CAT Preamps vs Amps

Hi,the legend will be out in a few months so hold tight.Ken says it is a real killer and will complement his amps,and the combination should be Nirvana.

I had an update re. CAT preamps & I thought that I'd post it here FWIW. There are other threads that also talk 'bout this subject here on Audiogon but they might be far back in the archives.

I took member "rayhall"(A'gon) & "TubeNewbie"(AA) advice & got a pair of Telefunken 6922 tubes. I also bought a pair of Amperex 7308 USN-CEP, white label tubes. Both these tubes were bought for the V6-V7 only position. They 12AX7 tubes I use are Electro-Harmonix. All other 6922 are Sovtek provided by the factory.
By merely tube rolling the V6-V7 tubes w/ the above 2 mentioned brands has made the sound my CAT SL1 Sig Mk3 even better! I love it more!
The Telefunken tubes impart more of what the Sovtek 6922 gave - better & fuller bass & a touch sweeter highs are the 2 items I note the most.
The Amperex tubes give a touch of warmth to the midrange. it's more seductive now but not so much that it's syrupy. Bass remains full & robust. The highs remain extended & retain their sparkle.
Both these tubes allow me to seemingly have my cake & eat it too in that I don't seem to compromise the CAT intended sound while I can fine tune it depending on my mood/preferred music delivery.
I believe that 'rayhall' uses Tele 12AX7 in V8, V9 & a Tele 6DJ8 in V10. Wish I could too but my pockets aren't that deep! :-)
Just FYI. FWIW.

Bombaywalla: I recently got a batch of Tele 12AX7's and with the help of a tube tester, I was able to match (by output signal strength) several pairs for my Aesthetix gear. I still have several of these left. If your short on a budget but would like to give them a try, I can ship a pair to you. I also have found the EI tubes to be quite impressive as well and they tend to be dead quiet vs. the majority of Tele's...but they don't have quite the Tele midrange magic. I think I also have one remaining pair of Mullard 12AX7 that you could try; I like these a lot due to their dynamics and very good tonal coherency So I could send you 3 pairs for you to try in the CAT. Should not be more than a few $ shipping costs. This way you can try these out before you spend a lot for something that might make a big difference....and then ship them back to me at a later date. Let me know if you're interested.
John

Jafox, I dont need any tubes, I want to tell you that you are what we all should be like, helping people, that is what it is all about, I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see people help each other,you are one of the best, I wish you well in all you do, If you ever need help, you can count on me!!!! Really. Marc

John,
You are most kind to offer me a chance to listen to these prized tubes!
Yes, I would love to have a chance to hear them in my system. Ever since I got the Tele 6922, I've been conjecturing just how the sound would be if I could swap in a pair of Tele 12AX7s.
Yes, Ken Stevens uses the Ei 12AX7 for a good reason, I suppose!
I'll send you an email off-line re. your generous offer. Thanks much!