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Tube Question - Significance of Tube Noise at Listening Position

Hello all.  I need some advice on tubes.  I use a BHK preamp that has a tube input stage (12AU7).  I recently replaced the PSvane tubes that came with it with some GoldLion gold pins.  The sound is much better, more holographic, warmer.  However, after 6 months, I started to get tube noise with my ear near the speaker.  I put back in the PSvane tubes and the noise was reduced in half so it is the tubes, but with the old tubes, the sound quality of course dropped. 

I am thinking about buying some new tubes, either Ray Select tubes, which are considered to be very low noise, or NOS Brimars. 

My question is: does the tube noise matter at the listening position if it can't be heard where I sit?  Although I don't think I can hear the noise at my listening position, I am still bothered by it because, well, its there.  We work so hard to get black backgrounds and I would never use a cable, power cord, streamer or conditioner, that adds hiss.  We would never accept that, so even if I don't hear it at the listening position, I just feel like it must have some detrimental effect and why should we accept that from a tube if I won't accept it from any other component?  

I am looking for advice on this topic and if I should get the Ray Select tubes to hopefully remove the noise, or go with the good sounding GoldLions even though I know they are adding noise/hiss/garbage to the sound near the speaker. 

Finally, anyone have any comments on the Ray Select 12AU7.  I don't want bright or hard, and the competition is the GoldLion gold pins. 

Thanks everyone.

12many
inna
8,240 posts
 

12au7 vintage tubes are often half the price of 12ax7, so you might be able to get great tubes for not so much, maybe $200-$300 for a matched pair, and I mean true NOS not just test NOS.

faustuss's avatar
faustuss
820 posts
 

@12many 

It may just be that the Gold Lion is not right for the circuit. If you bought new as a PS Audio product the 12au7 it came with was chosen specifically for that design.

Small signal tubes as someone here mention have a very long useful life, may even outlast you! So perhaps be prudent and trust what the engineers at PS Audio decided to do and enjoy your music and your preamp.

mark200mph
843 posts
 

Yes call ps audio they will help.they have excellent customer service

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
2,451 posts
 

The 1st preamp tube slot right AFTER the volume control (gain/input) can be significantly tricky. This is because it’s magnified by the combined full gain of preamp plus power amp, with no interceding attenuation (unless you add attenuators). This slot is actually tougher than some/most phono stage tubes.

In our Rogue Audio FB group, there was just a guy who had a noise problem with Gold Lion 12AU7 in his Cronus (same slot). Same symptom: fine at first, then noise. Maybe they’ve had a bad run lately? Russian tubes are generally quite good, but there have been some "known" bad runs in the past until they got their act together again (e.g. EH KT88 in the 2000s, which prompted Rogue to switch to KT90 then).

It happens. I’m of the camp that if tube noise is minimal at seating position, it’s fine. I tolerate noise more than most (vinyl is my primary source). But it’s also concerning to have a relatively new tube degrade so fast - that would prompt me to replace it.

FWIW most of my small-tube gremlins have been with vintage 6922/7308 and 6SN7. By comparison, 12AU7 (and 5814) have been relatively easy going. I like GE triple mica gray plate 5814 - warm and pleasant.

bolong
962 posts
 

I love the word "life" when discussing tubes because they are just as variable as "life" in the metaphysical sense can be. That is what is so alluring about tubes.

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