What is the best 12ax7 NOS tube ?????????


Hi,
I'm looking to tube swap my 12ax7's on my Rogue M120
Magnums. What are some of the best 12ax7's ever made?
Thanks
dudeaudio
dudeaudio
NOS Telefunkens are nice.I have three in the front end of my Audiomat integrated. Great sound and they last forever. However buyer beware as there are a lot of fakes floating around out in tubeland. You may want to check out www.audiotubes.com as Brent's got a lot of NOS stuff, lots of tube info and he is an excellent seller. Cheers
It really depends on the circuit and your taste. My preference is Telefunkens, which are a smooth-sounding tube and seem made for my Jadis equipment; old Mullards are also quite good, although in my Jadis (and my Audio Logic DAC) they sounded a shade too bright, though a little punchier and livelier than the Teles. I'm sure others have their favorites, but it would be helpful to you if they used those tubes in the Rogue and could report on the resulting sound. Otherwise, do some tube-rolling of your own to see which tubes you like the best.
It is indeed a matter of taste, having similar gear to Rcprince, I tend to agree with what he says about the Teles. Mazda France is a nice tube as well, close to the sound of the Teles, warm as well as lively and not so well known, hence cheaper.As far as the Tele fakes are concerend, I'd buy from a reputable seller to be on the safe side.
Of coarse it is a matter of taste and the circuit, but some tubes to look for would be #1, the smooth plate telefunkens. While poeple often debate on whether they are the best, or what is better, they are always very good. Everybody seems to like them, and they always seem to work good in almost all applications. N.O.S. rca's, if you could find them will give you different than the tele, you could try 5751's, which is a lowwer amplification that the 12ax7 that is a direct replacement, that some poeole highly recomend. (g.e.'s are inexpensive). I was surprised with the newr sovtek 12ax7lps, I found it as smooth as a tele but warmer AND punchier, (that was only in one try, though).
It might be for you a good idea if you could find a source for decent used, so you could afford to buy some different one's and see which way you want to go. Especailly if you have more tube gear that would benifit from tube rolling.