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All Electron Tubes Manufacturers

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Gold_xyz

Gold_xyz

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Joined 2005
#1
#4
Hi Wa2ise,
I use firefox (isp verizon) and just click on the link to " rest of the world" Svetlana does not do business in North American, importer is PM Components from the UK, sold here under the "Winged C" brand.
Full datasheets and a lot of other information are available if you actually get in.

Hi Gold_xyz

Check out TJ tubes here -
http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_tj-factory-trip.htm

They don't appear to have their own site. Widely available in the U.S.A, Europe and Japan - well regarded too. Their main competitor would appear to be KRAudio.. Probably first mesh plate globe 300B widely available, also make PX series tubes, 274 rectifiers, and WE101D, WE201D, WE205D etc..


Also Western Electric/Westrex here -
http://www.westernelectric.com/

New plant, and IMHO still one of the best current production 300B if not the best.


KRAudio here -
http://www.kraudio.cz/

One of top review current 300B, also make PX series tubes, 211 and 845

Sovtek/Tungsol/Mullard/Electro-Harmonix (EH)
http://www.sovtek.com
made in a plant in Russia currently for the moment anyway still owned and operated by Mike Matthews.

A V V T is gone but jacmusic still has stock. I heard there was going to be a collaboration between Vaic and Audio Note UK, but no longer see that mentioned on the AN website.

Emission Labs here -
http://www.emissionlabs.com/index-en.htm


MU makes custom tubes for the military and is the only fully integrated producer left in the US. They don't make their own glass but that's about it.

Richardson, makes certain types to order.
 
#5
kevinkr said:
Hi Wa2ise,
I use firefox (isp verizon) and just click on the link to " rest of the world" Svetlana does not do business in North American, importer is PM Components from the UK, sold here under the "Winged C" brand.
Full datasheets and a lot of other information are available if you actually get in.

Hi Gold_xyz

Check out TJ tubes here -
http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_tj-factory-trip.htm

They don't appear to have their own site. Widely available in the U.S.A, Europe and Japan - well regarded too. Their main competitor would appear to be KRAudio.. Probably first mesh plate globe 300B widely available, also make PX series tubes, 274 rectifiers, and WE101D, WE201D, WE205D etc..


Also Western Electric/Westrex here -
http://www.westernelectric.com/

New plant, and IMHO still one of the best current production 300B if not the best.


KRAudio here -
http://www.kraudio.cz/

One of top review current 300B, also make PX series tubes, 211 and 845

Sovtek/Tungsol/Mullard/Electro-Harmonix (EH)
http://www.sovtek.com
made in a plant in Russia currently for the moment anyway still owned and operated by Mike Matthews.

A V V T is gone but jacmusic still has stock. I heard there was going to be a collaboration between Vaic and Audio Note UK, but no longer see that mentioned on the AN website.

Emission Labs here -
http://www.emissionlabs.com/index-en.htm


MU makes custom tubes for the military and is the only fully integrated producer left in the US. They don't make their own glass but that's about it.

Richardson, makes certain types to order.
Click to expand...

Ooooooh ! 😱
http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_tj-factory-trip.htm
268.gif


Thankyou !!! 😀
 
#9
Fullmusic and TJ are one and the same IIRC.. I couldn't find the site you posted when I was looking the other day when I posted the list.

This site seems targetted more to the Asian market as all of the reviews and a lot of other information appears to be in Chinese.
The data sheets are in passably good English though (the ones I checked anyway) and have a lot of useful information.

This outfit actually makes lots of good tubes, and many people recommend them. I have heard the 300B globe meshplate and it is very nice. There are plenty of positive English language reviews to be found on the web for many of their products.
 
#11
IIRC PentaLabs is a US reseller based in Chatsworth, Ca. They purchase and resell tubes from a variety of different sources and in some instances relabel tubes from China and elsewhere under their own label.

I purchased PentaLabs tubes on a number of occasions for my business and never had any problems with their tested tubes..

They currently have a large selection of audio tubes from a variety of sources - theirs appear to be Shuguang rebranded which jibes with my memory of 12AX7A I used to buy. They also apparently have a large stock of some NOS types - nothing special IMO.
 
#12
IMHO I avoid Shuguang manufactured tubes whenever possible, both Valve Arts and TJ make far more reliable, albeit more expensive tubes.

I purchased about 20 Shuguang 300B in late 1990's and every single one of them failed in service within six months - well within my warranty period and I ended up replacing them all, and unfortunately due to time in service almost all were beyond the vendor warranty. They were operated well within ratings 380V@ 45mA each. (Fixed bias PP) Note that they didn't fare any better in a cathode biased SE amplifier running at 60mA and 400V on the plate. (320V across the tube.)

I replaced them all with Valve Arts entry level 300B which sounded better and was considerably more reliable, although nowhere close to being in the same league as JJ, WE, KR or AVVT.

The above comments are my OPINION, as always YMMV.. Caveat Emptor as the Romans used to say...
 
#13
Your right, some of what Penta distributes is Shuguang. I was looking at thier broadcast stuff, where such failures are anathema.

The Penta audio lines dont appear to coincide with thier broadcast lines. The new production "audio" tubes they are offer are from Shuguang, Ei, and Teslovak (Shuguang brand). For example they offer Shuguang 845s as an audio tube, but not as a broadcast tube.

It looks like they offer 417A/5842s and 300Bs as industrial tubes too.
 
#14
I used Penta's graphite-plate 833s which great success. They appear to be very nicely made, and they were a bargain too. I spoke to a Penta engineer and he told me that part of the tube’s manufacturing flow was in the US and part was in China. He even considered modifications to the internal structure for me. So, my point is that I think Penta qualifies, at least for the larger transmitting tubes, as a manufacturer with Chinese connections, rather than as a mere relabeler. For the small tubes, I believe they do relabel.
 
#15
I purchased about 20 Shuguang 300B in late 1990's and every single one of them failed
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that their quality control has improved since then. I have been using their 300B-98 for almost two years (about 20 tubes) with zero failures.

I bought two cartons of their KT-88's in the late 90's, cheap from a tube vendor who decided not to carry them any longer due to failures. I learned quickly not to put them in guitar amps that run 500 volts. I used them in 30 WPC P-P amps with good success. I have been recently testing them in my new SimpleSE. I have fried two of them in a month. I was running them at 30 watts dissipation (within the KT-88 spec) and there were red spots on the plate. I have not tried their new KT-88's.

I bought some of their "Coke Bottle" 6L6GC's because AES claimed that "they couldn't blow them up". I have had them up to 45 watts dissipation where the plate emitted an even orange glow, no failures after two hours at this pace. I have used these in Fender guitar amps that eat 6L6's for lunch. I haven't blown them up yet either.

I have a few 6CA7's that are branded "Penta laborotories" "made in USA". I don't know who made them, but they all (5) exhibit the abillity to arc randomly even at 400 volts or less. JJ's or Shuguangs run fine in my amp even at 485 volts in triode mode. 2 out of 4 new Svetlanas have exhibited glowing grid syndrome, even at 400 volts. The other two work fine at 485 volts.
 
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