The basic construction of analog vacuum tubes and digital solid-state components is very different. This not only has a strong effect on the architecture of electronic devices but also on the operation and final performance characteristics.

Many people can even hear the difference between tube and transistor amplifiers. A general comment is that the tube sounds more natural. This basic difference may have a real audible effect on the tuners and audio amplifiers.

Many books could be written about the differences between vacuum valves and transistors. However, these differences may be summarized as follows:

- Tube valves give more linear output -> less feedback loops are needed
- The capacitance of the tubes is many times smaller -> smaller driving power is required
- The inductance of the tubes is smaller -> more straightforward circuit architecture
- The vacuum stage of the tube is almost lossless -> ideal amplifier that is easier to construct
- The tube sound contains second harmonic distortion when overloaded -> the tube sounds much more pleasant than solid-state amplifiers.

Our vacuum tube stock originates from a small radio service company founded in 1949. Within the last 25 years this collection has expanded greatly with carefully selected quantities from a number of other old collections, military establishments and government sources. We concentrate mainly on NOS (New Old Stock) and NIB (New In Box) products and less on replica and reproduction. We have also some used products which have been tested and are marked in the catalog.

Tubes are like old wines; they will gradually disappear from the markets and cannot be fully replaced by new replica and imitation products. If you want to enjoy "tube sound" in the future then make your order now!

Please download our latest product catalogue in PDF format:
vacuum-tube-shop.pdf