Hope I'm not putting words in @mulveling mouth--get a tube preamp that uses a better tube. I've never liked preamps with 12AX7s--the timbre seems off and dynamics seem non-linear. Hard to be sure, though, as it is the whole system being listened to, not just the tube type. In the preamp alone, there is the circuit, its parts quality, its layout, its build quality, and its output impedance match (or not) to the amplifier input. Add the source, amplifier, loudspeakers, cables, and the room and who knows? Even with something like the BHK preamp which uses either tube, there is still the possibility for optimization for one or the other.
Expanding questions about tubes in a preamp
Hello to all...
Started with a (helpful) discussion titled "How to select tubes for a line level preamp"... Expanding questions that have generated from that...
Have learned that hum/noise from tubes is a major consideration - now trying to figure cheap ways to address quieting the 12AX7s and the EF86s.
Would like to try "banding" the tubes with rubber ring washers - one?two?three per tube?
Where should the rings be on the tube: Top? Mid? Bot?
Can you over dampen a tube?
Knowledgeable tube users/ Masters input/suggestions please...
Started with a (helpful) discussion titled "How to select tubes for a line level preamp"... Expanding questions that have generated from that...
Have learned that hum/noise from tubes is a major consideration - now trying to figure cheap ways to address quieting the 12AX7s and the EF86s.
Would like to try "banding" the tubes with rubber ring washers - one?two?three per tube?
Where should the rings be on the tube: Top? Mid? Bot?
Can you over dampen a tube?
Knowledgeable tube users/ Masters input/suggestions please...