I've been using a Sylvania (KUHL - Cryo - yellow printing) from TubeWorld that I got about a year ago with a MapleTree Headphone Amp. I am very pleased with the sound and highly recommend it. Extended highs, deep/tight bass. I use Sennheiser HD600 and AKG-501 headphones.
Review: Comparison of 5751 Tubes Raytheon, Sylvania, and more Tweak
Category: Accessories
Okay..for those of you who use tube amps (especially by ASL) I have compared the following 5751's. 5751's are military tubes which can be used in place of 12AX7's.
Tubes:
Reference Ei EL84’s
Raytheon 5751
RCA Blackplate 5751
CBS 5751
Arcturus 5751
Sylvania 12AU7
Tung-Sol 5751
G.E. 5693
ITT 7025
Sylvania 5751
Music:
Mahler-Symphony No. 4 by London Philharmonic
This CD is my reference classical cd. It has highs, lows, everything one could want. It seriously tickles my spine when I listen to it.
Eric Clapton- Reptile (HDCD)
This is Eric Clapton’s most recent album (note that I saw it live in concert last year in LA hehehe) It has some male vocals, and plenty of strings. Another great album
Pink Floyd-Echos
This is one of Pink Floyd’s most well-recorded albums. It is basically a sampler/remaster of their work from the 1960s-1990s
David Bowie-The best of the BBC Radio Sessions 1968-1972
This album is a challenge for most systems. A perfect example of great music recorded with not-so-state of the art equipment
Anggun-Snow on the Sahara
A great example of superb female vocals
Motley Crue- Dr. Feelgood
A classic Metal/Rock band
Impressions:
Raytheon 5751
Very sweet, warm vocals. Very open soundstage. With classical, you really feel the vibration of the violin strings. It is very warm and very nice. It really gives a distance sensation. The Music’s presence is really there. I would say this is the best tube for any type of rock music also. It sounds similar to the CBS 5751 with classical and Jazz.
RCA Blackplate
These are probabally the best for Pink Floyd. I hate them for heavy metal though, it sounds muffled. The vocals and highs aren’t really as dynamic as with the Raytheon. Altogether, this is a nice tube for the money. It certainly beats up a lot of others I have experienced.
CBS 5751
This is a very rare gray plate 5751. It sounds extremely deep with classical. It is absolutely fabulous with male vocals. It is quite forgiving of bad recordings also. This is the tube to get it you are a big fan of older jazz recordings. Also note that flutes sound great with this tube. It did however have a slight buzz on the low end. This is one of my favorite tubes because of smoothness it puts out.
Arcturus 5751
This is a nice heavy metal tube, IMO heavy metal seems to be a bit bright, but not at all with this tube. The big con with this one is the soundstage. The bass is the strongest feature with this tube.
Sylvania 12AU7
A bit too soft for my tastes. It sounds a lot like the stock JJ tube, skip it.
Tung-Sol 5751
The most liquid of all the tubes, It lets the highs just roll off. Very low-noise. I am in love with the liquidness of this tube. Not as dynamic as the Raytheon, but superior with female vocals and horns.
G.E. 5693
This tube is a nice all-around performer. Not super-dynamic, and not too smooth or soft. Good buy for the budget tuberoller.
ITT 7025
Despite what nick says about this one, I really do like it. It has superb imaging. It sounds great with strings, and the bass is really there. The sound is very realistic, not too liquid. I’m sure you all know how I prefer realism and accuracy to warmth. This tube is a very solid performer.
Sylvania 5751
Wow, now here is a tube I didn’t expect to be as nice as it is, especially with the gold brand to compete with. This is a great tube, very solid buy. The dynamics are great, and they reproduce the sound very accurately. The imaging is great, I can close my eyes and actually be at the show. Highly Recommended
Here is how I would rank all of these tubes
1st – Raytheon 5751
2nd – Sylvania 5751
3rd – Tung-Sol 5751
4th – ITT 7025
5th – CBS 5751
6th – RCA Blackplate
7th - GE 5693
8th - Arcturus 5751
9th - Sylvania 12AU7
I would recommend all of these tubes except for the last one on the bottom. It really depends on what type of music you listen to.
Associated gear
Hospital Grade Power Cord
Denon DCM-370
Rhino Interconnects
MG Head DT
Sennheiser HD600
Okay..for those of you who use tube amps (especially by ASL) I have compared the following 5751's. 5751's are military tubes which can be used in place of 12AX7's.
Tubes:
Reference Ei EL84’s
Raytheon 5751
RCA Blackplate 5751
CBS 5751
Arcturus 5751
Sylvania 12AU7
Tung-Sol 5751
G.E. 5693
ITT 7025
Sylvania 5751
Music:
Mahler-Symphony No. 4 by London Philharmonic
This CD is my reference classical cd. It has highs, lows, everything one could want. It seriously tickles my spine when I listen to it.
Eric Clapton- Reptile (HDCD)
This is Eric Clapton’s most recent album (note that I saw it live in concert last year in LA hehehe) It has some male vocals, and plenty of strings. Another great album
Pink Floyd-Echos
This is one of Pink Floyd’s most well-recorded albums. It is basically a sampler/remaster of their work from the 1960s-1990s
David Bowie-The best of the BBC Radio Sessions 1968-1972
This album is a challenge for most systems. A perfect example of great music recorded with not-so-state of the art equipment
Anggun-Snow on the Sahara
A great example of superb female vocals
Motley Crue- Dr. Feelgood
A classic Metal/Rock band
Impressions:
Raytheon 5751
Very sweet, warm vocals. Very open soundstage. With classical, you really feel the vibration of the violin strings. It is very warm and very nice. It really gives a distance sensation. The Music’s presence is really there. I would say this is the best tube for any type of rock music also. It sounds similar to the CBS 5751 with classical and Jazz.
RCA Blackplate
These are probabally the best for Pink Floyd. I hate them for heavy metal though, it sounds muffled. The vocals and highs aren’t really as dynamic as with the Raytheon. Altogether, this is a nice tube for the money. It certainly beats up a lot of others I have experienced.
CBS 5751
This is a very rare gray plate 5751. It sounds extremely deep with classical. It is absolutely fabulous with male vocals. It is quite forgiving of bad recordings also. This is the tube to get it you are a big fan of older jazz recordings. Also note that flutes sound great with this tube. It did however have a slight buzz on the low end. This is one of my favorite tubes because of smoothness it puts out.
Arcturus 5751
This is a nice heavy metal tube, IMO heavy metal seems to be a bit bright, but not at all with this tube. The big con with this one is the soundstage. The bass is the strongest feature with this tube.
Sylvania 12AU7
A bit too soft for my tastes. It sounds a lot like the stock JJ tube, skip it.
Tung-Sol 5751
The most liquid of all the tubes, It lets the highs just roll off. Very low-noise. I am in love with the liquidness of this tube. Not as dynamic as the Raytheon, but superior with female vocals and horns.
G.E. 5693
This tube is a nice all-around performer. Not super-dynamic, and not too smooth or soft. Good buy for the budget tuberoller.
ITT 7025
Despite what nick says about this one, I really do like it. It has superb imaging. It sounds great with strings, and the bass is really there. The sound is very realistic, not too liquid. I’m sure you all know how I prefer realism and accuracy to warmth. This tube is a very solid performer.
Sylvania 5751
Wow, now here is a tube I didn’t expect to be as nice as it is, especially with the gold brand to compete with. This is a great tube, very solid buy. The dynamics are great, and they reproduce the sound very accurately. The imaging is great, I can close my eyes and actually be at the show. Highly Recommended
Here is how I would rank all of these tubes
1st – Raytheon 5751
2nd – Sylvania 5751
3rd – Tung-Sol 5751
4th – ITT 7025
5th – CBS 5751
6th – RCA Blackplate
7th - GE 5693
8th - Arcturus 5751
9th - Sylvania 12AU7
I would recommend all of these tubes except for the last one on the bottom. It really depends on what type of music you listen to.
Associated gear
Hospital Grade Power Cord
Denon DCM-370
Rhino Interconnects
MG Head DT
Sennheiser HD600
- ...
- 10 posts total
- 10 posts total