PREMIUM TUBE SETS

We search the world over for vacuum tubes sets which we classify as PREMIUM.  They are value-priced (they don’t cost a small fortune) and make you and your amp sound great.

We choose many tubes from the 1940’s to the present.  Some tubes may have been hidden away for years in old warehouses, military bunkers, storage sheds or grandpa’s attic.  They come from Russia, Europe, Asia, and the good ole USA.  Recent great finds include Russian military (1960’s to 1980’s usually including 6V6/6N6C, 6L6GC/5881 equivalents, and 6BQ5/EL84/6P14P equivalents, etc).  When they get into our tube lab, they are quality tested on Hickok 539B or 580 tube testers for gain, life test, shorts and physical appearance.  MATCHED TUBE SETS are matched first for manufacturer (tube code, not label) and then for gain/current draw.

We often get tubes that are decades old it and it is hard to determine if they are New in the Box (NIB), New Old Stock (NOS), bulk lots sold without boxes, or replacement tubes with great life still left in them.  Our extensive experience and comprehensive testing means we throw out a lot of old and new tubes if they test below minimum “NEW” reading on our calibrated tube testers or they don’t pass the LIFE TEST.  You can be assured that all the tubes we sell are NIB/NOS or tested new or better according to manufacturer standards.  We don’t specify the brands sold in Premium Tube sets since we want to give you the BEST VALUE for the price. With over 6,000 satisfied customers on EBAY, our quality control, selection criteria and value pricing have proven results, so we are confident that you will be pleased with your purchase.  For customers who want specific tube brands, these are often available as individual or matching tube sets. Click on the “Individual Tube Sets” links to the left of this description for a great selection or ask us before you bid.

We arrange all the tubes we sell into several classes to make it easier to find what you need.  The classes include:

Class

Examples

Rectifiers:

5AR4/GZ34, 5U4, 5V4, 5Y3, 5Z3, 6CA4/EZ81, 6X4, 6X5, 12X4, 35W4, 35Z5, 0A2, 0B2, 0C3

Preamp Tubes

6AN8, 6AT6, 6AU6, 6BA6, 6BJ7, 6C10, 6C4, 6BL8, 6CX8, 6EU7, 6J5, 6J7, 6K11, 6SC7, 6SH7, 6SJ7, 6SL7, 6SN7, 6SQ7, 6U10, 6V4, 12BH7, 12AT7, 12AX7, 12AU7, 12AY7, 12DW7/7247/ECC832, 6973/6CZ5, 7199, 6267/EF86, 12AU6, 6CG7

Power Amp- Audio

6AQ5, 6BQ5/EL84, 6K6, 6L6GC/5881, 6V6, 6CA7/EL34, 6550/KT-88, 7591/S,7027, 6BM8, KT-77, 6GW8/ECL86

RF Amp Driver

6CL6, 6GK6, 12BY7, 5763, 6360

Power Amp- RF

6146/A/B/W, 6JB6, 6JM6, 6KD6, 6JS6C, 6LQ6/6MJ6/6JE6, 6LB6, 6LF6, 8950, 2E26, 6883, 8298/A, 572B, 807, 811A, 813, 1625, 4CX250B

Note:  we have RF power tubes for most ham equipment manufacturers including Ameritron, Collins, Drake, Galaxy, Hallicrafters, Heath, Johnson, Kenwood, Knight, National, Swan and Yaesu.

Typical tube manufacturers include the following:

USA Made: RCA, Sylvania, GE, JAN, Hammond, Conn, Baldwin, Silvertone, Delco, EIMAC, etc.

Foreign made: Russian Military, Sovtek, Svetlana, Shuguang, Mesa Boogie, Electro Harmonix, JJ Electronics, Ruby and Groove Tubes (Shuguang).

Premium Tube sets usually DO NOT INCLUDE manufacturers such as Telefunken, Mullard, Phillips, Valco and other high priced tubes.  These tube brands are sometimes available as matching sets in the Individual Tube Sets section of my store or may be available in our SELECT or ULTRA Tube Sets.

In order to offer the best prices for our customers, we may substitute high quality equivalent tubes.  Click HERE to see a cross reference table of equivalent tubes that are equal or better in performance than the original tubes.

NOTE: WE HAVE MANY SETS OF THESE TUBES AND THE ONES YOU RECEIVE MAY NOT BE IN THE SAME BOXES OR BE THE SAME MANUFACTURERS AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE AUCTION PICTURE, BUT THEY HAVE ALL BEEN TESTED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS ON OUR TUBE TESTER. EQUIVALENT PERFORMANCE RESULTS IN YOUR TUBE TESTER OR IN YOUR AMPLIFIER CANNOT BE GUARANTEED DUE TO VARIATIONS IN EQUIPMENT AND CALIBRATION BEYOND OUR CONTROL.  WE USE PROCOMM, EI AND WESTINGHOUSE TUBE BOXES FOR ILLUSTRATION OF THE TUBES IN AN AUCTION TUBE SET ONLY!