Ray Tubes Expands Range with Select 12AU7 and Core 12AU7 Vacuum Tubes

Ray Tubes announced new-production 12AU7 tubes in both its Core and Select Collections. With this addition, Ray Tubes is now supplying the most common vacuum tubes, including the 12AU7, 12AX7, EL34, 6SN7, KT88, and 300B, all available through its network of retail and brand partners. All products from Ray Tubes are designed and tested specifically for audio applications and come with a one-year warranty, which is a great assurance compared to the risks of buying New-Old-Stock items.

Following on the introduction earlier in 2021 of the 6L6GCM-STR, the first model from an all-new high quality premium tube series named REDBASE from Tube Amp Doctor (TAD), the German company now announced the new TAD EL34-STR REDBASE, which can be used for any EL-34 application in guitar amplifiers and also hifi tube designs instead of 6CA7 and KT77 tubes. All tubes in TAD’s REDBASE family are manufactured on a new exclusive production facility.

Previewed in 2016, and originally scheduled for Spring 2017, Dynaco (a division of Radial Engineering Ltd.) announced the ST-70 Series 3 tube amplifier is now shipping. Since acquiring the legendary Hafler and Dynaco brands in 2014, Radial Engineering has been carefully working on the Dynaco ST-70 Series 3 tube amplifier, in an effort to create a truly worthy successor of one of the most successful tube amplifiers of all time. The result is finally available!

At the 2016 High End show in Munich, and as advertised, visitors could experience the relaunch of the Dynaco ST70 Series 3, stereo tube amplifier, together with the prototype of a new integrated Dynaco ST-1 amplifier. The return of the Hafler and Dynaco brands was signaled in Munich with the return of what is, without question, the most successful tube amplifier of all time. And the new advanced design was sounding great already.

Bruce Brown explains his successful method of rebuilding a vintage W-7 tube amplifier from Heathkit. As the first power amplifier that broke $1 per watt barrier of listening power, the Heathkit W-7 was a major breakthrough for audiophiles. Introduced in 1958, it carried a list price of $54.95. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2007.

In this article, originally published in audioXpress, February 2004, the author describes how to achieve low distortion from power triodes. As he explains, his preamp is “a little different from most, using low-mu power triodes to get good performance with only one amplifier stage, and no negative feedback. This achieves the modest gain required along with very low output impedance.”