Do clothes make the man?

@abnerjack I have received a lot of guidance on purchasing Valves and what can be the outcome when a Valve is tested shortly after a purchase. I have had the information shared proven, as unwanted test measurements have been discovered on both current era Valve production and Valves purchased from a Vintage production. 

I don't recommend suppliers, but do recommend finding a way to be able to make a purchase that is supported with after-sales support, as suggested below, which is my main arrangement to be made along with a Valve purchase when a high asking price is being asked. 

Caveat Emptor is one's best friend

"I have a purchase method you might want to propose if additional support is easily achieved.

I inform the vendor of my intention to have the Valves remeasured when received, and that if the new measurement taken does not match the readings shown with the Advert. A full refund is to be sought, and valves are to be returned. " 

"Note: A valve specialist who is visited to carry out independent testing, explained that most valves will still function and produce sound even when their performance is well below factory specifications. He also noted that many valve owners do not know their valve's condition regarding factory spec and continue to use low spec valves without concern.

The advice I received was that a valve's published test results shown in an ad are just as important as the photographs used for the ad showing the valve's physical condition. A buyer may decide not to purchase a valve that appears to be in poor condition, and they may also reasonably question the asking price if independent testing shows that the valve's actual performance differs materially from the specifications advertised. In my arrangements, I do not negotiate the asking price when the spec is proven to be concerning; I already reserve the right to return a valve." 

I have also been fortunate to have discovered a few vintage era Valves over time, that have not been sale items with a high asking price. I have accepted the price as the 4eason to purchase with no arrangement like the above made. The Vendor with their asking price is the fair play for the sale. I have a Valve from this purchase method that is above spec, and some near top spec, others have been off spec. Purchases as punt purchases are a risk, and follow-up testing really does inform on what has been purchased.  

Glad to hear that modern tubes can sound great.   I listen to a DIY 6V6 with RCA's but they won't last forever.  

Funny i remember going to the local drug store with my Grandfather and testing tubes.I worked in a electronics firm in 1970...They had so many tubes ,but tube were going away and power amps took over.With the price of times now,who would of thought they would still be around.I feel tube amps are great...you don't need 100 wpc....20 to 30 is fine.

@markw1951 I will let these modern tubes break in and see if I am satisfied, but I won't be because I think there are some NOS waiting for me out there somewhere.  The good news is that this very simple and inexpensive amp lets me spend a little more for some great tubes and I still will have arrived at my destination with a bargain fare.

Many years ago when I had big, wonderful tube amps and a tube preamp, I hadn’t yet learned about rolling tubes. In the last 10 years, however, in my two home office systems (one headphone only; the other headphones + speakers/sub), I’ve done fairly extensive rolling of tubes in headphone amps and the NOS DACs I have that use tubes in their outputs. And I can attest that high quality NOS tubes sound as different from each other as people look from one another. It’s that simple. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to find a tube (or matched pair) that completely locks in and synergizes with the component in question.

Speaking of Reflektors, I was unaware of these tubes until recently. I have a wonderful NOS DAC, the Lab12 DAC1 Reference 1, which uses a matched pair of 6922s in the output. I got very good sound with a pair of Amperex Bugle Boys, then with a pair of JAN 7308s. One of my headphone pals was kind enough to send me a pair of 1975 Voshkod Reflektors. I put them in the DAC and am getting easily the best sound ever with them. The other tubes sounded very, but the Voshkods simply take it higher; they lock in with this DAC. It’s easy hear this, particularly on the speaker & sub (vintage KEF 103.2s + JLAudio e110).