Project Ember Tube Rolling
Mar 24, 2014 at 2:55 PM Post #93 of 3,354
My supercharger are mounted and solderd, just have to wait for the tubes from flebay to show up....
I bought a fivepack used 12bh7a to start with, let the rolling begins....
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 4:48 PM Post #94 of 3,354
Well I found a new flavor-of-the-month tube this week I haven't tried before. It's a Mullard 12AT7/ECC81 which, correct me if I'm wrong, is a lower output than the 12ax7. This one seems to have a great balance between clarity,body and depth whereas in my experience a tube usually gives up one of those qualities for another one. 
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 7:29 PM Post #95 of 3,354
  Well I found a new flavor-of-the-month tube this week I haven't tried before. It's a Mullard 12AT7/ECC81 which, correct me if I'm wrong, is a lower output than the 12ax7. This one seems to have a great balance between clarity,body and depth whereas in my experience a tube usually gives up one of those qualities for another one. 

Yes the 12AT7 has a lower gain, but its not nearly as low as something like a 12AU7. My dad knows the numbers, but I know that the 12AT7 gain was decently close to the 12AX7. 
 
Anyways I am not a huge fan of the Mullards. I think it was the treble that I disliked on those, and it was an overall darkish sounding tube compared to others. Granted it really depends on if the sound sig is a good match for the headphones you are using.
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 8:20 PM Post #96 of 3,354
  I found some helpful reading about 12BH7A tubes.
http://oldstockaudio.blogspot.se/2010/05/12bh7-listening-test.html

 
 
  ...I can only compare GE grayplates and RCA blackplates and they're similar. The RCAs have a SOLID low end and buttery mids. Highs are dead neutral. Really nice soundstage. The GEs have a little more air to em. What I notice most switching from a 12au7 to these is the body and smoothness these tall bottles add. I also don't own an ember, this is on my sunrise II.

 
Thanks for the replies.  I've ordered a few tubes from Jeremy's stock at Garage1217:
 
- GE 12BH7 -- long gray plate / red lettering / halo getter
- RCA 6DJ8
- Russian 6N6P Gold Grid -- gray plate / ufo dual arm getter (at tube to justify buying the Supercharger)
 -RCA 12au7 black plate (for a low gain tube)
 
Looking forward to trying my hand at tube rolling!
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 8:26 PM Post #97 of 3,354
  Lol, I consider my self to be very lucky that I can try a crap load of tubes without spending a dime. I have spent around $35ish in tubes (philips 12AT7 pair for $15 off ebay, and bugle boy 6DJ8 for $20). Even with all tubes I have access to, my Philips tube rarely leaves my amp. It just seems to compliment the AD's to well. It increases everything its good at, and decreases its treble harshness.

 
In your original post you list your favorites:
 
My Tube Rankings (from best to worst):
Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7
Telefunken 12AT7
...
 
Where does the Philips you speak of in the quote fit in your rankings>
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 9:13 PM Post #98 of 3,354
  Yes the 12AT7 has a lower gain, but its not nearly as low as something like a 12AU7. My dad knows the numbers, but I know that the 12AT7 gain was decently close to the 12AX7. 
 
Anyways I am not a huge fan of the Mullards. I think it was the treble that I disliked on those, and it was an overall darkish sounding tube compared to others. Granted it really depends on if the sound sig is a good match for the headphones you are using.

I have the HE500 running out of the Ember and on lowest output impedance, the Mullard 12AT7 is a stunning match IMO, bowed strings sounded best with it and other instruments sound like they have much better position in the sound stage, including their depth. Next to that I'd say the GE 5751 is similar with more treble but not as sweet sounding. Then again this is my only Mullard tube so maybe other Mullards do sound darker than mine, idk. 
 
Mar 24, 2014 at 9:39 PM Post #99 of 3,354
   
In your original post you list your favorites:
 
My Tube Rankings (from best to worst):
Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7
Telefunken 12AT7
...
 
Where does the Philips you speak of in the quote fit in your rankings>

Tied to the Bugle Boy. They sound very very similar. The Philips is a France tube with the Holland Amperex Construction. Both have the same airy detailed qualities that I personally was looking for.
 
@musicman2006- The Mullards I tried do have those qualities, but I guess I found other tubes that did the same large sound stage and positioning but I liked the tone more on other tubes. Granted if you were listening to a lot of acoustic stuff the sound of the mullard could be the best. That is an area the mullard is strong in. I also found it to be one of the best tubes for Daft Punks "Get Lucky". Overall I think the Mullard relied too much in the Midrange for my tastes, and did not have the tone I wanted. So it was a personal preference.
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 12:14 AM Post #100 of 3,354
Yeah I listen to a lot of acoustic stuff, classical jazz and whatever else. The Daft Punk album is great and I do like the Sylvania  or GE 5751 for electronic music. 
Btw if you have a bugle boy 6dj8, does it sound pretty much the same as the 12AX7 ? The bugle boy I have sounds kind of fuzzy compared to my other tubes. maybe it's just past its prime... 
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 6:35 AM Post #101 of 3,354
  Yeah I listen to a lot of acoustic stuff, classical jazz and whatever else. The Daft Punk album is great and I do like the Sylvania  or GE 5751 for electronic music. 
Btw if you have a bugle boy 6dj8, does it sound pretty much the same as the 12AX7 ? The bugle boy I have sounds kind of fuzzy compared to my other tubes. maybe it's just past its prime... 

I did not think it sounded the same as the 12AX7, it had similar qualities but the gains of the tubes are too different. Though mine does not sound fuzzy at all, that kind of sounds like a bad tube or at least some kind of interference or not placing the tube in fully.
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 9:41 AM Post #102 of 3,354
I have a 6dj8 Buble Boy also and it definatly is not fuzzy.  Clear as a bell and a little more detail than my other 6dj8's
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 1:14 PM Post #103 of 3,354
I have a 6dj8 Buble Boy also and it definatly is not fuzzy.  Clear as a bell and a little more detail than my other 6dj8's

+1
I really like my bugle boys, I have several of these beautis. D getter, large and small halo getters. All of them from Heerlen factory Holland.
I prefer them over the orange globe Amperex, a really good tube for HE-400 and 500 IMO.
But I must admit that my favorite tube for HE- 500 is a Telefunken E88cc as an alrounder. Have to wait for the new 12bh7a to show up until i decide which one that's staying in my Ember.
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 3:37 PM Post #104 of 3,354
The 12AT7 is the tube rollers secret gem. Brent Jesse says there are no bad ones foreign or domestic. I have to say I am using a GE 12AT7 in a Bellari SET HP amp and it blows away anything else. Haven't tried one in my Ember as I am enjoying  my RCA 12BH7. I believe the 12AT7 is 60% gain of a 12AX7 the 12AU7 is 20% gain ???
 
Mar 25, 2014 at 7:28 PM Post #105 of 3,354
  The 12AT7 is the tube rollers secret gem. Brent Jesse says there are no bad ones foreign or domestic. I have to say I am using a GE 12AT7 in a Bellari SET HP amp and it blows away anything else. Haven't tried one in my Ember as I am enjoying  my RCA 12BH7. I believe the 12AT7 is 60% gain of a 12AX7 the 12AU7 is 20% gain ???

I thought the 12AT7 was a little more, but the 12AU7 sounds correct granted this is going off of memory.
 
I think one of the problems with the 12AT7 is that they were not made of consistent quality as other tubes. Atleast thats what I remember my dad telling me. He said ok testing tubes would pass inspection back when they were in production more often then the other types of tubes.
 

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