|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
67.33.180.254
I have been doing some rolling with RCA cleartops, Sylvania 6189, and GE 6189 & 5814 in my new Bottlehead preamp. Throw in some Mullards that were leant to me from a friend and I am not going to say they outright smoke everything else but they do have a clarity without sacrificing richness. I like them. So where can I get some from a reliable source for less than $60-$80 a pair? Or should I just put my money where my mouth is and pay the fee. I am happy to spend the cash (but will have to wait a few weeks and I don't get to keep the borrowed Mullards that long!) so I would like to find a cheaper source I can trust if there is one. Thanks.
Follow Ups:
I purchased a pair of CV 4003's from Ken Chait from ATSI, Inc. in gov't boxes one year ago for $80/pr. They sound great!Good luck,
Hello ,
Drop me a mail , I may be able to helpcheers
If you like the Mullard sound, look for actual ECC82 Mullards OR pre-1980 CV4003s. The 12AU7 variants, including CV4003, 7316, 5963, ECC802s etc. are much MUCH easier to source than 12AX7 variants. Give Andy at Vintage Tube Services a call @ (616)454-3467; ask him about both NOS and lightly used 12AU7 types. I got a pair of 1950s longplate Mullard "shield logo" type ECC82 from him that were selected for total freedom from noise and microphonics (he refers to them as "super-linestage" grade)and had triode section balance of around 5% (!!) for about $20-$25 each; they were lightly used but test at 90%+ for cathode emission and transconductance (results verified by me, as stated by Andy on the tube boxes. Friends who have the Bottlehead report that TungSol longplate 12AU7s and both RCA 12AU7 & 12AU7A types sound great too. The Bottlehead is easy on tubes; a couple pair of used/good 12AU7s from Vintage will last over a decade....spend the $80-$120 you'll save by not buying a couple pairs of NOS 1980s CV4003s, on the CCS kit for the Bottlehead.
Well, the idea of doing a little more tube rolling is certainly not out of the question. I appreciate your ideas and will look into it more. (Already have the anticipation upgrade, just need to install it).
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: