"Preferred" Tubes?

[Boogie Bill]

Has anyone tried thetubestore.com "Preferred" 12AX7, 6L6, or EL34 tubes?

Bill

[aiaosu]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

Has anyone tried thetubestore.com "Preferred" 12AX7, 6L6, or EL34 tubes?

Bill

I have not tried any of the thetubestore preferred series but I have some 12ax7 and EL34-STR from TAD (Tube Amp Doctor) that are excellent. I believe thetubestore.com sells TAD tubes but I think they're different than the preferred tubes.

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[JMP/HBE]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

The tube store reviews rave about them.
IDK if thats because they don't allow negative feedback or because they're good.
Russia, China & Slovakia are the only countries making tubes now.
The preferred series are one of those.

[aiaosu]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

The tube store reviews rave about them.
IDK if thats because they don't allow negative feedback or because they're good.
Russia, China & Slovakia are the only countries making tubes now.
The preferred series are one of those.

Many websites use services like trustpilot for their reviews to outsource them. Services like trustpilot do not screen the ratings. I don't know for sure if thetubestore.com uses a service like this, but it is a very common practice.

I can say thetubestore does have excellent service, so I'm pretty sure they'd help you out. I know they answer questions quickly.

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[NegativeEase]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

Tubestore is great, but I've got all kinds of New Old Stock Tubes from http://www.vacuumtubes.net/contact.htm . -like English and American tubes from 60s and 70s

It's my father's buddy's business so I got wise to it decades ago.

[ArtieToo]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

Great thread. I had the exact same question for my H&K Tubemeister 5. It only uses two tubes, a 12AX7 and a 12BH7. The Tubestore has three levels of upgrade. I was wondering what the most cost effective path was.

[aiaosu]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

Great thread. I had the exact same question for my H&K Tubemeister 5. It only uses two tubes, a 12AX7 and a 12BH7. The Tubestore has three levels of upgrade. I was wondering what the most cost effective path was.

Here's my 2 cents. I have (2) EL34-STR from Tube Amp Doctor (TAD) in my Laney that are several years old and work and sound great. I would not hesitate to buy them again. The Tubestore gives you a 6 month warranty.

On the other hand, I won't be buying 12AX7's there. I can't tell too much difference from regular tubes. Although 12AX7's can be hit and miss (I had a JJ last about 5 weeks and another one that's several years old), I don't know if the warranty for those justifies the price FOR ME. I'm a little more careful/selective on power tubes though.

Just my 2 cents. The Preferred series are made in the same factories but supposedly a specific batch with more screening.

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[ArtieToo]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

Thanks aiaosu.

[Studioplayer]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

I've got 3 Preferred Series 7025 12AX7 in my Orange Dark Terror. They came from The Tube Store and after almost a year in the amp, they still perform as expected. They were part of the vendor's mid-priced package. I cannot say if they are better than the stock JJ set, but I like the tone of the amp and I also expect a decent life span from them.


studioplayer

[allbutromeo]

Re: "Preferred" Tubes?

I've had a set of Preferred series 6L6s in my Mesa MkV, maybe two years now. I have no complaints, they've been reliable and sound good. I don't remember really what the Mesa tubes sounded like for comparison, but they sound better than the Tung-Sol 6L6GCs I had in there a few years ago.