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RE: GE 5 Star 5751 opinions wanted

Posted by tvr2500m (A) on April 26, 2010 at 08:47:24

In Reply to: GE 5 Star 5751 opinions wanted posted by Pat S. on April 25, 2010 at 22:59:51:

I've spent lots of quality time with every 5751 type known to our species, or pretty close. I've been using them since way back when, in the linestage of a C-J PV-2A and the input stage of the C-J MV-75, and along the way and today, still occasionally in this little PV-2A preamp and the MV-75, and in the C-J Premier 11A, and C-J Premier 12s, which have been my frontline amps for several years.

In the MV-75s, to my ears differences in the different tubes yield smaller differences than different tubes in the other mentioned gear. In the old PV-2A, it uses two 5751s in its linestage. Different tubes do make easily noticeable differences. As the input tube/s in the Premier 11A and Premier 12, changing any tube can easily make a more or less audible difference. There's more gain at this tube position than any other this amplifier.

Food chain? Humbug! Yes, from reading many opinions, a preference hierarchy can certainly emerge, along with lots of hype, too. There may even be some warrant sometimes to the heirarchy; maybe. In my experience, there is no tube that in every system always sounds better than another like type tube. A tube that sounds utterly fabulous in one system may well, and often doesn't, sound utterly fabulous in other. Change something, anything - a source component, speakers, amp, preamp, even cables, whatever - and the tube positions can be up for grabs again in search of great sonics. It's about synergy.

And, the "uber" tubes of myth and legend can be just as likely to be sonic heroes or goats as any other tube. I've never had a top result, for example, with the Telefunken ECC802S. Often, too, there are many tubes in a given system that can yield equally satisfying results. Different, sometimes, but otherwise equally enjoyable.

For all those many positive reviews of the C-J Premier 11A and 12 amplifiers, whether one aligns with the reviews or reviewers, the stock, OE 5751 C-J used in these amplifiers was the late-production GE JAN 5751. This is the tube folks reviewing this amplifier, and folks buying it, were listening to when listening with a stock tube complement. C-J used this tube pretty much for every 5751 position in their gear. But this tube is not an especially typically highly heralded tube.

After that bit of soap-boxing, in my current system (which I had been enjoying enormously until my frontline PV-12A preamp pooped out) the specific GE 5751 you mention - 3-mica, gray plate, O-getter, early-1960s vintage - is outstanding. I prefer this gray plate tube to any of the GE black plate variants (and there're several). Better than the vaunted triple-mica black and gray plate Sylvanias (and I tend to really like the gray plate tube). Better than the Siemens or the Raytheon windmill getter. The humble, late-production 2-mica, gray plate Sylvania is even sounding great, too. I've had reliably good results with this tube. Usually sounds good, if not great, and as was mentioned, is quiet and long-lasting.

Critically important, this GE 5751 is playing well with others. In the amp, the other tubes that are helping turn out this very enjoyable sonic result are long, gray plate Japanese-made (ITT-branded, but otherwise no manufacturer is evident) 6CG7s and Shuguang 6550Bs. In the preamp linestage, a C-J PV-12A, a number of different tubes are able to contribute to the really nice sonic results. Then, beyond this there're all the other bits of gear, even my room, even my ears. Change any of this (pretty much) and everything can change.

The only way to know how a tube works in your gear to your ears is to listen to it yourself. This is part of the fun, and sometimes the frustration, the boon and bane, of tubed audio gear ownership. Personally, for all the ups and downs, ins and outs, I wouldn't be without at least one piece of tubed gear in the critical audio path in any audio system.

Let us know how these GEs sound.

- SJ

Edits: 04/26/10 04/26/10

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