can I mix preamp tube in v1 and v2 or do they need to be a matched set
example I have a EH 12ax7 in v1 and a tung-sol 12ax7 in the phase inverter is this going to hurt my amp?
I got mine from Doug's Tubes. Sound great in my V1 spots.Tonehead, where are you getting your JAN Phillips tubes?
Or even a 12AZ7 which I am using and seems to be a great value atm.V3: This is the reverb driver. Best to have a 12AT7 or 5751 here. The Jan military stock 12AT7 is very affordable, as is the Mullard reissue 12AT7. This will give you real control over your reverb and make is sound more lush, less clangly.
V6: this is the phase inverter, and it calls for a good 12AT7 (a 5751 will work here as well). I like the Mullard 12AT7 reissue.
Point well taken; you may find one of these to be microphonic. The ones to which I am referring are 80s military stock Jan 12AX7s. Same thing happens with Ei ECC83s which are very close to NOS Telfunkens and have a very rich tone. With most suppliers you can return tubes if you get a bad one, but this is a hassle for sure. Have never had this problem with a new Tung Sol 12AX7 or JJ ECC83S.I've found the JAN 12AX7 can also be a bit microphonic in combos. I bought an NOS set of 4 from 1966 (not from Doug), 2 weren't usable in my combo, in the V1.
Gotta disagree with you on this one - they looked sort of similar inside, but Ei didn't ever sound like Telefunken to me. I can find merits in both, and you're correct about the microphonic issue, but, from my experience, the two tubes are tonally quite different. Ei's brightness can be quite harsh, whereas Telefunken's is sweet, and never harsh.Ei ECC83s which are very close to NOS Telfunkens and have a very rich tone.
Tone change depends on which 12AT7 you're going to use. But you should have a less distorted signal, with same amp settings, as you go from the X7 to T7. Why not try the JAN Philips 12AT7 you've got, and find out?what change in tone should I expect going from an AX7 to AT7 in the PI?
Swirl is not something that preamp tube changes can provide. Chime is. Depending on your budget, you may choose NOS options, such as long-plate Mullard 12AX7, long black-plate Raytheon 12AX7A, Tesla (not JJ) E83CC, or long black-plate Sylvania 12AX7. I'll let others discuss current-production options for chime.Would also like a bit more swirl and chime.
You know, I wondered about that, the 80's mil stock being tougher somehow. Had no mic problems with the 80's JAN from Doug. Cool, thanks for confirming that.Point well taken; you may find one of these to be microphonic. The ones to which I am referring are 80s military stock Jan 12AX7s. Same thing happens with Ei ECC83s which are very close to NOS Telfunkens and have a very rich tone. With most suppliers you can return tubes if you get a bad one, but this is a hassle for sure. Have never had this problem with a new Tung Sol 12AX7 or JJ ECC83S.
I have a bunch of 12AZ7s and 12AV7s. I've found them to be pretty microphonic. I later learned they were designed to be used in computers and other industrial electronics and were never meant for audio. But if you can find a quiet one, they can sound pretty good.Or even a 12AZ7 which I am using and seems to be a great value atm.