Audiophiles and guitar players like the 12AX7 and 12AUX7's, and I know that 4146's still see some action as RF final amps for amatuer radio, but what other tubes are still being made and who is selling them?
I don't think there are any decent quality ones being made these days, decades back when the UK stopped making valves the equipment was sold to Russia, who used it to make lower quality valves. I think it's probably now been sold on to China?, who make even lower quality ones!. It's got to the stage now that the Russian ones are highly sort after!.
I know that tubes are coming back in some ridiculously high end Japanese audio equipment, you can bet any tubes they make are NOT going to suck, but would cost a fortune.
I found this place where you can not only buy vacuum tubes, but they list which ones are still available and who makes them. You're right, mostly Russian and Chinese crap.
I don't think there are any decent quality ones being made these days, decades back when the UK stopped making valves the equipment was sold to Russia, who used it to make lower quality valves. I think it's probably now been sold on to China?, who make even lower quality ones!. It's got to the stage now that the Russian ones are highly sort after!.
Svetlana are manufacturing a wide range of vac tubes in Russia. Still widely used in RF broadcast amplifiers.. Kinda hard to get mosfets to run at half a megawatt!