JAN / Phillips 5814A / 12AU7 Tube


I am looking for opinions on the 5814A / 12AU7 tube for an Audio Logic DAC. I am looking for 2 tubes that do not add any brightness and was told the Jan Phillips 5814A are excellent for the price ($15/each). The Mullards ECC82s in the unit now add some glare and someone else recommended Telefunkens but I also read that they were not such a big deal on AA. What do you recommend and where do you buy your tubes from? I tried to contact Vintage Tube Services but the web site did not work and nobody answered the phone yesterday. There were about 13 other stores recommended on Agon and AA so I am trying to narrow down the choices for a store that can get inventory, is customer friendly, really knows tubes and has a good reputation.

I have researched these tubes and the top recommendations for far are:

5814A:
Siemens Germany (pricey)
RCA Black Plates
GE 5 Star

12AU7:
Amperex Bugleboy Holland (plue the same without Bugleboy logo)
RCA Clear top (side getter) I don't know what side getter means
RFT 12AU7s

Thanks for your help and Happy Listening.
bigkidz

Showing 1 response by remoteluxury

Hello, I much prefer the GE 5 stars over the JAN 5814A's which came with my amp. I've tried about a dozen 12au7(5814a)tubes and my favorites are the GE 5814A USAF (United States Air Force) tubes. Not sure how hard they are to come by, and they have 2 mica vs the 3 mica that regular 5 stars have. Good luck.

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