Thanks for your comments, guys (and gals?). I can't say anything bad about their tubes. I think they are first class, sound great and I accept you get a dud every now and then. It's the way this was handled - or actually not handled. Great tubes - not so great distributor. I hope this will spare others from a similar experience.
Emission Labs Tube Warranty Problems
Has anyone else had difficulty with EML tube warranty? I purchased a pair of their 300b 2.5 tubes (around $700) in late 2019. After about 6 months I started noticing an intermittent problem with one tube that exhibits a low level sputtering sound. The tubes were purchased through RAM Tubes one of their authorized dealers. When I reported it to the dealer I was told I needed to report it to EML directly. It turned that is impossible. Finally, I was told I needed to talk with the only distributor - JAC Music. So, I did. First I was told that I did not register for the warranty because it wasn't in their system. I did in fact go online and register but I expected an email confirmation but didn't get one. JAC refused to acknowledge that their registration system might have had a problem. Instead they treated me as if I was a lying cheat trying to get away with something. That was when I discovered there is no way to actually contact anyone at EML. At Jag's request I emailed a photo of the tube and gave him the details of my purchase. He denied I registered, that the serial number was not in their registration base but did contact RAM to confirm that I purchased from an authorized dealer. After that he sent me an email in September of last year (2020) that the tube should not have gone bad so soon and they would replace it BUT they had none in stock and I would have to wait for a new tube to be produced. And, that is the end of any further correspondence from JAC. Since then I have emailed him once a month, finally giving up in February. He has never responded to any subsequent emails. I actually had a moment of guilt thinking maybe COVID got him while I was fretting over my tube. But, no - I contacted RAM and they are still receiving their orders of EML tubes and so are other dealers. They all say the same thing - you need to contact Jac. As you all know, a matched set of tubes is worthless when one is bad. I just wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience. I've simply given up and accepted that I was screwed out of $700. Frankly, they are very good tubes. I own others and have never had any problems with any of them - thank God. But, if anyone is considering buying their tubes, I suggest you ask the dealer what happens if you get a bad tube. I presume they will tell you, how have to contact JAC. Well, now you know how that worked out for one customer. I just had to get this off my chest. I'm so incredibly frustrated.