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Rolled some 12ax7's recently...

Hi All,
I went through my supply of 12ax7's recently and found some goodies.
I recently compared Bugle Boys to Telefunkens in the phono stage of my pre-amp. Interesting (to me, at least). I found the Telefunkens to be nice sounding; very clean and clear, very nice detail, over all a very nice sounding tube. The Bugle Boys, however, were magical! WOW! Timbre was so much more apparent. The soundstage depth and width increased; especially the depth. The music seemed to come alive and glow. It was much more captivating.
I found such a dramatic difference between two high quality tubes very interesting.
I have yet to try 10m's, and 70's Mullards that I found. I will report when I do...
By the way, NOS Sylvania's sound nice in the line-level stage. All tubes reported are vintage NOS. I match them with my tube tester. And, I do not change the volume setting between tube brands tested.
Any comments are more than welcomed! I appreciate any information on your experiences with 12ax7's. The price of some of these NOS is incredible; I am glad to have these nice examples in my collection!
Cheers.
bicycle_man
bicycle_man OP
100 posts
 
Thanks, Nsgarch! It burned me up to see that auction. After a little thought, I have reached the conclusion that I won't let the likes of him upset me. If people are willing to pay the prices he asks, it is their problem. Thank you for your supportive comment.

Perhaps the synergies between different tubes and amps has to do with the electrical properties of the tubes and the circuits they are plugged into. This sounds like stating the obvious. But, maybe the effects of the parameters are more profound than theory or expectations suggest. It is an interesting phenomenon!
cruz123
586 posts
 
Has anyone tried the Mullard Reissue 12ax7 and/or the new production Sovtek LPS 12ax7? They get good reviews over at Audio Asylum and the LPS's especially seem to have the rep of being exceptionally quiet. I've ordered some of each to try out in a VAC pre I just picked up. I thought I would try this route before blowing the inheritance on NOS.
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,241 posts
 
Cruz123 - The Mullard reissues are garbage IME, and the Sovtek LPS are moderately better. I've found you get what you pay for when it comes to tubes. Finding used NOS tubes in good condition can save you some money, but still expect to pay quite a bit more than the inexpensive current tubes previously referenced.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Bicicyle_man, in fairness, I have seen "museum quality" TFK 803S's go for as much as $1400 a pair on eBay (before the financial meltdown!) They ARE rare, and if one is a collector (and has no intention of using them - which blows my mind ;-) I suppose . . . . . .

But if you were to do a little research as I did, purely out of curiosity (I wondered what a $1400 pair of 12AX7's must sound like?) you would probably discover as i did that the concensus was "nothing special"!

The only time I [almost] got badly burned buying NOS tubes (the seller took them back ;-) was when I paid a premium for some truly NEW NOS tubes and one was a complete dud. But nobody knew because no one had ever tried to use them! Oh yeah, the seller had tested and measured them, but not actually placed them in service in a component. From then on, I only buy ANOS (almost new old stock) tubes with at least a few hours on them. There's nothing like a 'track record' when it comes to tubes!
larryi
4,350 posts
 
Bicycle Man,

The ebay price listing for the ECC803S is quite high, but, is there something else you object to about the listing? Are these fakes?

Whether or not a tube is the "best" is a matter of system synergy and taste. I found it a bit obnoxious for the poster to suggest there is any kind of audiophile consensus on the 803S, but, the price any decent tube of that type gets is a reflection of demand for that tube. Sure, collectors have driven up the price too, but, I bet quite a few are in actual use.

I do think the 803S is unique, in terms of its utter speed, impact of transients, and detail. I know it can sound lean and analytical in most setups, but, where it works well, I have not heard anything that can compare. It also has a reputation for having a very long life. The value of what this tube offers is in the eye of the beholder.

I am just trying to get some idea of whether you are raising objections to the tube itself, the crazy pricing, or the specifics of the particular ebay posting/poster.
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