Nik
Headphoneus Supremus
I think that this is the correct place for this thread because I'm speaking of tubes I have tested with the Egmont Reference amplifier.
After a very long tuberolling with my Egmont Reference I now able to tell you something about the sound of different brands of 12ax7 .
I had a lot of tubes:
GE 12ax7 different kinds (long plate) "W" type and others…
Tung Sol 12ax7
Mullard CV4004
Amperex 12ax7 orange logo
Telefunken ECC83 ribbed plates and smooth plates
Telefunken ECC803s
The Egmont Reference with Omega II is a very sensitive instrument even for testing the tubes sound, I could say that is a “sound tube tester” (!!!).
All the General Electric 12ax7 are good tubes, the first quality you can notice is the equilibrated sound they have. The long plate are the warmest and more liquid sound of all.
The Amperex have a very detailed sound especially in the hi region.
The Tung Sol are a bit dark for my tastes
Well, the most personality tubes over all are the Mullard and the Telefunken that are even the most hi price of all the 12ax7.
The Mullard CV4004 (equivalent of 12ax7 and ECC83) is a typical Mullard sound: life medrange, incredible for voice and all that is acoustic music. Very transparent and low microphonic tubes.
The Telefunken ECC83 are a rare tube (you cannot find in the tube site seller) may be on Ebay or Audiogon. You can find some of these tubes in Europe more than in USA. This tube has a very good quality: very detailed sound, clear, but even always tube sound, warm and musical. The ribbed plate are a bit more definite and the smooth as the word say… smoother.
The Holy Grail Telefunken ECC803s
Yes, this is the word of this tube that is near impossible to find a NOS pair. Not surely in USA, may be in Germany but very hard… and if you find one pair you will pay around 800-900 $ !
Are these tubes really so good ??? YES! Point!
The sound is the typical Telefunken sound (as I described for the ECC83), but this tubes have a totally different type of construction, very well built and strong. AS the sound they have: STRONG!
There is a BIG different respect to the ECC83 (that I have considered the best). First point is the soundstage that is totally another thing much bigger than any other equivalent tubes I tested. Second point is the neutrality and natural sound they have: INCREDIBLE! Voices and (my loved female voices) are live and real. Third point is the impact, as I said strong in this sense, this tube really sing to your ears. Is this tube a 800$ object? IMO yes, but only if you have an instrument that can exalt all that beautifulness … and the Egmont Reference/Omega do this!
The Telefunken ECC803s is the biggest improovment in sound I have experimented in any tuberoll I done with all the headphones system I had.
Best!
Nicola
After a very long tuberolling with my Egmont Reference I now able to tell you something about the sound of different brands of 12ax7 .
I had a lot of tubes:
GE 12ax7 different kinds (long plate) "W" type and others…
Tung Sol 12ax7
Mullard CV4004
Amperex 12ax7 orange logo
Telefunken ECC83 ribbed plates and smooth plates
Telefunken ECC803s
The Egmont Reference with Omega II is a very sensitive instrument even for testing the tubes sound, I could say that is a “sound tube tester” (!!!).
All the General Electric 12ax7 are good tubes, the first quality you can notice is the equilibrated sound they have. The long plate are the warmest and more liquid sound of all.
The Amperex have a very detailed sound especially in the hi region.
The Tung Sol are a bit dark for my tastes
Well, the most personality tubes over all are the Mullard and the Telefunken that are even the most hi price of all the 12ax7.
The Mullard CV4004 (equivalent of 12ax7 and ECC83) is a typical Mullard sound: life medrange, incredible for voice and all that is acoustic music. Very transparent and low microphonic tubes.
The Telefunken ECC83 are a rare tube (you cannot find in the tube site seller) may be on Ebay or Audiogon. You can find some of these tubes in Europe more than in USA. This tube has a very good quality: very detailed sound, clear, but even always tube sound, warm and musical. The ribbed plate are a bit more definite and the smooth as the word say… smoother.
The Holy Grail Telefunken ECC803s
Yes, this is the word of this tube that is near impossible to find a NOS pair. Not surely in USA, may be in Germany but very hard… and if you find one pair you will pay around 800-900 $ !
Are these tubes really so good ??? YES! Point!
The sound is the typical Telefunken sound (as I described for the ECC83), but this tubes have a totally different type of construction, very well built and strong. AS the sound they have: STRONG!
There is a BIG different respect to the ECC83 (that I have considered the best). First point is the soundstage that is totally another thing much bigger than any other equivalent tubes I tested. Second point is the neutrality and natural sound they have: INCREDIBLE! Voices and (my loved female voices) are live and real. Third point is the impact, as I said strong in this sense, this tube really sing to your ears. Is this tube a 800$ object? IMO yes, but only if you have an instrument that can exalt all that beautifulness … and the Egmont Reference/Omega do this!
The Telefunken ECC803s is the biggest improovment in sound I have experimented in any tuberoll I done with all the headphones system I had.
Best!
Nicola
