My Euforia (ordered without tubes) is currently thru customs clearance...arrived last friday at Panama in just five days with UPS, all the way from Poland.
While I waited for the amp, made some tube shopping, and yes, those TFKs are quite expensive ! Paid around $ 90 for a pair of black glass EL11 round plates, 1950, from a reputable german seller, both tested at 39 ma (which is near NOS as I understand) but found both the TFK EL12 and EL12 spezials way overpriced for my taste. Luckily, a seller accepted my offer of $ 50 for a pair of NOS in original boxes Tesla EL12sp, sixties vintage from the famous Virchlavy factory. The seller was asking $ 90 a pair but accepting offers, and sold his stock of 12 pairs or so in about a week...I wonder to whom (lol). I also got a pair of RFT EL12N, but those are reasonably priced.
My shopping frenzy included a pair of brand new Svetlana 6H5C from rare vintage 1960 (military version of Feliks standard 6H13C) that look, well, military, beautifully made, and, hold on, got some 11 around NOS 7N7s at 5 bucks each ! including very interesting "bad boy" long bottles in matched pairs: National Union, Lansdale JAN -CBRZ, Sylvania US Navy black glass, among others...
Well, a lot to experiment with the Euforia.
Hi J...good to see you're really getting into the swing of things. Please be sure to keep us updated on all your findings...once your special package arrives lol!!
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Either no one reads this thread any more or no one disagrees with me. I know the later is not true. I'm trying to think up an argument I can pick with myself
Be assured pct....I'm keeping a close eye...(even if it is only occasionally lol!!
...).
And that's great news on how your 12 Spezials are 'settling down'...you are now well and truly on the the road to Nirvana...LUCKY YOU!!...
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I personally believe these particular tubes to be one of hi-fi world's best kept secrets, when driven by either EL11 or EL3N tubes (sssshhhh!!!)...even for us lucky F-A amp owners, despite not being specifically configured for them!... I've read on several occasions how such 'unorthodox' tubes can
sometimes be star performers in circuits where strictly, they have no right to be lol!!
For me, and after many months' use, they have proved to be the least 'niggly' (and quietest) of all the tubes I have ever tried...including the configured-for ones! Admittedly, I haven't been as unlucky as some regarding their (EL11) reliability, but most vendors are pretty good when dealing with such problems. And besides, ALL (old especially) tubes can have potential problems lol!...(just my six pennyworth!
). I wish you continued enjoyment...
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Check the rhodium plated top contact & pins in the second pic. Nice detail. As they say, tubes are not made like this any more...
Yo J...they do indeed look just as enticing as the 'original' Telefunkens. And I'm quite sure they'll also
sound as good lol!! Actually, I'm fast coming to the conclusion that more than pretty well any other tube, these EL12 Spezials appear to perform equally magnificently regardless of the factory where they were made (or how labelled!)... either TFK per se (W. Germany); RFT (E. Germany); Valvo (???); Siemens, etc. or Tesla. I suspect that the parent TFK folks insisted on very high quality standards for this tube, wherever they were made...or at least tried their darndest lol!!!...(that's my hunch, anyway!!)....
Hopefully, as with
@pctazhp, you will be able to deal with any hum that might present itself...a possible downside of the external anode wire. Remember also the HP cable positioning as a possible factor, along with nearby sources of EMI/RFI...including mobile 'phones, routers, PCs etc. etc. Best wishes and GOOD LUCK to you too, J...
Your usual pithy, concise self, O...and always welcome to see here...CHEERS!!!...
ps. Aren't you glad I no longer expect you to be arbiter between Hugo2 and Yggdrasil, mon ami?...As far as I'm concerned...
it's no contest, lol!!! ...this diminutive marvel is still blowing me away more by the day...but that's another story!!
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The Tesla EL12sp looks gorgeous. Do you have the adapters?
