John Massaria
Member of the Trade: JM Audio Editions/Headphone Modifications
I know there is a lot of debate as to which is the best 12au7
ECC82 or ECC802 or similar... we are not discussing E80CC since that tube does not work in so many amps- mine does not require the high current or gain of the E80cc so please stick to drop in ECC82 or ECC802s or 12AU7 etc experiences only.... thank you...here is my experience so far...
AMP USED WAS A HEADPHONE CYPHER LABS PRAUTES
★★★★ 1950s Raytheon 5814A -ECC82 12AU7- Black Plates, 3 Mica- An excellent silent tube with full body sound nothing really rounded off if anything its a little polite on higher end- the bass is tight and with a nice spread out sound stage and very nice bloom, right mix of wetness excellent- but but a tiny bit darker than the 5814A 1973 Long Plate- worthy of asking $ but not top tear when comparing it to 1970's 5814A by Siemens Germany - need more time with these
★★★★★+ 5814A Siemens Germany "long plates and triple mica" copper grid 1973 (74/75) one of my favorites so far from the Prautes worth every single gash darn penny- I weep at how organic and real this sounds- an addictive 3d image and stage and separation- articulate so far the winner of bunch
(STILL TESTING) RFT 12AU7/ECC82E. Germany, labeled for Haltron/England (STILL TESTING) 12AU7A ECC82 NOS GE made in U.S.A. (STILL TESTING) 12AU7A Tungsol NOS NIB made in U.S.A (STILL TESTING) RT (La RadioTechnique) 1960's 12AU7 France, short plates with O-getter (reported to be better than long plates which tend to be more muffled) (STILL TESTING) Pinnacle 13D5A Industrial Grade ECC82 12AU7 Toshiba Source (STILL TESTING) VALVO ECC82 Hamburg 1960, short plates, 45 degree-declined O-getter ★★★★★ Tesla ECC802S long plate Czechoslovakia yellow print 32 XD (1966)- a remarkable tube and one of the finest 12AU7's made for the money - very quiet and musical, close for details like a Siemens - but so far- what an amazing articulate Telefunken/Siemens want to be at a lower price- absolute gem! "The tubes sounds extremely good right from the get go, but opens up after burn in even more becoming very relaxed and superbly liquid. I think this is the main strength of the tube – it’s as musical, liquid as they come. Performers truly sing – this is one of the reasons, we all like tube equipment – because it sounds like music, not just like sound. Very tight and controlled bass with very transparent top." Long 10K Hr life- Low microphonics and noise- extremely rare in NOS like this... ★★★★★+ RCA 12AU7A Clear Top original "Hickok Elect. Instr. Co"- "Here are the words you might have heard about this tube : Vivid, vibrant with high resolution, rich-full sound throughout the frequency range - all true" - One of the best in my bunch of tubes- best overall balanced musical experience. If I only had one tube to choose on a budget or not this could be it if I was listening to darker headphones a sure bet as well... a must own tube set... perfect synergy with my Kennerton GH50Mk2- quick and the most out of head experience and superb details with out one ounce of fatigue. Musical and accurate... breathes more life in the music and nearly equal detail to the Ray Samuels Apache XLR vs XLR.★★★★ 1950's RCA Blackplate 12AU7 (CONN) - Incredible detail and micro dynamics, musical but a bit analytical nearly clinical- tempo and speed very tight. Bass seems neutral and mids and highs seems more detailed than any other tube I can recall here. An articulate experience - but honestly the Clear Top RCA I received sounds more musical and less fatiguing which should be the opposite here- a testament to each tube set will sound slightly different. ★★★★★+ Tungsram ecc82 red serial# printed on tube gray plate o getter 1960s-1976 Industrial GradeIndustrial grade tubes were subject to rigorous test and burn in process. Faster and more Holographic than Tesla ECC802S. Amazing spread out width and 3 d landscape - very beautiful sound- neutral/natural sounding, it has a extended top end and tight bass - vocals on both female and male sound so delightful, no harshness yet still defined details. sooooo lush yet refined. Very good bass. Mid range is dreamy. Highs are spot on. This is a heavy weight tube and deserves the reputation it has as being jaw dropping good. (some weep to their knees I have read)... worthy of all the hype! I consider this top of the litter in many ways. Definitely in top 3 of this group so far.I am also testing different Quad (4) matched sets of 50L6GTs: NIB 1950 50L6GT GE CLEAR, NIB 1950 50L6GT RCA Black Coat NOS 1960 MATCHED 50L6GT 'Silver' Plated Sylvania ANOS 50L6GT 'Silver' Plated Philco NIB 50L6GT 'black coat' National Elctronics Universe more information on why glass is smoked or silver coated: "smoked glass", i.e. a uniform grey or black coating inside the glass, usually seen on tubes from roughly the 1930s to the mid 1970s. Some report the coating is designed to reduced secondary emission from electrons striking the (nonconductive) glass- When a tube is operating, excess electrons escape the plate structure and land on the glass, where they can build up a significant negative charge. This electrostatic field can then, in turn, affect the operation of the tube. The grey or black coating is made of graphite and equalizes the charge on the inside of the glass, reducing this effect. |