Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 12AU7 SELECT Vacuum Tube
$119.00 - $579.00
Canadian Shipping Details
We offer free shipping in Canada on most items when an order totals $99 or more before tax. Some exceptions apply; click here for our full shipping policy.
Estimated free shipping transit time:
- Greater Toronto Area: 1-2 business days
- Rest of Ontario: 1-3 business days
- Quebec: 2-3 business days
- Maritimes, Manitoba: 3-4 business days
- Alberta & Saskatchewan: 3-5 business days
- British Columbia: 4-6 business days
- Territories: 6-10 business days
Express options available at checkout. Orders dispatch next business day. Delivery times may be extended for remote areas.
Toronto Store Pickup
Select in-store pickup at checkout and collect your order from our store in Toronto.
Find our entrance on Bay Street, near Charles Street West. We also have a pickup area in the Manulife Centre parking garage. Click here for directions. Before coming to the store, please wait for a confirmation email indicating your order is ready for pickup.
Price Protection, Returns & Exchanges
Buy with confidence, backed by Price Protection: if our advertised price goes down within 30 days of your purchase, contact us and we'll refund the difference.
Most stock items may be returned within 14 days, or exchanged within 30 days. Some exceptions apply; click here for our full return policy.
Description
CORE 12AU7
The CORE 12AU7 delivers everything you know and love about tube audio. With modern production and uncompromising selection processes ensuring reliability and consistency, the Ray Tubes CORE Collection is all you need for years of audio bliss.
Hand selected and tested, the Ray Tubes CORE 12AU7 vacuum tube is manufactured with modern production and selection processes for reliability and consistency. The CORE Collection leaves the uncertainty of the New Old Stock market behind and makes uneven performance and tube failures a thing of the past.
Introduced in 1946, the 12AU7 was the world’s first noval (nine-pin) vacuum tube. The 12AU7 is a double triode, consisting of two 6C4 tubes in a single envelope. Before the advent of solid-state electronics, it was valued for its versatility and portability. Nowadays, it’s a common sight in the pre-amp phase of tube amplifiers, where it functions as a phase inverter or driver.
Sound Characteristics
The CORE 12AU7 provides a natural and clear sound, ideal for users who prioritize midrange performance, especially suited for systems that require warmth and smoothness in their audio reproduction.
Bass Performance
Mild and balanced, with moderate quantity and good control. Well-suited for light music or medium-small dynamic audio, delivering clear rhythmic definition without overemphasizing the low end.
Midrange Performance
Clear and transparent, with a natural tone. Vocals exhibit good clarity and warmth, especially in female vocals, where it shines with a vibrant and elastic sound.
Treble Performance
Clear and non-fatiguing, with good detail but moderate extension. The overall high frequencies are smooth, making it easy to listen to for extended periods.
Dynamics and Soundstage
The dynamics are well-balanced, capturing small to medium dynamic details effectively. The soundstage is moderate, with clear imaging and well-defined instrument positioning, making it ideal for compact audio systems or near-field listening.
The CORE Collection
The entry-level CORE Collection delivers everything you know and love about tube audio. With modern production and uncompromising selection processes ensuring reliability and consistency, CORE is Ray Tubes' essential offering.
Looking to get more out of your existing system? The SELECT lineup of tubes can take your amp to the next level thanks to its more involved production and stricter selection.
Everything You Love Without the Hassle
The tube marketplace is a bit of a minefield. 70% of new production isn’t intended for audio applications, which means inconsistent sound. Meanwhile, New Old Stock (NOS) is seen as a hallmark of quality, but it’s tough to source, expensive, and old enough to collect a pension. Even quality tubes are hit or miss after the better part of a century.
That’s where the Ray Tubes CORE Collection comes in. Here’s how it works: we produce batches of brand new tubes. Then, we identify the tubes that are suitable for audio. (The rest go on to fulfilling lives in other, less demanding applications.) Thanks to our rigorous selection process, you get a tube that sounds as good as NOS and lasts as long as NOS did when it was young. Win-win.
At the end of the day, the CORE Collection is about one simple thing: delivering the tube audio you know and love, without the hassle of navigating a confusing marketplace.
Modern Selection Equals Consistency
Most of the time, buying new production tubes is like entering the lottery. Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot—that once-in-a-lifetime tube that sounds better than you ever expected. More likely, you’ll get a tube that’s only okay, or that’s actively bad.
The Ray Tubes CORE Collection takes the gambling out of new production. We measure each tube’s amplification factor, internal resistance, and other critical parameters to ensure it’s suitable for audio applications. We also make sure it’s not prone to excessive microphonics. Finally, our audio engineers sign off on each tube. The end result are tubes that sound the way they should, every time.
We think consistency is the most important quality a tube can have. Think of it this way: even if you hit the lottery with one tube, what happens if your amp needs two? Unmatched tubes won’t live up to their capabilities. Our meticulous selection process allows us to offer tubes in our CORE Collection as matched pairs.
Modern Production Equals Reliability
Vacuum tubes are delicate electrical components. Books have been written on the myriad ways they can fail — books with names like Getting the Most Out of Vacuum Tubes and first chapters titled Catastrophic Failures. We read them, and then we used that knowledge to make sure our tubes wouldn’t fail.
This is where new production has a big advantage over NOS. Our tubes haven’t been languishing for years while their components slowly deteriorate. Instead, they’re fresh out of our factories, built to our exact specifications—and we check our work. Each tube is inspected to make sure the vacuum seal holds and put through an extended burn-in period to weed out early failures.
Our thorough quality control is why we can offer the Ray Tubes One Year Warranty. If you buy a NOS tube that turns out to be a dud, there’s nothing you can do. With the CORE Collection, you’ll have peace of mind.
More Details
The Ray Tubes One Year Warranty
Most vacuum tubes are notoriously fickle. That’s why warranties are rare. But we trust our products and we’re proud to offer our One Year Warranty against manufacturing defects. Click here for details.
Compatible Amps
Click here to explore Ray Tubes' Tube Amp Compatibility List.
Package Contents
- Set of two, or single vacuum tube
- User handbook featuring burn-in guidelines
- Certificate of authenticity and warranty
Technical Specifications
Tube Type: 12AU7 / ECC82 / 6189 / CV4003
Tube Socket: 9-pin
Max Anode Dissipation Power: 2.75 W
Max Screen Dissipation Power: N/A
Output Power in Class A1 Amp (Single Tube): N/A
Output Power in Class AB1 Amp: N/A
Max Anode Voltage: 300 V
Max Screen Voltage: N/A
Max Grid Voltage: ~50 V
Heater Voltage: 6.3 V
Heater Current: 0.3 A
Transconductance: 2.2 mA/V
Amplification Factor: 17
Internal Resistance: 7.7 kΩ
Specs
Dimensions
About Ray Tubes
Warranty
The Ray Tubes One Year Warranty
This warranty covers manufacturing defects for twelve months after purchase. We believe that everyone who buys our tubes deserves at least a year of quality, hassle-free sound, and if our tubes get in the way of your bliss, we'll make it right. Click here for more details.
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