Ray Tubes is an Oakland, CA-based company specializing in new-production vacuum tubes for the audio industry. Over the past years, particularly since Russia invaded Ukraine and trade sanctions were put in place, access to new production tubes became even more difficult. Most of the existing manufacturers of tubes or tube parts rely heavily on operations in China and Russia. Even JJ Electronic, based in Slovakia, was affected by existing disruptions in the global supply chain, particularly with the availability of parts and raw materials that come from Ukraine or Russia.
Western Electric is working on ramping up production of new tube types at the Rossville Works facility in Georgia, USA. But for now, only the top-premium 300Bs are available. Even from China, there are fewer suppliers of vacuum tubes, and sourcing new production of any model is becoming increasingly a risk for individual buyers. Venturing online to source vacuum tubes offers no way of knowing if the shipped product is anything like advertised. And even when it is, pairing tubes requires buying in quantities. Many hifi and guitar amp manufacturers can get access to production quantities, but they don't like to reveal where they are sourcing those from... Now, add Trump's tariffs to the mix, and getting vacuum tubes is becoming a real problem.
Enter Ray Tubes. The company is not exactly a manufacturer. They simply buy from existing suppliers, working with multiple contract manufacturers across Asia and Eastern Europe (and better not ask where they are based...). Because no manufacturer covers the entire range, and each manufacturer specializes in different types of tubes, Ray Tubes sometimes sources parts and assembles in-house. No matter where the tubes are made, each one goes through the same strict quality control process. Which is of enormous value these days.
After a 24-hour burn-in to stabilize performance and catch early failures, the company tests each tube carefully for over a dozen critical parameters and records everything under a unique serial number. Ray Tubes also matches tubes for balanced sound and installs them in amplifiers to stress-test them, ensuring low noise even in tough conditions. Finally, Ray Tubes' experts listen to them and if they pass, they are shipped as they are ordered.
As Ray Tubes states on its website, NOS tubes are scarce, overpriced, and unreliable. Their tubes are hand-selected, tested, and consistent. No aging issues, no performance problems. Just good sound. And the company backs all products with a one-year warranty against any manufacturing defects.
Now Also Supplying 12AU7s
Ray Tubes announced that it is now making new Select 12AU7 and Core 12AU7 vacuum tubes available to its global network of retail partners. The 12AU7 double triodes are valued for their versatility and portability, being common in the pre-amp phase of many tube amplifiers.
"Audiophiles sometimes overlook the importance of signal tubes like the 12AU7, but they’re just as important as power tubes. That's why we’re pleased to offer them in both Core and Select Collections," explains Nelson Wu, the CEO of Ray Tubes. "Pre-amp tubes like the 12AU7 are among the most commonly used vacuum tubes in tube amplifiers. Adding them to our lineup was a priority from the start."
Ray Tubes Core Collection is aimed at value-conscious users and features reliable, consistent tubes that rival the performance of New Old Stock (NOS) without the guesswork involved in navigating the NOS marketplace. The Select Collection, which caters to those users looking to get more out of their existing systems, is hand-picked to even stricter Selection standards. Both collections are put through the same seven-step quality control procedures and are backed by a one-year warranty. Select 12AU7 and Core 12AU7 vacuum tubes are available as single tubes or as a matched pair.
Ray Tubes serves the US market and is also expanding its network of retail partners to other countries. "New Old Stock is the gold standard for many audiophiles, but the current market for vacuum tubes is chaotic and inaccessible. Our mission is to make buying tubes easy and hassle-free, which means consistent performance, price, and availability, as well as peace of mind through the Ray Tubes One Year Warranty," Nelson Wu explains.
Ray Tubes also offers vacuum tubes from its Reserve Collection, for those looking for the absolute best. "For an average production run, only about 5% of vacuum tubes make it past our quality control," adds Wu. "In effect, we’re shifting the burden of identifying high-performance vacuum tubes from the end user to where it belongs — with us."
www.raytubes.com
