2. amps-preamps
  3. 193152-1301

12au7 tube?

Looking for a good 12au7 (JJ ecc802s currently). I know the Telefunken ECC802s is the holy grail, but it comes at a price that is just too steep for me to justify. Many will recommend Mullard, but I always find them a bit too "wooly", lacking in definition. They're going in a Mastersound 845 Compact.

 

What tubes would you recommend that fits between the clarity of the Telefunken (without the price...) and the Mullard? I don't mind spending a bit of money on a pair (let's say max $500 for the pair, prefer to be lower if at all possible).

audiojan

Showing 2 responses by twoleftears

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 

There are so many variations in NOS Mullard tubes (different factories, different styles, a whole range of dates of production), that it's impossible to generalize about them.  I wasn't impressed with the pair that I got, but that doesn't mean that some other pair might sound fabulous.

That's one positive vote for the Apos Ray.  I'm feeling tempted.

 

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 

I settled on Radiotechnique in my Backert preamp. I thought they were made by Mazda but perhaps I'm wrong.  They just edge out the Cifte's that I also have and which I'm pretty sure were made by Mazda.

Amperex is great too: a tad warmer, whereas Radiotechnique gives you a little more "air".

I didn't get on well with Brimars because of reliability problems but perhaps that was just bad luck.

I tried a pair of Psvane ART series a while ago and thought them the best of new production that I tried (Mullard and Gold Lion), but prefer NOS.  No problems with the Psvane but two tubes in a preamp for not too long is hardly a representative sample.

Question: has anyone tried the Apos Ray 12AU7, which seems to be the new kid on the block making a few waves.

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