12au7 tube?

@inna rumor is PSvane makes many of the Ray’s tubes.

@inna rumor is PSvane makes many of the Ray’s tubes.

Right, but these days who else could it possibly be? We could pretty much guess that every time, and be right :) 

• New Sensor is doing just fine with its own fleet of sub-brands, and probably doesn’t want to encourange new brands (beyond a simple re-screen of labels) to compete with those.
• JJ / Czech can do it, but you can spot their trademark spherical glass domes from a mile away, and many of us avoid them out of habit & experience.
• Western Electric is too busy trying to establish itself as a high end option, trying to expand its tube offerings (very difficult w/ necessary tooling), and pushing its amp line
• Shuguang is gone? TJ Full music has always been small scale.

marco1, I see. I just don't want any Asian tubes in my amp, or current production Russian ones, for that matter. I am a NOS or good used Old Stock kind of guy. I just have to use earlier production Svetlana/SED EL34 "Winged" because Western vintage tubes are too expensive, when you can find a matched quad.

mulveling, it's interesting what you previously said about power tubes influencing sound more than signal tubes. I remember conversation with Kevin of VAC and he said exactly the opposite. I myself have no opinion, I didn't compare power tubes, but doing a little of tube rolling with 12AX7 in the preamp and 12AU7 in driver slot reveals big differences.

I remember conversation with Kevin of VAC and he said exactly the opposite.

I generally agree with what Kevin says, but we're all individuals and different in key ways. Anyways, he's almost certainly referring to rolling different makes of the same type. Meanwhile, I'm much more willing (than most) to play fast-and loose with rolling different types into power slots, as long as it's guaranteed safe. E.g. KT88 versus KT90 and KT120 or KT150. Depending on amp, you can even mix more different types in there, like EL34, 6L6GC / 7581A, etc. 

This will certainly make many cringe (maybe Kevin too), because the fact is an amp can only be "optimally" designed for the parameters of 1 output type. That's why I called it "playing fast and loose". But here clear as day, I can hear one of my VAC amps (450S) sounding far better with KT120 than the KT88 it was designed for - in THIS room, on THESE speakers. Meanwhile, another VAC amp (Master 300) sounds far better with the GL KT88 it was designed for, than those same KT120. The sonic difference from these KT88 versus KT120 rolls is far greater than any small-tube rolls. KT150 does the same again, but there I've always found the results too bass-heavy. 

mulveling,

I see, now I understand what you were saying. So you were both right.