Tube Rolling for TAD-150

Eagleman,

What do you think of the Tung Sol reissues?

Hello everyone, I am late to the party. I replaced my stck tubes with RCA dark plates 12AX7A/ECC83. They sound nicer but I am looking for better. I have some Sylvania 5751s coming in. I know since June you guys have rolled some more. Let's hear what you have been cooking with lately.

I have two shoe boxes full of input tubes I have rolled into the 150. I got plum obsessed with it for a while. I have now had Telefunken 12au7s in there for over a year. To my ears I have found nothing that sounds better. I have tried Bugle Boys, Mullards, various RCA and sylvania x7s and u7s as well as the Groove Tubes x7 (the only non NOS I tried). I never understood Paul's defense of the stock tubes which I found very lackluster. I know you had a 60 amp. Strangely enough I did not like the Telefunkens in the amp as I had two pairs, one for the pre and one in the amp. I ended up with some RCA 12au7 long black plates there which to my ears sound better. But in the 150 nothing came close. Many tubes were rich but none rich and detailed like the Telefunkens. It was exactly the detail I was looking for without going all the way to brittle. How are you enjoying the Hibachi amps (no grill jokes from me)? How do they compare with your 60?

I really liked the GTs. But they were a little more "in your face" than the Telefunkens. But, the differences are not stark, just noticeable. IMHO the GTs have been a little better suited to rock but I listen to mostly Jazz and vocals. The Telefunkens to me sound clearer, crisper and more detailed focused. The Telefunkens seemed to refocus the sound stage. I could have lived with the GTs or the RCA 5751 black plates easily though, they would have been my second and third picks if I were forced to rank them. GT has a new tube (can't remember was it a 12au7 or 5751) but I thought it might be interesting to try (would a little less gain in the GT make a difference?).

Fishboat,

Siemans, No. Sylvanias, yes (may have been double micas though). I would have to dig to make sure. The Sylvanias I thought were very good. Nice detail but a little less body than the Telefunkens to my ears. But, I could have lived with them. I guess the reason I liked the Telefunkens was becasue they seemed to strike a balance between detail and body. I have not tried Valvos either and would have been interested in them as well as the Siemens. Bugle Boys seemed pleasant, but ultimately too bright after extended listening. Gosh, I just finally had to stop somewhere with the rolling-my wife threatened the UPS guy as well as me! she became much to aware of a potential box that may have a pair of tubes...