12ax7 vs 5751

hiya mikirob, it`s a hell of an experience. i wish i could say i achieved it by skill but really it was pure luck! the only thing now is i hope the kt88-z`s add further improvements rather than being too much of a good thing. they must be due any day now too

update for the ei elites....

ok one of them (the right side) has turned very slightly microphonic but it`s very slight and not really noticeable and certainly doesn`t affect the performance.

and now for the good stuff! i have about 45 hours on them now and i can`t believe i`m saying this but the sound has improved immensely! the punchy deep bass has turned into a punchy deeper bass with slam when required! the warmth in the bass is just superb. the bass is as seductive as you can get!

the noise floor is even lower! on dave gilmours cd on the track "a pocket full of stones", when he first starts singing there is just his voice accompanied by a piano. both the voice and piano come out of nothingness, blackness, darkness i dunno how to describe it but it`s amazing! you can hear a pin drop. thats the effect it gives you.

the highs are just as high but have more presence as does the midband. voices now sound just a tad more forward than what they were and are just as detailed and deep. by that i mean more depth to the voice in the soundstage.

and on to the soundstage!i said before when i installed the tubes that i initially found the soundstage freaky. i meant that in a very good positive way. well now the soundstage is super freaky!!! much more depth, much more seperation, much more 3 dimentional, more expression and amazing presence and air around that presence. voices sound closer to me in the soundstage. this must have a lot to do with how the ei elites interact with the brimar 6sn7gty/cv1988 and the rca grey glass vt231`s in this amplifier. it is just pure magic.

there`s still no sign of my black treasure kt88-z`s or the ge 5751`s yet. i can`t wait to get them now to see how they fair in this amp. so there`ll be more to come soon :)

i don`t know where these tubes stand in the 12ax7 world of tubes but in this amp they`re incredible

VERY interesting thread. I recently bought a Thor ta1000 and am very impressed with it but would like more of the sound you are describing.(3d and depth) This is my first tube component of any sort and I was told to go with GE 5751 triple mica blacks. If the potential for improvement is anything close to what you have experienced...then I have a lot to look forward to! I am anxious to hear your update when the 5751s come in.

I didn't like the 5751 until I found some good ones. Give A'gon member Paul_lindermann a shout,he will fix you up.

Tpreaves
What is Paul lindermanns user name? Thanks