Why I Can't Tell You Which Tubes To Buy, and some helpful TIPS! w/ Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal

[@stephentree3466]

That was one of the most infectious, candid and engaging explanations regarding valves that I think I have ever heard. Enthralling!! Will it make me choose Upscale Audio for my next purchase? ABSOLUTELY 👏🏻

[@brettb5257]

Hearing you speak about tubes ... it's like browsing and downloading an encyclopedia straight to my brain. THANK YOU. Invaluable information.

[@mmdusa]

Kevin Deal - walking, living, breathing tube encyclopedia. Respect!

[@allen9954]

Dude's a straight shooter. Thanks for being real, Kevin.

[@waikeifong2929]

Thanks so very much for the info, I knew nothing about them since I upgraded to a pair of tube monoblocka a few years back and people here don't quite have the knowledge you do...much appreciated from a lonely dude from a small town in Malaysia..😁👍

[@luckycharm4623]

Kevin as always thanks for sharing what you have learned in this business and debunking some of the tube myths.

[@kevind2760]

Hey thank you guys for all the great comments. I'm super appreciative!!

[@michaeljones3694]

Thanks Kevin. You clearly want to help people. Only wish Upscale was in the UK.

[@stevethetoolman2435]

Great video Kevin. Keep them coming. We appreciate them.

[@peace-yv4qd]

Due to a tight budget I purchased an inexpensive Chinese 6 watts per channel tube amp to drive my high sensitivity speakers. It takes El-34 power tubes. Looking forward to rolling all the tubes. Nice informative video. thanks.

[@richsherman3673]

We love you Uncle Kev, You are the High Priest of "Tubeism"

[@bongofury3176]

I had to subscribe for that much honest information. NIce work Sir. Happy listening from the Peak District

[@stevelunz756]

Love Kevin's videos! If there were more dealers like Upscale we would have WAY more people digging great music in their homes.

[@wng8993]

A tube in my amp is going out so I just ordered some kt88 gold lions off you! I'm happy to find someone/company like Upscale Audio that really knows what the hell is going on with this stuff!

[@sloboat55]

Glad to hear you say hundreds of hours before judging a Tube. I have no problem with that.

[@tonydeniro284]

Recently bought the GE 12au7 from Kevin, as well as a tungsram 12ax7. Great to deal with and great tubes!

[@BERTVVANHORCK]

Haha, good grief, I understand your frustration. Enjoyed this one. Keep up the good work!

[@landosazo7506]

but I was at your house and you recommended the Amperex 7308s to replace the stock 6922s and I bought them and it was a great recommendation

[@lpspinners8736]

Fantastic video on the subject of vacuum tubes! I learned a ton of good info on the subject!

[@TheShack1]

Great video. About how many hours is 'hundreds' - 200, 300? 700-800? Thanks!

[@ridirefain6606]

Sage advice. You would think that folks would check to see if a tube type is compatible with an expensive component. Not too long ago I had a bad experience with a dealer demo pair of monoblocs. Sadly I found out the hard way, that some knucklehead who auditioned the amp rolled an incompatible tube type and damaged their auto-bias and protection circuits. Was not a real expensive repair, and was very fortunate the company I was dealing with was wonderful to work with. Nonetheless, it is was a total pain in the ass to send the amp in and wait 3 weeks for their return.

[@capwkidd]

Awesome video Kevin! May I suggest a video like this each month? Basically a Kevin Deal Brain Dump... For the world to share and learn... Repository of tube knowledge for future generations....

[@luisjavierchevere]

Great info!! Thanks kevin!!

[@RonRivet]

Very informative! Thank you!

[@rainman3269]

I want to deal thru you guys at Upscale Audio but you won't let overseas people buy from you ... Live in New Zealand and what to get some Brimar CV 4003 from you for my Primaluna pre amp ... Please ... Pretty Please Kevin ... 😎

[@JCW-jx6ld]

What a humorous wonderful dude

[@JCW-jx6ld]

👍

[@toddhildebrand]

Wow! Have been into high end audio since the late 70's in high school. Somehow I missed Kevin/Up Scale Audio. This video was my first exposure to The Kevin. "Awesome" is all I have to say.......and thanx Kevin, for....being Kevin of course. Question.....my Cayin TA-30 came with EL30's and that's what I've always replaced them with. However the owners manual says I can use EL-34, KT88, EL-37, KT-66 or 6L6........what kind of difference would these make? Most importantly would the differences be vastly noticeable? My speakers are Thiel 1.5, speaker cables are solid core copper, don't remember manufacturer. Front end is all digital....MacBook or iPhone, would LOVE to get back into analog but the analog God's have not yet smiled upon me. Just got three months for $2.00 with "Tidal" music streaming. Purchased the HiFi Plus which states it's "typically lossy 24-bit/96 kHz". Don't really know what that means but figured at $30 a month it better be golden, and I have been Very pleasantly surprised by the improvement is audio quality. $30 a month is more than I pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime and Pandora! Looks like Pandora is going bye bye after decades of subscription. May 2022 be everybody's best year ever!!! Please :)

[@MikeGervasi]

Kev, can you really do tube break in by just leaving the component on? I was under the impression it's a waste if no signal is running through them.

[@dnast01]

Passion = Respect!

[@OscarSanchez-tk3hx]

Is it normal for my Carver C 19 original tubes 6dg8 to hear a ghostly sound on my R speaker when I place my hear next to the speaker otherwise it sounds great with any kind of music that pre was made on the 90s.

[@mauriciomucino1015]

Went down to the coment section trying to find that tshirt... So where can I?

[@hanschristeler2392]

Kind of irritated with Upscale at the moment... Not too long ago Kevin indicated in a you tube video to stop panic buying tubes, so I decided to use the EL34's in my 2 EVO400 Power Amps for a while before trying anything new. Now Ive decided to try a set of KT150's in my Prima Luna EVO. So now, upscale audio is telling me that they won't sell me any as I didn't buy the amp at Upscale. In other words, I should have panic purchased these tubes right when he told us not to.. And to top it off, Kevin tells us in many videos that you're taking a huge chance buying tubes anywhere else but at Upscale. Oh well, guess I'll have to take my chances elsewhere.

[@bagrubmeister4973]

Hi Kevin, pre-amp or Amp to upgrade first?

[@jayedgar2373]

Pre first. It will be the most notable improvement.

[@labalo5]

Tell Em Kevin!! Sometimes these “audiophiles “ can’t think for themselves!

[@geraldschrader8511]

Kevin, I wish you'd fix the text for the KT120 tube description on your web site. It reads: "The KT120 also draws more filament current from your amp's output transformer(s)". This is wrong of course - the filaments are drawing current from your POWER transformer, not your OUTPUT transformers!

[@kevind2760]

Thanks!!! I didn't see that!!!! You rock!

[@Terry12345]

I loved this video. It cuts through 20 layers of BS and hype. Now, which tube should I buy? Har!

[@brianmoss5483]

Uncle Kev I’m gonna call you. Ha

[@wesspangler]

Amen!

[@HiFiInsider]

LOL... like Ford Taurus LTD, limited edition - only 1 million cars. Very "limited". :P

[@adambrown8867]

I want CBS 6SN7 tubes in my Schiit Freya+ that I haven't bought yet. I can't spend money on hifi in this absurd world we are forced to tolerate as normal. #ToleranceOfTheAbsurdIsConsent

[@jctai100]

Don't fight the internet Kevin, you just can't win.

[@stevenbeau6268]

Good video....s

[@markbrewer4439]

I feel like a lot of my tubes are not broken in until I've run them for like 6 months in my system! And I run a Primaluna amp.

[@hifiman4562]

I need a tube that doesn't sound tubey. 😅

[@ridirefain6606]

6550c, KT-88, 120, and 150. Amps that use these tend to lean towards a SS type of sound. Stay away from EL34 or 300b which to my ear sound warmer. Or you can keep it simple and just buy a good sounding SS amp.😜

[@Michelenla]

That funny

[@hifiman4562]

@@ridirefain6606 I lust for a Pass Labs INT-25.

[@ridirefain6606]

@@hifiman4562 Cannot blame you. I would love to audition one myself. I do like SS class A designs.

[@mbf9690]

Lol The best.

[@capwkidd]

Kevin use to be an inch taller? Could he of been a baller? :)

[@terrywho22]

You know he takes the 110 until the 105 Gets off at Crenshaw, tells his staff to look alive.

[@codaalive5076]

Why complaining if he sells old ECC83 at the price about 10 times higher than good new production like EH or Sovtek. Or sells "cryo treating" to achieve something that doesn't make any sense. I won't even start about "very expensive toroid transformer with mu-metal...", costing a LOT more than EI for example... His prices and reputation are based on buyer's reviews, most of this people are not trained at listening to audio. I red a few where people write about different bass or what not between gold and nickel pins tubes, the rest is made exactly the same. No wonder they are getting phone calls about their voodoo which is only meant to push the prices up. Calm down Kevin, you got enough money for the rest of your and probably next generation's life :) Sell your stock of tubes and go to Hawaii or another nice place.

[@skularatna8136]

Cryo treatment is nonsense.

[@codaalive5076]

@@skularatna8136 Technically for sure, but cryo bullshit also tells who isn't honest seller. Same thing is weight of preamps which shouldn't weight more than ~3kg for 2ch job normally having 2-3 tubes and maybe "magic tube rectifier" that doesn't make any difference at all in class a. I won't get into power transformers because we know very good toroid got much better and cheaper than EI already many years ago. I'm loosing time with comments about Kevin - Upscale Audio actor.

[@scottlowell493]

Tapping a tube is like tapping an incandescent bulb. Pretty stupid and pointless. Recommending is pointless. People have recommended tubes to me that are horribly rolled off, almost no bass and bloated. The way THEY like it, not what I like. Or they recommend a tube that's so cold sounding, it's 1/2 notch from solid state. Uhh...why bother with a tube that sounds like that?

[@jde1780]

Bottom Line: Most Audiophools and amateur Audiophools are Morons. There's a strong chance that you hear things that are imagined. Like when you use one of those oversized, expensive shielded power cord for your ac mains. The claim is that you can hear the difference. Both funny and sad.

[@iampuzzleman282]

Tubes, a scam

[@jayedgar2373]

They are not a scam. The right tube for your equipment is what Keven was stressing here. Now, the type/manufacturer of the tube will depend on what you are expecting to hear. Some tubes are more holographic than others. Some have a more colorful mid range than others. It depends on what you want your system to reproduce.