Best 12AU7 Type Tubes for a Preamp


I am hoping for some help finding good quality and good sounding 12AU7 variant tubes for a preamp – I need two tubes. A price of around $100 each or less would be great but I would pay a bit more (150 ea.) for something that is likely to sound better. The unit came with JAN PHILIPS ECC82 (12AU7/5963) and I also own a pair of reissue/new Mullard ECC92 tubes. Both sets are quiet but I am wondering if there is something even better sounding at a moderate price.

Readily available NOS options I have seen include:

  • NOS RCA Blackplate or Clear Top at about $100-150 EA.
  • Amprex 7316/ECC186 at around $150 each, and
  • Mullard CV4003/12AU7 $150ea.

New options I have found (in addition to Mullard) include (among others):

  • Genalex - Gold Lion B749 / ECC82/12AU7, $70 ea.
  • Psvane 12AU7-S Art Series ECC82, $55 ea.

Thanks for any help.

mitch2

Showing 1 response by montytx

I've never been impressed with the RCA clear tops...or Mullards for that matter. The best I've heard are the German tubes, be it Telefunken or Valvo or whatever brand got stamped on the glass. The labels are meaningless for most NOS tubes and the codes should be used to evaluate where they were actually produced. The tubes that came out of Holland are very nice sounding, if a bit "sweeter" than the German stuff. Phillips had tube plants all over the place and they often weren't all that particular about what brand came from which plant. Tung-Sol produced some really nice sounding, smoked glass 12AU7 tubes that rival the European stuff, but are very hard to find and easily worth the extra scratch. 

In short, the German stuff is the best and worth the money no matter what brand is on the glass. The Holland made tubes (usually Amperex, but code specific) are very nice and sweet with good detail and worth a premium, followed by European tubes in general that were manufactured by Phillips. Mullard is distinctively warm sounding and often flashes when first powered up. American NOS are hit and miss across the board, with the exception of the Tung-Sol tubes that were terrific. Of the American brands, seeking out the military and commercial radio designed variants are the way to go.