Heh, I have a lot more than in those photos. Look, in the 1990's I had six tube guitar amps, tubed Ampex 350, 7 tube stereo amps and preamps. I needed a lot of tubes. What NO ONE told me was how long the tubes could last. I'm still on my FIRST set of tubes for most of that gear. Almost 30 years later, still the first set I put in them. Hard to imagine.
The only difference from what I can tell is that the one in your link says "1B" and mine say "2B". Seems very likely though!
So far I have tried 4 different 12AU7 in a Rogue V2. Ive used the V2 integrated to feed Carver Amazing Silver MK4 speakers as well as used the pre section of it (which uses the tubes) into other amps (Forte Model 3, Counterpoint NPS-100A, Innersound monos)into Carver Amazing Silver MK4. Ive also tried B&W CDM-1SE speakers with it. Ive tried Gold Lion, Baldwin (made by Toshiba), RCA Cleartop, and Ei Yugoslavia. I preferred the 2 that gave the warmest sound to me. The Ei Yugoslavia and Gold Lion appeared to alter the sound/make it less neutral sounding/more warm sounding and I preferred that over the Baldwins and RCA Cleartop in the various setups I tried.
In Ayon i have tw0 12AU7 tubes inside, Sylvania JAN 6189W / 12AU7 in preamp section, and i have feeling they are really as you described "Steely bright". I also read that Sylvania JAN 6189W are verry bright, so that's reason i wanna try something darker and more smooth. Got some really nice advices here, now it's time to spend some money
It amazes me how underestimated tube life actually is. I have a set of GE 6v6gt branded Hammond from the early 60's I have used off and on (more on) for 18 years. I took them out 2 years ago and took them to the local stereo shop to have them tested. All are still near new. And all were used pulls when I originally bought them in a lot of like 40 tubes for 25.00. If I am buying vintage tubes I will always go for used "pulls" that test near new over so-called NOS that have not even seen any service time.
My pulls are all still in gear, yes, same as you. My NOS stuff I had saved for a rainy day which has never come. What this means is that my stash is the same, hasn't gone down. Actually has grown a bit over the years. Coming to terms with never having to use all those pretty tubes in my lifetime is weird. On one hand, good, on the other hand, geez, carrying the stuff around in my life is funky. But, tube guilt wins, pulls for the machines, NOS for the photo ops. Of course, most of us have the burden of carrying around with us giant LP collections from place to place. I guess collectors just accept that where we go, our stuff follows..
Just ordered pair of Tungsram NOS 12AU7, they should arrive tomorrow, paid 45$, they never been used, just tested and matched.
Well, if it ever becomes too big of a burden, note those Telefunken 12AX7's you appear to have 50 of sell for $300 each now. Maybe for the next site fundraiser you can have a raffle.
They are not in my Audio Note DAC. In fact, if anything they are on the warm side. And they are quite fantastic, especially for the price. Maybe not the last word in resolution but huge soundstage, good bass, and very engaging and musical.
Got some super results from some French stuff like Bellvu, Radio Technique, Rayon, Miniwatt. Got them dirt cheap too, about 10 Euros a piece a couple of years ago. Replacing the standard Chinese tube in the Vincent PHO-701 phono stage was probably the best hi-fi upgrade I have ever made. It transformed a mid level unit into a proper high end piece of kit. Deep, sumptuous base with lots of body...exactly what I was looking for. My best wishes to everybody in their tube rolling experiences...
Raytheon/Matsushita (Panasonic). Reminds me I have some old radio Panasonics to test somewhere. Green Baldwin printing is a 12AX7 while yellow is a 12AU7. The latter, being of lower gain, had little use in guitar amps, the last tube holdout in the solid-state era. Organs are tube city. Besides a 6L6 100W amp with overkill iron, how about 30 12ax7? "Can't get anyone to haul it away" and "gold mine" and "travesty to destroy grandma's polka machine" depending on the year and asker. 12AU7 being used recently is a fluke of them being cheap in bins. I was going to say next to be used is the cheapo 6SN7, but I see those are also priced stupidly now. BTW, enjoy box 9 of 33, 200 each I found on the interwebs:
Many tube manufacturers branded their high quality tubes for Balwin, they had to sound good and last long. I have a few RCA Balwin, Sylvania, others and they last longer than your average 12AU7's.
And Brent has always had a good supply of RCA Cleartop branded for Conn organ. These lasted for years, now their on the shelf with no component to use them. Who knows what inventory is like these days.
Much of my stash came from organs that the local Salvation Army was going to trash. The manager has been a family friend for decades and knew I could use parts from them. The were going to be "recycled". I pretty much pulled the tubes and that was about it. Many 12au7, 12ax7, 5u4g, 5y3gt, some 6l6, some 6bq5, some 6v6gt. A large portion are Raytheon or Sylvania branded whatever. Also there are some others like Mullard, GE, Amperex, Telefunken.
Tungsram NOS 12AU/ arrived yesterday, brand new, installed in Ayon, and Ayond did autobias procedure. What a disappointment, no bas, mids and highs are to sharp, could not listen to it. Since i am working from home, i turned down volume and continued to work, after 1 hour i turned up, same thing. 2 hours same thing. 3 hours i turned volume up, bas was there, mids are more silkier higs more silkier, i could listen to that sound, wasn't that sharp. After 3 hours sound was improving constantly, now after 6-7 hours it sounds fantastic, big meaty bass, warm silky mid range, fantastic highs, detailed and transparent without any sign of harshness. I am going to buy one more pair. I noticed that he also have these lamps - ECC82 12AU7 Zaerix Aero / Mullard UK upareni par Anyone have any experience with them?
Just got off the treadmill rolling tubes in my Oto Phono SE Sig, including the crucial 12AU7. I bought .. a lot.. of tubes. Settled on the famed RCA black plate, but specifically a 1940s era D (or horseshoe) getter - quality seems hit-or-miss with these, with some units sounding weak in the frequency extremes. But this unit in there now is just perfect - it’s got that RCA black plate midrange (warm, natural, tonally rich) but with rock-solid imaging, great detail, and treble & bass excellent. Now I just need to find some more good ones as backups… Other favorites included the 1940s Ken-Rad pewter plate 12AU7s, and especially their 5814. A bit less natural than the RCAs, but otherwise all-round delicious. And the Sylvania 3-mica 5814 black plate, which was a surprise! (Listened to a lot of Sylvanias, and some were decent but many were mediocre.) This guy is tonally lighter than I usually like, but the quality is so good - clean, tight, holographic imaging, and with beautiful tones and great groove! If I could get this tube with the natural warmth and body of the RCA black plate, that might be the holy grail! Wasn’t hugely impressed by the various 1950s and 1960s Amperex or Mullards that I tried, which surprised me. The 60s Mullard CV4003 was great but just lacked punch and dynamics - too polite. Tried a Siemens ECC802s, which is glorious in the upper registers, with spooky-holographic imaging, but lacks warmth, body, and naturalness. RCA clear tops are ok, but a bit bright and easily bettered. GE was mostly pretty crappy, including the 5-star 5814 black plates. Actually, most of the 5814s I tried sucked, and were bettered by the same manufacturer’s straight 12AU7s, including RCA. The only exceptions were the Sylvania 3-mica and the Ken-Rad. Best value was probably the 1950s NEC (HP branded) gray plate square getter. Really clean, clear, neutral, but enjoyable sound for peanuts - $16 a pop! Recommended if you’re on a budget. But then even the best I found are only ~$50 a pop. Very important to reiterate that tubes are extremely system-dependent - both in how they work within a given circuit, and in how the particular tonal characteristics gel with the rest of the system’s sound. I even found sometimes tubes would sound better or worse depending on what other tubes were in-circuit! So take all the advice with a grain of salt, and listen for yourself. And don’t be afraid to leave the beaten path - lots of old gems to discover!
You presented a very good point, not only about how tubes sound in different circuits, but how other tubes in your system will affect overall sonics. RCA black plates are always a good place to start if you're looking for a classic sound with some warmth. They do highs, bass, and soundstage very well. I happen to like the 5814's very much, a low-noise RCA. May I suggest a CV4003 boxplate Brimar rather than the Mullard, or a CV492. It's warm with more clarity and has a smooth airy top-end and dynamic bass. Amperex Holland Bugle Boys have wonderful mids and a 3D soundstage, but there's a bit of a "sting" in the highs. The premium 7316 Amperex has it all with a smooth extended top-end. For well balanced, clean, realistic sonics, 1940s to 50's Tung Sol black glass are a better choice than Sylvania. I'm hoarding these.
Thanks for the tip on the NEC 12AU7 Long Gray Plates. I'm reading about them now. NEC made computers so it makes sense they made tubes for HP.
