2. tech-talk
  3. 1232169994

Rolled some 12ax7's recently...

Hi All,
I went through my supply of 12ax7's recently and found some goodies.
I recently compared Bugle Boys to Telefunkens in the phono stage of my pre-amp. Interesting (to me, at least). I found the Telefunkens to be nice sounding; very clean and clear, very nice detail, over all a very nice sounding tube. The Bugle Boys, however, were magical! WOW! Timbre was so much more apparent. The soundstage depth and width increased; especially the depth. The music seemed to come alive and glow. It was much more captivating.
I found such a dramatic difference between two high quality tubes very interesting.
I have yet to try 10m's, and 70's Mullards that I found. I will report when I do...
By the way, NOS Sylvania's sound nice in the line-level stage. All tubes reported are vintage NOS. I match them with my tube tester. And, I do not change the volume setting between tube brands tested.
Any comments are more than welcomed! I appreciate any information on your experiences with 12ax7's. The price of some of these NOS is incredible; I am glad to have these nice examples in my collection!
Cheers.
bicycle_man

Showing 10 responses by rodman99999

rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Clipper- You'll have to turn your volume control up a bit to get the same SPLs with the 5751, as they have about 30% less gain than 12AX7s. Their "tone" is also a bit more laid back(richer/smoother/warmer-more 2nd order harmonics) than most 12AX7s, if that's what you're looking for.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Here's the only new production 12AX7 worth thinking about, if you are able to appreciate the differences/improvements in sonics that the right NOS tubes provide(and it's obvious you do): (http://www.musicdirect.com/product/73403) With regards to EL34s: It's been quite a while since I've used that particular output tube, and had Svetlanas last(the original company was still in business). I've found the Winged 'C' 6550 to be an excellent replacement(sonics and reliability) for the NOS outputs that I used to be able to afford in my present amps. Matched octets of anything worth considering in NOS outputs are virtually impossible to find now. If Siemens made a 6550, I'd have to try them. Consider these, or the Winged 'C'(St Petersburg plant), for your EL34 needs: (http://www.upscaleaudio.com/Siemens-EL-34_p_62.html) (http://www.upscaleaudio.com/SED-Winged-C-EL-34_p_63.html)
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
I've dealt with this eBay seller(from Bavaria) numerous times, and found him to be an educated, honest and reliable source for Teles and Siemens:(http://cgi.ebay.com/1-NEW-Tubes-Siemens-Halske-Rohre-E88CC-6922-CCa_W0QQitemZ130276323952QQihZ003QQcategoryZ67816QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) He used to have his own website, but discontinued it.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
To quote Bicycle man, "It's a pity to think that good current production 12ax7's are so lame -- what to do when it is time to buy new tubes?", which is what I was responding to. Where in that post was "saving money" mentioned again? FYI: The EAT comes with the cooler/damper attached, and you'll ALWAYS see them advertised/pictured that way. To quote Ivor Tiefenbrun(founder of Linn Products), "If you gaven't heard it, you have no opinion."
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Happy listening!
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Then you disagree, not with me, but the specifications of the tube itself: (http://www.boiaudioworks.com/5751) (http://www.tubedepot.com/5751.html) paragraph 5 of this page:(http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/files/Phaseinverter.pdf) (http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/Tube/5751.pdf) (http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/files/GE-12AX7.pdf) compare the plate dissipation/transconductance/plate resistance of the 12AX7 and 5751. They are different because the 5751 in not a 12AX7, and has less gain as a result of it's design.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Mr N- Since you mentioned 6201's: I bought four for an amp I was building a few years back, but never used them. I sent two to an AudiogoNer to try, and he bought them. I've still got the other pair, if anyone wants to try them out(free-no strings). Gold pins, triple mica, but I don't know who actually made them(They're labeled Tele ECC801S, but they're not- no diamond).
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Sounds like me. I should have stocked up on TungSol 6SN7GT/VT-231 Round Plates($50.00 ea, when I fell in love with them) while I had the chance. I was going to use three 6201's as phase splitter/drivers, but gave up on that amp after getting burned by the transformer builder(paid for, never received). Nothing I own now uses 6201's, so- I've never even heard these.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Every time(you'd think I'd learn!). =8^(
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Which Tele's did you try Mr B?
More to discover