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What are your recommendations for this tube? I will be using them in a Transcendent Grounded Grid preamp....
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Mid to late 50's Valvo ECC82 long plate, k62 code
Lansdale/Philco Long Black Plates, late 40's early 50's
CBS Hytron 5814a black plates
Tungsram ECC82 Black Plates (late 50's early 60's , rare)
Mazda ECC82 Long Plates with D-getter 1950's
RCA 12AX7 Black Plates from late 40's
There are more.. but all of those are first rate in my book
Andrew
i am afraid recommendations are not helpfull at all if the individual taste of the asking person is unknown.
tubes/brands can give you neutral, crispy, tuby, warm, cold, natural, dynamic, fast, slow, harsh etc. sound and a combination of those characteristics.
so reading 1 million + 1 well-ment recommandations can occure more confusion than being really helpfull. right?
"Science only illustrates the current state of errors"
I've tried many different 12AU7 tubes, but I always go back to my RCA 6189 black plates (1950').
BUT, if the role they are playing is a gain-less follower eg. a
cathode-follower, it doesn't really matter.
A big benefit will be the sockets lasting longer without re-tensioning.
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
I built one of those about 10 years ago. Go with the upgraded volume control, as the stock one is pretty bad.
Unfortunately they don't offer that upgrade any more....
If you are seeking out rare tubes you need to know what is truly good and what is crap. Most often rare tubes appear on epay and as such you need to take a little more of a chance. Many sellers on that site are good reputable and honest so you can rely on those sellers. I have been buying from some of the same sellers for almost 20 years on eboy and not have any complaints.
If you want to forego the drama then you have no choice but to get the tubes from the rare tube dealers that were previously mentioned. But, your price will be probably more than twice that of the auction site.
There are also some very good tube mongers in Europe. They know what is good and they can supply some of the rarer euro brands at good prices.
Do your research about the tubes you are interested in and ask questions. Fakey tube sellers usually over hype their products. It is a dead give away. The other thing is they will through in a word or phrase that is not really dealing with the item. Most favorite now is "Western Electric". Seems like it pops up with everything from baby shoes to stethoscopes. OK, that makes no sense but you get my drift..Dak
Thanks for the info. It was very entertaining too...
.
See my comment below on 7316s , but they now carry a premium price as a special tube. So you can ignore the 7316. You can still get a really nice sounding regular Amperex 12AU7 or ECC 82. I just prefer their sound
There are several others of course many of which I find sound good.
If it is the signal path as an amplifying tube, you may want to inest in some others.
The issue is always a matter taste if the tube is reasonably durable. You might want us to know what type of sound you like, that will help us make recommendations. The old cliché is that Mullards sound warm and Telefunkens are clean and strong sounding isn't all that far from the truth.
Don't forget current production is supposed to be good. I don't know about the current Gold Lions, but Jim McShane does, you might to consult him. I have also used the RFT in less essential roles.
Even though I really do prefer the Amperex 7316- Nota Bene : I think current pricing is unreasonable. Few reputable dealers carry them routinely so you are the mercy of Eslay. If you can source one cheap e.g below $50- I would say by it, unless you need a pair then go with plan A. I think current Gold Lion, is about $40 but I don't know the actual price. Jim carries those as well.
(If you are very curious re 7316s e-mail me)
I have a RTF and it's OK. Nothing exciting but nothing special either.
Don't be afraid of new production tubes. It's almost no longer a choice anyway so dig in.
My VTA uses them on the driver board. So sound really matters there! I tried a number of 12AU7s. The best I've found, besides the original GE vintage 12AU7W (I think) were the new TungSol's that Jim carries.
Ask Jim and the TungSols were very good sonically.
I kid you not on that reissued Tung Sol 12au7...I bought a pair from Jim several months ago and played around with nos tube combos mixed with 1 or both of the Tung Sol on my slightly modded Eastern Electric Minimax pre...nothing got to me until today, when I so happened to put one Tung Sol on the right edge of the preamp (with the stock GEC 6x4 tube and a Mazda Cifte 12au7 in the middle socket) -- WOW! spaciousness, deeper bass, top end extension !!!
I thinks I've found my best combination after almost 9 years of owning this preamp!
Edits: 09/17/16
Maybe have a look at Joe's Tube Lore in the FAQ. Not one of my favorite tubes however. The last piece of gear I have that uses them is my Primaluna CD, and a really good combo there is the RFT 12AU7 and the JJ 5751.
What final end products (sound-wise) are you looking for?
Thanks!
I am just looking for general impressions by others of this tube for now. I really don't have a specific sound that I am looking for....
Best 12AU7 type I've used were the CBS-Hytron mil spec (5418A, 7316, and 7318). Valvo or Siemens E82CC (6189).
For both overall sound and tone... plus length of service. Unfortunately, hard to find any good examples of these --- these days.
:(
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