Excellent thread. About two weeks ago decided to shuffle the pre amp tube line up on my Raven Nighthawk/Blackhawk modified, and pure magic was the result. (User experiences may vary) Front row went Volvo/Mullard 3 hole ECC81 (12AT7 equivalent), , row two CBS Hytron 12AU7( USA) , and row three Tungsram ECC82 (12AU7 equivalent) (Austrian).. This is more revealing than any combo tried yet. Tried all low gain 12AU7's throughout but lost details. Kicked the RCA clear tops out of the line up. Blurry (May have been an off pair.) For customers of Raven Audio, Dave and James are tube heads and provide personal help and tubes for their devotees. Very nice , tested, graded, and guaranteed High frequencies now are dreamy.
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.
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