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Constant noisy tubes maybe go solid state?

I have a Quicksilver Line Stage Preamp (12AT7) mated to an Odyssey Khartago Stereo. Overall I like it. Way too much gain but I digress. Weeks after receiving it I rolled in a few different tubes, kinda fun to color the sound signature. I liked rhe RXA black plates I got and those stuck around for more than a year. They started going microphonic and making noises so I ordered another pair (noisy) then another different vendor (blasts of white noise) and another set that arrived today (one is noisy as holy hell and one seems fine).

So where does one order preamp quality tunes that are quiet? Is there something I’m not requesting when ordering? Maybe dump
snd go solid state? I’m trying to be humorous because I’m pissed. Ha.
gochurchgo
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
Brent Jessee currently has some Amperex 6211 tubes (Holland/10K hrs), intended/noise tested for IBM, that won’t break the bank.      Might be worth your time, to discuss those with him, since you liked the Amperex sound.       Info on that premium, industrial iteration of the 12AT7 and what’s in stock, in Teles and Amperex (as well as some less expensive, Mullard, RCA, GE and Sylvania 6211s), here:   http://www.audiotubes.com/12at7.htm
gochurchgo OP
934 posts
 
@rodman99999 I got the Aperex from him originally and they were really good. Still quiet though getting microphonic now. I like their sound but wish they had the Mullard’s top end. For whatever reason the Amperex seem to have like an extra 1/2 octave of lower bass than any of the tubes I have heard (which isn’t many).
I will look  into the 6211
phantom_av's avatar
phantom_av
327 posts
 
I just ordered some Tubes from Viva directly from Ebay, I did request the tubes to be tested for noise, they did not respond and shipped it out after 2 weeks its arrived at a warehouse i use for shipping to Asia. Lets see what the outcomes out as I have an Atma-Sphere Pre-amps both MP3 and MP1 and they are sensitive to crap tubes.
bluorion
495 posts
 
I haven't had good experiences with tubes---I guess I'm the oddball. I had the same thing---hiss, noise, dinging sounds. I went back to SS and I'm staying. I prefer a completely black background.
gochurchgo OP
934 posts
 
@bluorion I think I lucked out off the bat with zero noise tubes running in my crazy high gain system. Clearly an aberration.

im debating throwing down on AVA’s Vision SLR (solid state) preamp and seeing what the difference is. 
Upscale sent a follow up email and said my system as it sat (no attenuators) would have some noise.  That I didn’t have any off the bat was luck. Which is the conclusion I had already come to. I still may go with a 6db pair and see how much noise comes though. The 13db pair in now makes the system dead quiet.

im curious to know, just for my knowledge, if an 18db gain preamp with a 12db attenuators makes it a 6db gain preamp or if it’s non linear or there’s other electrical things at play.
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