2. amps-preamps
  3. 191994-86238

VTL Pre tube roll…or suggestions on 12AU7s

Wondering if anyone has swapped their tubes in their VTL preamp.  I have the 6.5 II.  It doesn’t sound bad with the current tubes, but, as audiophiles, we audiophile.  Any suggestions on 12AU7’s, otherwise?

Also curious if anyone has input on VTL’s claim in the manual regarding damage occurring from using non-VTL approved tubes…seems a bit odd to me, as I’ve not read that in other tube pre’s I’ve had.  Or that I recall of, my guess is it’s a general legal disclaimer.

toddcowles
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,377 posts
 

I am going to commit blasphemy.

I have a NOS Mazdas that replaced Psvane ART series 12AU7s in my preamp. The Psvane ART had replaced Gold Lions. And I love how the Mazdas sounded so "natural" in my system. Used it for almost 1.8 years and they have a warranty of 2 years.

Since I wanted to save the Mazdas for future, I ordered the new Psvane Horizon 12AU7s. Initially they sounded alright - no great shakes. But after about 50-70 hours they did change. Since I listen on a daily basis, I did not realize how much they improved. But after a month or so, I decided to put the Mazdas back into the system, just to see how they would improve on the Psvanes. But long story short is that the Mazdas went back into their storage boxes and I dropped the idea of ordering one more pair of NOS Mazdas. The bass on the Mazdas seem bloated. I am not into that "warm" sound. The Psvane sounds more neutral and extended to me.

There - I did it, and probably lost all credibility on this forum.

elliottbnewcombjr
5,359 posts
 

discussion here 2 yrs ago

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/tubes-for-vtl-6-5series-ii-preamp?highlight=vtl

 

johnss
570 posts
 

The sound of the 6.5 and 7.5 can vary slightly with change in tubes. I like the RCA black plate 5814As in mine. Have tried GE, PSVANE, Shuguang, Mullard UK, and Sylvania. If you are a daily or 4x per week user you'll likely get about a year out of a set of tubes. After that they are ready for the trash.   

On the 6.5 II and the 7.5 III just be careful when installing and removing tubes. The socket is mounted on a floating PCB so don't get rough with it. 

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