$587-ish shipped to be exact, all matched and Cryo, $67.95 each. There were slightly less expensive vendors, but I gotta be honest, I trust Upscale and their process, customer service and it's worth the little extra in my opinion.
The cryo was an additional $8 per tube ($64 total), seemed a minimal upgrade and yes, they seem pretty much in line either wayAh cryo does add a chunk usually, they don’t offer that on the GL KT88 at Watford Valves. I trust those guys too, a well established expert operation.
They charge £40+ VAT a shot for matched pairs or quads so that’s £48.40 times 8 is £387.20 which is $533 which actually I suppose considering the cryo charge isn’t that much of a difference. Ignore me. $600 just seemed like a big number
The cryo was an additional $8 per tube ($64 total), seemed a minimal upgrade and yes, they seem pretty much in line either way
Oh, I'm with ya. When I do the conversion for a an album purchase sometimes my reaction is "....that's not bad" and others its "..........holy hell", lol.
tmraudio.com
They certainly keep their resale value. $900 off of new.PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Tube Integrated Amplifier; Remote
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It’s true. I think the best way to get one is through private sale. Chances are the owner has tubes they will no longer have a use for and will include them to sweeten the deal. Mine came with $625 worth of additional tubes that had really low hours on them.
I have purchased from Viva Tubes in the past. I won’t again. The tubes didn’t last long at all. It’s worth the few extra dollars to get tubes from Upscale.
Tried Upscale first but there was a four week wait I’ve never dealt with Viva Tubes, but they were fairly local so I took a shot.
Why would Viva being the merchant have anything to do with whether a set of tubes lasted or not? If we're talking about EHX tubes, don't all merchants pretty much stand the same chance of getting a dud or duds in a shipment?
I don't know about Viva, but Upscale tests, matches and so on before sending. It's not that they have a pile of tubes from XYZ and just package and send them to the customer.
upscaleaudio.com
upscaleaudio.com
upscaleaudio.com
Right. Viva claims to test and match as well. I've purchased tubes from all over the world via internet, and haven't noticed any one merchant that offers matching being appreciably worse than another. My amp has bias meters, too, so it's easy for me to see if they are way off right out of the box.I don't know about Viva, but Upscale tests, matches and so on before sending. It's not that they have a pile of tubes from XYZ and just package and send them to the customer.
Some links -
Grading & Matching
Small Signal Tubes In order to sell "selected" tubes, you have to have tubes to select from. If you check most websites, they only have 3-5 pieces of one tube in stock. If you are only picking from five tubes, the chance of you getting super bitchin' ones is not so great. Most small signal and...Test Equipment
A Look Inside the Upscale Audio Tube Testing Room Triplett Model 3444-A: Sometimes, new isn't always better. This is one of the best all-around tube testers ever built. I was able to find a couple in great shape, back before people figured out just how good they were. Now... EVERYBODY wants one...Cryogenically Treated Vacuum Tubes
CRYOGENICALLY TREATED VACUUM TUBES. DONE TO UPSCALE AUDIO STANDARDS! Most of you already know that Upscale Audio is the premier destination for expertise and availability of vacuum tubes for high-end audio equipment. So when we offer services and options, you can be guaranteed that it represents...
Scroll down to see the video. Apparently Upscale tests to a very high standard and does an extra test as well. What I know is that the tubes I bought from Viva were the shortest lasting tubes of any I have ever purchased, of any type, used across numerous amplifiers.
upscaleaudio.com
