PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium preamp owners!


Please help me. Looking for new tubes. I read that it is difficult to beat the stock tubes, but I am willing to try. I am currently running a Pass XA-30.8 amplifier, Harbeth Super HL5+ speakers and an Esoteric K-07 as a source. I listen to rock, jazz, classical. Love female vocalists accompanied by the piano as well. I want to avoid anything that will accentuate high frequencies or anything that may cause harshness in the upper registers. All that being said, I was considering Amperex Medical 12AU7, Brimar CV4003, Cifte 12AU7 or Mullard cv4003. Or something else? Thank you in advance.
tswisla

Showing 3 responses by saki70

I have tried some of those in my Dialogue Premium integrated .

The Cifte's were rather boring and uneventful . A friend of mine tried them in his Ayon and didn't find them pleasing either .

The Amprex were an improvement in all directions . Nice bass , air , bounce and musicality . My second favorite input tube .

For less money , the RCA Cleartops come close to the Amperex's and actually do better with voices .

The CBS will favor female singers with slow jazz . Very accurate but not as musical as the Amperex and RCA .

My favorite is another Dutch tube , the 7316 . A step above the Amperex with the inclusion of the RCA voice aspect . Just an all around winner , for me ! The earlier production the better and probably the most expensive .

My integrated has 6 input tubes as does your preamp . I found that changing just the front two tubes , on each side , was enough for the desired change . I leave the rear 12AU7 on each side stock , the Primaluna . I did not note a discernible improvement by changing these rear tubes .

Now , a word of caution with these tubes that I like . I have very neutral speakers , Reference 3a Di Capo i's . So I prefer a warmer tone that what you may desire with your Harbeth's which tend to be a bit warmer .

Maybe try the RCA's , which are cheaper than the Amperex and 7316 to see how they work in your situation , they are still a nice tube .

Good Luck  

samzx12;

The Primaluna EL-34's are indeed a nice tube . I also have tried the KT-120's and found them to be good at the extremes but a little shy in the mids . I finally settled on some Black Treasure 6CA7's from Shuguang . Quite a nice tube after break-in . Warm , extended ,nice mids , detailed and musical . They go with the 7316's  nicely . This combination will give you the warmth that you seek .

Good Luck

samzx12 ;

If I remember correctly , and that is a decent sized if , the 6CA7 is the American

version of the European EL-34 tube . You can find a 6CA7 made in America at some of the tube retailors on the net . I have no experience with any of the American versions so I can not tell you if the Black Treasure's are that much better , from my personal experience . But what I could find out from others , they

are . 

Happy Tunes