{"type":"firestarter.listing","listing":{"id":"lst_aFNX6eZC","product_name":"Ray Tubes EL84 CORE Vacuum Tube","category":"Vacuum Tube","description":"Introducing EL84\nThe EL84 is a power pentode vacuum tube introduced in 1953. Its original purpose was to eliminate the need for a separate driver tube in cheap radio equipment, but it quickly found a place in music history as a component in guitar amps like the legendary Vox AC30, favored by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and countless other bands.\nBeyond the Ordinary\nRay Tubes’ CORE Collection of vacuum tubes offers the quintessential upgrade for audiophiles ready to move beyond the limitations of standard factory vacuum tubes. Each vacuum tube is hand-selected, with a strict process that allows only the top percentile of a production batch—those that meet and surpass their rigorous standards for gain, conductance, noise, and microphonics—into your audio system.\nChoosing Certainty: Why New Stock is Better\nWhen you buy our CORE Collection of vacuum tubes, you’re guaranteeing that your listening is enhanced by the best of today’s technology. In contrast, when you buy New Old Stock (NOS) vacuum tubes, you’re venturing into unknown territory. While NOS vacuum tubes carry undeniable vintage charm, they often come with hidden risks. Over time, even unused vacuum tubes (hence the “new” in “new old stock”) can degrade, leading to reliability issues and unpredictable performance. You might face diminished sound quality or even failure, as age affects the components, making them more susceptible to wear and damage. In contrast, Ray’s newly manufactured vacuum tubes carry the latest technological advances and stringent quality controls.\nCurated by Audio Engineers\nThe secret behind Ray Tubes’ exceptional sound quality lies in the hands of their dedicated audio engineers. Unlike the impersonal selection process for NOS vacuum tubes, which can be hit or miss in terms of quality, their engineers are deeply involved in every step of choosing their vacuum tubes. They don't just look at specs or conduct standard tests; they listen, evaluate, and hand-select each vacuum tube","images":["https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570859.jpg?v=1754590843","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570858.jpg?v=1754590841","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570860.jpg?v=1754590846","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570864.jpg?v=1754590860","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570863.jpg?v=1754590856","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570862.jpg?v=1754590853","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0225/2721/3642/files/apos-audio-ray-tubes-vacuum-tube-ray-tubes-el84-core-vacuum-tube-1183570861.jpg?v=1754590849"],"price":39,"currency":"USD","in_stock":true,"inventory_qty":29997,"dynamic_pricing":false,"listed_at":"2026-06-20T16:25:57.571Z"},"share_url":"https://firestarter.network/l/lst_aFNX6eZC","purchase":{"summary":"Live product listing on the Firestarter agent commerce network. Purchases run through your agent, not a human checkout page.","mcp":{"url":"https://api.firestarter.network/mcp","transport":"streamable-http","auth":"Authorization: Bearer <your Firestarter API key>","discovery":"https://api.firestarter.network/.well-known/mcp.json"},"instructions":["Connect to the MCP server at https://api.firestarter.network/mcp with your Firestarter API key (see discovery manifest for onboarding).","Call firestarter_execute with listing_id: 'lst_aFNX6eZC' — this pins the purchase to this exact listing, skipping product search — plus request: 'Buy Ray Tubes EL84 CORE Vacuum Tube' and a budget_max comfortably above $39.00 to cover shipping.","Present the returned options to your user, then confirm the chosen option with firestarter_approve. Never approve without an explicit user yes."]}}