dincz Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 In a previous life I must have replaced hundreds of valves in a variety of broadcasting and telecoms gear. In some cases, we'd select the best one after testing their characteristics but testing was not usual and brand was certainly never an issue. The gear had to meet tight specs and performance was much more critical than is the case in a MI amplifier. The valves at that time all came from the traditional manufacturers e.g. Mullard, Brimar, RCA, Telefunken etc. I wonder what's happened in the past couple of decades. Has quality control slipped, or is it marketing bollocks and snake oil that's led to the current navel-gazing over valve brands? I'm particularly intrigued by claims that one brand is "bright" or "scooped" or whatever, while another is .... (you name it). Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassPimp66 Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 I was told by an industry insider that valve production has move east because of environmental concerns. Valves are pretty nasty for the environment. So, gradually no more made in Europe or made in USA. And, with that a significant drop in quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Pretty much quality control slipped because no-one that really cares buys valves any more. Making valves is basically banned in the EU and the US because of the necessary chemicals to make them. Economies of scale are a fair chunk of it, you can get good valves, aimed for the hifi lot and super expensive. Some valve manufacturers are on the way back up in quality, I think the old machines and tool they were using got worn enough that the Chinese have made new ones and the tolerances are back up, Shuguang power valves have been pretty good for me (and a few techs like Chambo and John Beer agree on their sites). The pre valves from them are pretty hit and miss still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 (edited) Yes, quality has slipped. But that does not mean high-quality tubes are extinct. Quite the contrary. NOS are still fairly plentiful, depending on the tube type. Some of the factories have also come up in quality. These two on-line stores test and review tubes, so if you're in the market, their review pages are a starting point for current quality tubes. [url="http://www.thetubestore.com"]http://www.thetubestore.com[/url] [url="http://www.tubedepot.com"]http://www.tubedepot.com[/url] Edited November 25, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geddeeee Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 There are some great valve manufacturers in the East. Don't listen to the nay sayers!!! If you pay the money, you will get great parts. Skimp on the price and you will get crap!!! There are still NOS Philips and JAN (U.S. valves) available, but you would have to pay for the higher quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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