12BZ7/12AX7 vs. 5751


I have a Cary V12 with 12BZ7 tubes in the input. I read an article last night that suggest that the 5751 is interchangeable, just with less gain, and that it sounds significantly better. Has anyone used a 5751 in place of a 12BZ7, or for that matter a 12AX7, and could you comment on any differences/improvements in sound?

Thanks!
grimace

Showing 1 response by jedinite24

Hi Grimace

I have been swapping 12AX7 tubes with 5751 type tubes in a Jolida Glass FX tube DAC. The RCA Grey Plate 12AX7 tubes from the 70s I had in the DAC made the music very forward and cymbals and highs really had some sizzle to them. Music was borderline unnatural sounding. I rolled in some JAN GE 5751 type tubes from the late 80s and it made the music less in your face and calmed down the highs by wide margin.

I'm going to try to find Sylvania 5751s at a good price but they seem to be getting scarce. There are a lot of GE 5751 tubes out there for you to choose from. Lastly some tube sellers have low gain options for 12AX7 tubes BUT from what I've seen these are for newer issued tubes. E.g. Sovtek, JJ, Tung Sol. I don't know if that could be another solution for you.

Good luck.