Where can I get RAM super low noise tubes?

Last time I talked to Audio Advisor they told me they are getting out of the tube business. All the tubes on the web site are marked CLEARANCE. They don't have any 12AX7 listed.

Don't know what specific brand of tubes that RAM relabeled and sold as their own, but when my Dad put them into his preamp, the upper mids became very hard, "glassy" and brittle and the bass turned to a bloated thud. This "tube upgrade" took his pretty decent sounding system and turned it into a mess. Obviously, different components and different tubes might have various effects in various systems. Tubes almost offer TOO many variables sometimes. Sean
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My advice is to forget about the RAM SLN tubes. You'd be much better off, seeking out some low noise vintage tubes.You would end up, with a better sounding, much longer lasting, and just as quiet, if not quieter tube. But if you must have them, check out Welbourne Labs.

RAM does not make tubes, they buy tubes and put them through extensive testing and grading. So when you buy a SLN, LN, or SG tube; while the SLN will be the better types, you may also find the same brand at different grades; because some do not test out as well as others.

Thanks to those of you who understand and appreciate what we do at RAM TUBES. We started computer testing in 1981. We are the only premium tube source that tests for real-world conditions. We are the only source that gives you all the data for that particular tube after it has passed out stringent grading system. More importantly, we are the only tube source run by a designer of tube amplifiers and, therefore, know what matters and what does not matter in tubes for amplifiers. The thinking user can see that FFT testing to 100 MHZ is meaningless, cryogenic treatment is foolish, and sandblasting the glass is just plain silly.

On the subject of NOS tubes: We have them, we test them, we can provide them, and they are expensive. As they generally yield no more quiet samples than the modern tubes we can buy (at reasonable prices), I caution potential users from buying them untested (for noise) on the open market. Even if these tubes "sound" better, how can you enjoy them if the ones you get are noisy and microphonic? You will likely pay the same price for a Telefunken of unknown performance, have a 2% chance of finding a SLN quality (within 1 dB of theoretical noise limit) and little or no recourse with the seller who couldn't measure the noise in the first place. We have tested 100,000's of tubes since 1981, including nice looking Telefunken gold pin E88CC's and E83CC's. They yield about the same mix of SLN, LN and SG that I find from the new stock that I carefully select from good factories. Since we buy in large batches, we can consistently supply tubes you like. We just sold a customer a replacement 12AX7 Smooth plate Yugo from the same batch he purchased 8 years ago. We stock 5 types (Yugo, Tungsram, Chinese, Sovtek, RCA) + some NOS Telefunken, Bugleboy and whatever else comes our way.

We also have matched power tubes, again matched at real world, not Hickok test condition. You cannot match output tubes on a Hickok as the voltages and currents are too far from typical amplifier operating conditions. I am happy to respond to that issue later if there is interest.

Please visit our website: ramlabs-musicreference.com for further info. We are updating it in an effort help you with your tube needs and questions. As Audio Advisor and Electron Valve have recently chosen to get out of the tube business, we are offering tubes direct to you and through selected retail stores. Please call 805-687-2236 m-f, 7am-noon, or email: ramlabs@silcom.com.

Thanks,

Roger A. Modjeski