Upscale Audio

It goes without saying, you, my friend, are hands-​down one of the best in the business. It’s not often you see people run their companies with this much integrity. It’s refreshing. Kevin has gone above and beyond in everything he does. I value that. Big time. Keep doing what you’re doing bro and know you have a lot of folks out there who have benefited by you in providing great expertise and knowledge in helping us search for the holy grail in great sound. Cheers ;)

I’ve been a customer of Upscale Audio for as long as I can remember and the experience has been wonderful. Kevin Deal is one of the world’s leading experts on valves and valve amplifiers. He’s also charming and funny, and has a loose and playful attitude. I have come back time and time again. At this point, I can’t imagine purchasing audio equipment from anyone else.

This review is long overdue. I was an avid audiophile for several decades, and dealt quite a few times with Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio. It was always an enormous pleasure. Whether I was buying a new cd player, considering a new tube amp, or just purchasing a few tubes for my system, he was gracious and had encyclopedic knowledge of the hardware and the industry. I lived some distance away in Northern California and so there was only one time that I visited him at his location in Southern California. What fun to see all the gear and that room full of «new old stock» tubes! I also know from discussions with my audiophile friends that his reputation is sterling. Highest recommendation.

Bought an expensive tube output CD player with all upgrades. Sound quality? Excellent! Needed service, so I made the 2 hour trip to Upscale, brought it to Kevin who swapped out a power board. Bought a bunch of tubes as I was grateful for the free service. At home it did not work. Called, and he told me they must have put in a «bad power board,» bring it back anytime, and he would take care of it. I told him it would be a while as I lived 100 miles away. Well, I waited almost 3 years and called.
I don’t fault the guy for not remembering he said bring it back anytime. I do however, fault him for his haughty, arrogant, insulting reaction. I have a $ 1000 CD player that will sit in my closet forever. I’ll never bring it to him for service and certainly will never buy anything from him again.
I’ve met some snooty asses in my life, but I can say, even after living in NYC for many years, that Kevin takes the cake. Prince of tubes? A self-​important boob.
Upscale Audio? I’d avoid it. Most retailers will treat you well when you are parting with your money. The test is how is their customer service when you need something from them. Upscale Audio customer service is degrading.
There are many high end audio vendors out there who will treat you much better than Upscale Audio.
Quality of products offered: Excellent
Quality of repair work: Shabby and careless
Quality of customer service: Disgusting

Top shelf knowledge and service. Have been to 10 different hifi shops around the Los Angeles area and either, A-​got run out by a snotty salesperson, or B-​immediately got the distinct impression that they had no idea what they were talking about (and were just agreeing with me to make a sale). Upscale knows what it’s doing and you’ll get the best from them. Prices are competitive with everyone else, so don’t worry on that score. System never sounded better. Five stars.

A true gem in the IE. I grew up around a tube man (my dad) and visiting Upscale Audio was a reminder of my childhood and the passion that drives a tube man. You will not be disappointed! The knowledge and service are stellar. I will be rockin’ the New Year with my Vincent SV 237 with vintage tubes.

Great selection of tubes from a place you can trust. But when it comes to shipping and dispatching your merchandise in a timely fashion they completely fail. Sometimes I’ve waited days after I purchased something just for them to finally ship.
Like I said, they have a great selection of tubes, but if you don’t what to wait forever to get your purchase maybe check Tube Depot first, as they ship the same day you purchase something.

Largest selection of quality vintage vacuum tubes in the world.

I bought a Manley Chinook Phono preamp from Kevin at Upscale and his customer service was impeccable! For starters this was a special edition in black (goes with all my other gear) with upgraded tubes and at a reduced price because he had used them for photo shoot. What more can you ask for. I also arranged deal with some of my personal equipment and there was an issue when he received my unit. He handled issue in EXTREMELY professional and PERSONABLE manner. He took time with me to talk about other issues that related to tubes and my system. Kevin is the complete package, Professional, Personable and Knowledgable. I have contacted him additional times for advise on tubes and he always has time for his customers. I will do business with him again and again.
Mike, Austin Texas

I am very particular and exacting, and expect to get what I pay for. Kevin and the staff at Upscale Audio fully exceeded my expectations. Professional and extremely knowledgable with regards to most anything home audio related. Kevin gave me some great advice and had a huge impact on my system. Tubes with a warranty is huge. Thanks again for everything!

Deal may know a lot more about tubes than most people, and yes, he does carry a lovely line of audiophile equipment, but I found his attitude during two phone conversations arrogant, distracted, and patronizing. Half the time he was bellowing instructions to his staff– without even bothering to cover the telephone mouthpiece. :)
I was quite surprised at this lack of basic etiquette– consequently I decided not to do business with this fellow.

If you serviceyour own guitar amps, live in San Gabriel Valley or Inland Empire, you can buy good tubes from Upscale Audio. I bought a matched pair of Shuguang KT66’s for my amp and am pleased with the purchase. I will buy again.

Great service, good selection of products. I have returned to do business with Kevin repeatedly because he is constantly striving to provide very high-​quality service. When problems arise he is always willing to help. Highly recommended.

I suspect Kevin Deal knows about tubes than anyone in Southern California. I’ve always gone to him first when my amps and pre-​amps have needed new tubes, or just when I want to ‘roll’ tubes to see the difference. Everything I’ve gotten from him has been first-​rate, and exactly as described. And he’s never tried to ‘upsell’ me: in our last conversation, he steered me away from some very expensive tubes toward something less pricey — and far better for my needs. Kudos.

I called to get a part for my turntable. The person on the phone said he didn’t have it and would have to order it. I asked if he could do so. He said he couldn’t find a price for it and when I told him I had found it on other websites for a certain price, he told me to just order it from them. He said he was only going to make a few dollars on the order. Pretty much was not interested in ordering the part for me since it was only going to make him a few dollars.
This was my first experience with Upscale and wanting to buy local, I was not impressed. I will take my business else ware.

Bought a Cary 300sei F1 edition from Kevin at Upscale Audio last month. Went out of his way to take care of me and it came triple boxed! What a sweet amp! Instant collectors item with all the upgrades. And the sound!!! No school like the old school… Thanks Kevin

I have been researching tube amplifiers and replacement vacuum tubes for the last 18 months. I can tell you, based on about 500 man-​hours of research, Kevin and his team have it together. From the informative You-​Tube videos, to the no-​nonsense «advice» and, I can say, attractive prices, to the prompt shipment and delivery, Upscale is its own league.
My purchase was not tremendous, 6 vacuum tubes that replaced items that attracted me at the 100 man-​hour stage of my development. I look forward to purchasing a Cary tube amp… sometime. It will be from Upscale.

I called to order some high quality tubes and spoke with the owner/​salesman. He was unpleasant, very pushy on selling something I didn’t want, and did not offer helpful advice when I told him what I was looking for.
I was turned-​off enough to not make a purchase from him, even though he had tubes I intended to buy.
I would suggest you do the same!

My experience with Upscale Is opposite that of the previous reviewer. A newcomer to NOS tubes, I emailed questions to U.A. Within 2 hours, I received a comprehensive,
Instructive response. I now await delivery of my new NOS tubes.

I have a quality tube preamplifier that needed new tubes. Based on other websites and the information provided on the Upscale Audio website, I thought that I’d check into some new tubes. The site cautioned to check with them to ensure to a good «fit» with your electronics prior to purchasing, which I appreciate and respect. It looked like it would be a good experience and a source for tubes for the future. Their website touts that «Our Service Rocks». I think not. I emailed with detailed questions regarding my specific hardware and the tubes I was interested in based on recommendations on the website. No response. I emailed again. No response. If anyone from Upscale says «why didn’t you call» … my response is «why provide email contact and say that we’ll be back to you within 48 hours» if you aren’t going to do it.
I did some more research elsewhere and decided that I would bite the bullet and purchase tubes from Upscale in spite of their lack of initial response. I set up an account and ordered them online. They arrived promptly and were well packed. Oddly, according to my account on their website, a week after receiving the tubes, they are awaiting shipment. Hmmm, anyone home? After installing and listening to my system, I noted some intermittent high frequency feedback. Are the tubes «tinging» as the website says they might when powered up or is it something else. Is there are conflict with my system? Who to ask? I emailed again with my issues and questions. No response. What a way to run a business. If you have a web presence, you have to be prepared to deal with emails … apparently not the case at Upscale. I’ll be going elsewhere for my tube needs. Too bad. I wanted to like them, but I will NOT put up with poor customer service. Let me rephrase that, no customer service, as I have yet to experience any.