Hovland HP-100 phono vs Audio Research REF Phono 2


Ready to compare my Hovland HP-100 phono to the Mighty Audio Research REF Phono 2; everything connected and warming-up now.

Has anyone out there ever compared these two phono stages? Any thoughts?
stickman451
Larryi, these Amperex Bugle Boy tubes?

Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8/ECC88 ; these are 12AX7 or 12AT7 equivalent? Which Amperex replaces the 12AX7 and which replaces the 12AT7?

Pricey...
I believe the 12ax7 are going to be ECC83, the 12at7 are going to the ecc81 or 4024. Probably some other varients too.
ecc88 are the 6922 family.
Stickman,

I am not sure of the precise designation of the Amperex tubes. I got them free from a friend who has a vast store of tubes so I am relying on his judgment as to which are drop in replacements for the NOS RCA tubes suppli by the manufacturer of my phonostage. He gave me the pair I have, plus the pair of Telefunken ECC83s, Mullards, and GE 5751s. The only pair I had to buy myself was the Telefunken ECC803S (which easily costs more than all the others combined).
12AX7 = ECC83. ECC88 are 6DJ8 or 6922 equivalents. The ECC88 et al are VERY different from a 12AX7 in both electrical parameters and in pin configuration. You could damage your gear or the tubes by inserting an ECC88/6DJ8/6922 into a socket set up for a 12AX7. Variants of the ECC83 include the ECC803, 803S, and probably some others using the English naming system adopted by Mullard. (Mullard CV4024 are 12AT7s, for example, but I don't know the 12AX7 equivalent name.) The 5751 is often sub'd for a 12AX7, but it is not electrically identical. The 5751 has a lower "mu", for one thing. This means that you will have a little less gain with it, so if your phono gain is at all marginal, you might find that it is insufficient with a 5751. However, 5751 will "work", and lots of folks seem to like it in circuits designed for 12AX7. Larryi, I disagree that all-in-one preamps are inevitably inferior to separate line and phono stages. In fact there are many inherent advantages to the one-box solution, but you have to pay the big bucks for the best ones, just as with separates.
A bit off topic but somewhat relevant regarding 5751 tubes.

They are similar but often not drop-in replacements for 12AX7.

Check with your retailer or manufacturer before substituting.