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Genuine Telefunken?

The last few years I have really enjoyed the exceptional sound of my tube audio equipment. After reading as much as possible on the net about " NOS " tubes, have narrowed it down to Telefunken 12AX7 and 12AU7 for my Jadis DPL preamp, but now I am really confused and can't believe all the fake ones being passed on for the authentic tubes. I have three questions! 1.) What exactly should I look for on genuine Telefunkens of these #'s, should they all have gold pins? 2.)Is it possible to stumble upon a genuine NOS Telefunken 12AX7? and 3.) Is it just a matter of preference of smooth plate verses ribbed plate? Or is one better than the other? I am new to experimenting with tubes and would love any opinions or comments. Maybe I should just consider a used tube being they have such a long long life. Thanks, Deb
noguerol
rcprince
3,074 posts
 
I can vouch for the Jadis/Telefunken match, in my JPL and JP80 the Telefunkens sounded far more lush than the Mullards I tried, so go figure. It's good to try other types (Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8s sounded great in my JP80's phono stage, better than the Teles in that position, so I imagine their 12AX7s would sound good), but I have always wound up with the Teles in my Jadis equipment. And Larryi is right, the ECC803S are the best of the Teles that I have used, but they are outrageously priced these days. Mine have been going strong for years, so the high cost has been well-amortized. Do watch out for fakes; if you buy from a reputable seller you can be confident you'll get the real thing.
rodman99999
6,159 posts
 
The info on the genuine Tele's having the diamond molded in to the bottom glass, and their excellent sound qualities is all correct. I've not seen this counterfeited as yet. Only pursue a British tube(ie: Mullard, Brimar) if you have a taste for a warmer/tubier presentation. The better Tele's and Siemens are about as transparent/smooth/detailed/dynamic as tubes get, unless you go with a pair of these: (http://www.euroaudioteam.com/ecc803s.php) and take the risk out of the game altogether. BTW: The ECC803S is a 10,000hr tube, which(combined with it's exemplary sonics) makes it somewhat of a bargain.
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,212 posts
 
I can vouch for excellence of Tele ECC803S, as they took my inexpensive Jolida tuner to a whole new level (got mine from Audiogon seller "Sam1104"). They were not cheap, but I'm a big believer in "you get what you pay for".

Stick with reputable dealers when buying NOS tubes. I've had good luck with Tube World, Vintage Tube Services (however took 2 weeks to ship), and a seller that goes by Sam1104 on Audiogon.

I also agree with other posters that a NOS tube can sound great in one component, but fall short in other components... so getting advise from foks you trust, experimentation and willingness to take some risk is essential when choosing NOS tubes.

I've found fellow Audiogoners "Rodman99999" & "Albertporter" to be good sources of audio info... you may want to check with them regarding tube selection and reputable NOS tube dealers.
sirspeedy
738 posts
 
Jafox,I am happy for your "always interesting" response,except this time around you may have cost me some money. -:)

Worth replacing my CCa's with the PW's?
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