with the Tube Depot.

I have been buying from both Viva Tubes and Tube Depot.

I mostly go to:

Jim McShane

Brent Jesse

I also like Tube Depot.

I've had a number of bad experiences with Upscale.

Thanks for all the input!

I sent Brent Jesse an email earlier, describing my system & listening preferences, and asking him what he would recommend.  I'll probably give Andy a call also.  25 years or so ago he did sell me some great sounding 12AU7s and 6922s, and I remember that talking to him was interesting.  It does look like he has a lot of 6SN7s.

I did have a good experience buying EL34s from Jim McShane, but I note that he doesn't seem to presently have a lot in the way of 6SN7s right now.

Without mentioning them by name, some of the other places I have bought tubes from do a great job of writing about the tubes they are selling, but I am sometimes wondering if it is just some very good writing.

Thanks to all for the input!

Be aware (and to some extent, "beware") of so-called NOS that are "pulls" i.e., used tubes that "test" like new. Most are labelled "NOS" but it is often defined in the small print with qualifications.

It is getting very hard to find even some common audio tube types that are true NOS. Andy is truly old school, but I like him and have dealt with Brent, Brendan Bievers, and several others over the years. All have been reputable in their dealings with me. Tubemonger is another one that was known for very good tubes, but have not bought from them in a few years. 

Thanks, Wharf, it was basically with that in mind that I was wondering about Brent Jessee and also how ordering from Andy was working out these days.

Andy is slow, but good. Brent does qualify what he lists, but does have true NOS- which he will usually call out, but check with him. I prefer phone to email although as a retired lawyer, having things in writing is my first instinct. The trick is to work with these guys, particularly Andy, and go with it. That works better by phone since I don’t think Andy even does email.

It also depends on the tube, obviously. One thing I found-- in my Lamm ML2, I only roll one tube, a 12ax7, a very common audio tube. (The rest come from Vlad directly).

When checking bias, any so-called NOS 12ax7 Tele ribbed plate will eventually lead to constant adjustments- for some reason, putting a fresh, old, never used Tele ribbed plate = extremely stable bias (using the requisite Fluke meter). Trying to find those relatively common tubes (I paid 10 bucks a piece for them back in the ’80s as old stock) isn’t easy. And, Andy won’t sell Russian tubes, e.g DR variant of 6H30, another really hard to find tube as true old stock that hasn’t been counterfeited.

I’m a dilettante when it comes to tubes, though I’ve been using them exclusively in my hi-fi systems since the early ’70s. I do not profess guru status. There’s a lot to know. I bought some Mullard tubes for my Allnic H3000 a number of years ago, branded on the glass as made in Great Britain. Turned out they were made in the U.S. by Amperex. At the time, tube companies shared production capacity to meet demand when tubes were mainstream-- it wasn’t considered deceptive. But, given the prices now commanded for vintage tubes, you either work with a trusted dealer, take your chances, or find a current production tube that works. I gather, from discussions on the 6H30, that the current production Sovtek/EH is fine for some equipment but can hear the difference between the new production and the old DR variant on my line stage. So, some of it is circuit. There are also so called Kardashian tubes which are famous for being famous. Would you pay 19k US for a pair of real WE 300B? Some might, and not blink.

Bill Hart

Andy is the best I've found for top quality tubes which are truly NOS. He measures every aspect of a tube including noise and microphonics. Brent is great as well but does not test for noise. There is a $10 fee for noise testing, no big deal, just remember to request it especially if purchasing 6SN7's.

Prices have increased dramatically over the past couple of years due to the dwindling supply of new old stock. As whart has mentioned, many so called NOS tubes have been pulled out of a particular device and may even have the original box. An honest dealer will list tubes as "tests as new" and provide test results.

    Another vote for Brent Jessee, for signal (octal and nine pin) tubes (excellent tube quality/testing protocols and customer support*).

     For power tubes: Upscale Audio and these guys:

https://tctubes.com/6550-KT88-KT90-KT120-tubes.aspx   (*ditto, for both)

     This eBay seller, in Germany, for the real thing in NOS, rare Siemens, Teles, etc:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dmd=2&iconV2Request=true&_ssn=audiotubes_de&store_cat=0&store_name=tubesandradio&_oac=1   (*ditto)

Having bought from most of the providers mentioned above, for my better NOS pairs I finally caved and bought some curve tracer matched-triode pairs from Brent Jesse. They did exceed others and were worth the added cost. 

I mostly buy my tubes from Brent Jessee.... 

I sure appreciate all the feedback!

Brent Jessee did email me back. I had described my system, the room, & my musical preferences and he replied:

"NOS tubes will be far better than the EH tubes you are running now.  I would suggest General Electric for your taste in music:

Good: 6SN7GTB 1960s GE side getter, $75.00 per matched pair

Best: 6SN7GTA 1950s GE short bottle, $119.00 per matched pair

Both are rock solid performers, the GTA has a bit more image and focus."

I still haven't called Andy yet.  I think I'll give him a call tonight or sometime tomorrow.