If NOS pre or power tubes became unavailable altogether, what new tubes would you buy?

I get paid (some may say "overpaid") to mix live concerts so I know what music sounds like, until I ruin it with my mixes…anyway, regardless of the opinions of any anti tube crusader, tube are more fun. They just are. By the way, being anti tube can't be easy these days…most great amp designers of SS things (which, of course, often sound fabulous) mention their "tube like" sound which must make anti tubers cringe. I just worked with a serious tube abuser guitar player at a show…this guy runs his Princeton Reverb on 10 and gigs often so tubes die regularly, as well they should in service to the Mojo.

Dear friends: All of you are rigth and I truly meaning ( I'm not trying to be ironic. ) it.

It can't be other way because that's what you " learned " and what are accustom to listen for many years and what you like. I understand that perfectly and I'm not against you or tubes in any way, that is not my attitude here or every where with any of my posts in this or other audio regards.

Why understand I what you like r accustom to? because I use to have tubes for many years in my system and almost owned or listened all kind of tube electronics from  the humble ones to the Ongaku by AN or top Lamm or any you can name it.

Yes, I was accustom to the tube colorations and I like it.

One day I ask me:  what if what I'm listening is wrong? and started to increment my listening sessions ( attend more often. ) and then I confirmed I was wrong and decided to return to SS technology and I did it. Since then day by day experiences just confirm that that was a good no-return choice.

Btw, I'm talking of home audio systems. I don't care about electric guitars, microphones and the like, for all these we can have a serious dialogue in a dedicated thread not here. Repeat: home audio systems as all we have.


""" designers of SS things (which, of course, often sound fabulous) mention their "tube like" sound  ... """

Yes, that's true and there are some reasons about why is that and one of those reasons is the obvious:

90% of the " high end " audiophile systems are surrounded for tubes and it's almost impossible to " figth " with true justice against that " fact ".

That's why some SS designers changed their usual designs that were normally using bipolars devices for FETs/MOSFETs that sounds more like " tubes " but this does not means in anyway that those SS designs are " like tubes ", way different.

How many time took me to be sure that SS was and is the rigth and only valid alternative?, around 3-4 months to in deep system and live MUSIC sessions were I listened only SS electronics where I never " touched " the tube experience.

After that true SS experiences I changed in my system the SS for tubes and was pity for say the least. I never returned to that poorly experience.

That's the way I learned about the true SS alternative and was ( in different times. ) the same way how I learned that the DIGITAL alternative beats the ANALOG one.

When I did it and had all those SS/Digital experiences I decided to do it erasing what I like it: tube colorations/distortions or LP colorations/distortions. I took the challenge challenging me and what I learned through the corrupted AHEE where I belong as any one else.

Is important to say that I'm not " married " with any kind of audio items or technology I'm married only with MUSIC and my main audiophile target is to be truer/nearest to the recording and to achieve that critical target I need that the home audio system stay with any kind of system/room distortions at minimum, nothing less.
What I like it or what all of you like it is jus unimportant, I'm not talking of that I'm talking on how MUSIC sounds and should sounds through a home audio system.

Our/my self design Phonolinepreamp Essential 3160 has almost no signature: no SS and certainly not as tubes. NEUTRAL could be the rigth word. Like it or not that unit is not important. 



""" The anti tube strikes again ! """


this post is really gentless compared as the ones I had when I was " striking ",  different times, with other main audio subjects like these:

- Was I wrong when I brougth here the TT DD alternative in a BD audio world?: time confirms I was not wrong, even from some years now many gentlemans makes money thank's to my " strikes " on DD subject.

- Was I wrong when I brougth here the pivoted tonearms with interchangeable universal headshells against a fixed ones analog world?. Time confirm that I was not wrong.

- Was I wrong when I brougth here the MM alternative in a LOMC cartridge audio world?, time confirmed that I was not wrong.

- Was I wrong when I brougth here the system subwoofers subject?, time confirms that I was not wrong.

-Was I wrong when I brougth here the different geometry tonearm/cartridge set up alternatives?, of course not.


and I can go on and on. In all those examples people ( almost all. ) laughing ( literally ) of me and they did it because as you ( on tube subject. ) just do not learned about.
I posted here on all those audio susbjects when almost no one " touched " but in those times not even the professional reviewers did it.


First premise to learn is to have a positive not biased attitude that with out it you just can't learn and just can't grow up and have fun with MUSIC and not with hardware.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC not DISTORTIONS,
R

@rauliruegas that's great you posted things here first.. you didn't invent them, though, so get off your high horse. 

The most consistent new tube I've used over the past 8 years has been Shuguang Black Treasure ( KT88, CV181-z, 12AX7 LS ) and Psvane (12AU7, 12AT7).

Shuguang Black Treasure:
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/purchase/shuguang-treasure-series-vacuum-tubes/

Shuguang Custom 12AX7 LS, Psvane 12AU7, 12AT7:
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/category/review/feedback/