Luxman CL-38uC Phonostage Tubes

Hey everyone,

As promised, I’m back after testing a few brands of ANOS tubes for the Luxman's phonostage. I'll keep this brief to avoid any unnecessary trolling, so please kindly refrain from posting snarky comments.

 The line tubes in my Luxman were Amperex 12AU7, so I decided to stick with Amperex 12ax7 for my next choice. I picked up a trio, and after listening for a couple of weeks, I really enjoyed the sound - smooth and lush without sacrificing detail. They’re definitely a keeper.

Next, I tried the highly regarded smooth plate Telefunkens. Unfortunately, I found them disappointing; they made everything sound too lifeless and sterile.

Finally, I decided to give Siemens tubes a shot, despite my previous bias against them. To my surprise, they turned out to be the best fit for my system. They delivered a wonderfully smooth and open sound with just the right amount of high frequencies. I loved them! I installed them and closed up the Luxman. They’re here to stay. 

Oh, and I removed the tube shields for good - no noise issues whatsoever.

Of course this is only my subjective opinion.

That’s all for now. Take care!