Nice, I have one of those too and the bass is ridiculous. I'm hunting for 40's RCA's now to see how the oldest 12ax7 tubes ever made sound.
That's interesting that you got a sonic improvement on the 6n1ps. That site doesn't seem to recommend the SS series for the 6n1ps, it suggests them for the Rx and Halo ones. May be a heat issue - you should reach out to them. The 6n1ps are in the second stage of the preamp which I believe makes them an output tube, so they may run hotter than the 12ax7. You should contact Herbies and see.
Red tip means medical grade, they were tested for ultra low noise. I would suspect the L&N was a run of military spec aviation tubes (Northrop), which would have very low noise requirements also.
Having been in lockdown and feeling the need to fettle popped a Sovtek 12AX7LPS in the window position ( just for fun) and am very surprised how this valve performs- superbly musical, balanced and very open and a tad more gain.... great fun to listen to. Bit of a surprise actually.
More window position valve rolling musings l think we have a winner so far...… and it is cheap as chips, ladies and gentlemen l give the JJ Electronic ecc83 £14 of lovely ness, a dark sounding valve with superb bass, separation, sound staging and control an amazing VFM valve. This one seriously musical valve.
I've pulled the Vincent out of my system on put my vintage Mac back in. Nothing wrong with the Vinny, I just like to change things up every now and then. The Vinny is still in the rack as it looks nice.
The Mac looks nice! Beginning to think l should have got the Silver 237MK. The black one is nice too.
I ordered the black and received the silver in error. I received a $200 credit for the mistake and am happy that I actually got the silver.
Hey guys, I'm looking to replace my vincent's tubes. Since I live abroad, I want to get four, just in case. Do I have to order 2 pairs of gain matched tubes (https://www.amazon.com/Matched-Pair...V&qid=1594513297&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1) or can I order a set of 4? I don't even know what gain matching means since I don't know anything about tubes in the first place. Another option is getting a pair of sovtek and a pair of svetlana, just to have 2 different brands to compare. I'm also getting one 12ax7, after reading here I take that genalex are the best. Is this the best option to get?: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEOPL36/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=AET5JO4MVOEWM&psc=1
It is best to have matched pairs especially since the Vincent doesn't have a balance control. The Genalex is a decent tube but definitely not the best. You want to get the best possible for the 12AX7 and a vintage NOS tube is best. These can get quite expensive. I paid close to $100 USD for the one I have in my amp. Take a look here for 12AX7 options: 12AX7 Tubes in Stock
Thanks for the input, but I'm affraid tubes that expensive are kinda outta my budget (I'm already getting other stuff such as cables, and I need to balance things out). In the Genalex (40-45 usd) range, is there anything better?
I think you are better off going with a good vintage 12AX7 over cables. Cables are a very debatable subject and in my system, I don't hear any difference between higher end cables and generic cables. I recently sold some of my Blue Jean Cables interconnects and replaced them with cheap Amazon Basics cables. For now if you haven't purchased the 12AX7 yet, might just be best to get the 6N1P's replaced and get familiar with they way your system sounds before making any major changes to tubes and cables.
Oh no, I'm just getting some basic cables because it's hard to find quality (i.e. good built) cables in Argentina, it's not that I'm looking at 500 usd cables. I'm just buying a 12zx7 as replacement, just in case.
With my 237-MK I could have happily stuck with the Shuguang 12AX7B that came with the amp, but curiosity got the better of me so I've been experimenting with a couple of the "new production" 12AX7 tubes that are coming out of Russia these days. So far I've tried the Tung Sol, the Mullard and am currently running the Genalex Gold Lion (gold pins). I preferred the Mullard over the TungSol, it just had more meat to it, maybe a little rolled off on the top but great bass and a real warmth compared to the Tung Sol which for me sounded a bit thinner. It's only early days with the Genalex at present but it's living up to it's rep as a great all-rounder. Kevin Deal from Upscale Audio has reviewed all these tubes and I've found his advice really handy.
Replace the Harma STR 6NIP-EV in the Vinny with the Voshod 6NIP-EV and they similar or the same ( the ones with the rocket logo) to the Harma's, need to do some more listening.
I own both a pair of Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 that for a new production tube sound fine, but then I discovered TJ Full Music (Chinese made but not by Shuguang like Psvane's) and I like these better than the Gold Lions. Just my 0.02$.
The Vinny is now bee hooked up in the rack and it does sound better than the Mac. Sometimes I get bored and like to switch things around. The Mac is now in the living room powering a pair of McIntosh ML2C speakers for TV viewing.
Yet more valve rolling ( Window position)- as with before went with JJ Electric ( vanilla JJ Electric ECC83S) however this time went with JJ Electric ECC803S Gold Pin...… and again this is a great upgrade 1. Super smooth sound! 2. Deep punchy bass! 3. Very cohesive sound with amazing separation. 4. Very refined and controlled sound. 5. Nice 3D projection with great dynamics. 6. Effortless sound. 7. Just as with the vanilla JJECC83 a highly musical sound that is really engaging. Thought the vanilla JJ ECC83S was good ( it is ) however the JJ Electric ECC803S is another level- and again with just one valve will not break the bank!
As a phase splitter the Sovtek 12AX7LPS is as good as any. As for other tubes, I use Mullard `12AX7 long plate in the preamp. Westinghouse 12AX7 short plate with center bump in phono. If amp has a 12Au7 I use Brimar 13D5 and similar long plate. All amps respond the same with the fore-mentioned tubes. I will not use anything else and just pay the price.
Quick question, can one use the 5751 valve in the window position in the SV-237Mk- indeed do any members use the 5751 instead of a ECC83?
Rega Yes, 30% less gain...you can also use ecc83/e83cc/12ax7.... And ecc82/e82cc/12au7 (less gain) but still a very good choice and there are some very good sounding ecc82/12au7 NOS tubes.... Regarding 6n1p-e Best tube....take a look at my thread: Vincent SV 237 Best Tubes. The Vincent SV 237 is a very good Amplifier even with the oem tubes..BUT you can take the Vincent SV 237 Sound to much higher quality levels with other tubes! See my thread... Vincent SV 237 Best Tubes
I just got a 12AU7 Telefunken ribbed plate medical grade red tip for my Vincent PHO-701, and also got a 12AX7 Brimar UK military “flying lead” box plate for my 237MK. The Tube salesman recommended substituting the (2) 6N1P with 6922 gold pin, Amperex Holland components, BEL India. After reading through this thread, seems the 6922s might not be wise to use? Has anyone here used 6992s? Is there risk of damage by using them? I'm considering returning them.
The 6922's are definitely not compatible with SV237 MK, the require a different current. I have read that the best tube for the 6N1P's are the Nevz 6N1P Triple Mica tubes but have not tried them.
