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I know I have been tough on 12ax7 but.......

Posted by Mendel (A) on January 27, 2011 at 08:08:08

I have finally found 3 that I really like and are competitive with the best 5751's:
1) Mullard short plate with 45 degree tilted halo getter. This tube is quite different from the other Mullards that I have (1950' long plate double getter holder and 1960's short-plate). I have only found 3 of these in my searches (2 marked Bogen and one GE). I believe they are a latter production British tube--maybe one of the last runs before production ceased in England. These are so different sounding from the standard Mullard short plate of the 1960's and the long plate of the 1950's it is really amazing. Those tubes have a very warm, round, rich, thick sound that is appealing for jazz or small-scale music, but which drags more upscale music down into the quagmire. These tilted getter tubes have the midrange magic of the others, with a faster, livelier,more focused sound. They are also bass masters--bettering even the 5751's in this regard. Treble is good, but not quite as extended as the best. But sweet and airy. The best 12ax7 I have heard.
2)Matsushita 12ax7 45 degree tilted getter. Don't know what it is about these tilted getter tubes--maybe the getter structure is more rigid leading to less micro phonics. This Japanese tube looks similar to the Mullard above and may be based on the same tooling. Very fast and clean, the midrange a little less rich than the Mullard but treble even more extended and airy. But less bass (unfortunately). A great tube.
3)Raytheon 17mm long black-plate halo getter. This is the tube right after the black-plate square getter and was produced in the early 1960's.I do not have the Raytheon square getter to compare to, but I do have the RCA back plate square getter. The Raytheon is more focused, with a very rich sound that manages not to slow up the music like the regular Mullards. Highs are slightly laid-back but still have a nice shimmer. Bass is good but not equal to the Mullard above.
The above tubes have bettered all the Mullard, Telefunken,Amperex, RCA, EI, Sylvania, Brimar, et all 12ax7 tubes I have tried in my amp. When using 6L6/KT66 output tubes I still prefer the best 5751's, but when using KT88 and EL34, the above 12ax7 tubes are very enjoyable. If you can find them (good luck with the Mullard) grab them.

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