tubes, which one?

danger boy

ok. i'm wanting to expirement with different tubes in my DAC. Right now I have two 12ax7 mullards in there. What do you tube guys recommend I try out next.

I've been reading about tubes for months now.. I understand that those Telefunken gold pinned ones are suppose to be excellent.. very expensive no dobut. I'm looking for a little warmer sound... so you guys have any recommendations. I have read that the Mullards I have.. are pretty decent to begin with. But i'm wanting to change these out and play around a little with other kinds...to see how it changes the sound and stuff.

Anyone have expirience with RCA, Amprex, Telefunken, etc.... they must be 12ax7 for use with a CAL DAC.

thanks, Al

tonyv1

Checkout this link:
http://www.vacuumtube.com/

organ

Hi Al,
I'm looking for a tube DAC for my future upgrade. My ASL 2004 uses a single 12AX7 and a pair of 12AU7. I see that your DAC is using a single 12AX7. The ones I have tried and still have are JJ, Ei, Svetlana and Sovtek.

JJ: Has a very snappy sound in the mids and excellent bass. I find the top end a little too grainy. Just right for their low asking price.

Ei: The Ei 12AX7 is a copy of the old Telefunken smooth plates. The original factory was bombed by NATO but the pressing machines survived and are being used by Ei today. I didn't get the Elite Gold version though. The only way to describe the sound is that it's very neutral. It was my favorite before I upgraded. Bass was very good, sweet mids, but I like a high than what the Ei produced.

Svetlana: This tube is designed to be used with a DC heater voltage. If your DAC uses an AC heater voltage you'll get a hum. The Svet is a tie with the Ei. I like the Ei for it's neutral sound and I like the Svet for it's bloom. The Svet 12AX7 carries the same sound signature as their EL34 power tubes. You get more body, very warm bass and a very erotic "splashy" mids. The mids have a "wet" quality like their EL34 tube. This "splashy" sound makes vocals sound extremely realistic where you could hear saliva swirling around the singer's throat, lips, etc. The highs is extended but not harsh. IMO, it's strongest area is the mids and bass.

Sovtek: This is the Sovtek 12AX7LPS. The LP stands for Long Plate and the S for Spiral coil. There is another version called 12AX7LP which is the same tube without the spiral coil. The LP was designed for DC heater voltage.
Now this is my favorite 12AX7 tube so far. This tube is a direct copy of an old Siemens 12AX7. This tube doesn't have the bloom of the Svet but sounds a little warmer tha the Ei. I'm so impressed with this tube. I'm hearing a lot of things I haven't heard before. The harmonics this tube produce is so rich and the speed and clarity is fu#king killer! Even when the drummer is going full speed, you will hear the sticks and pedal hit the skin every time. The dynamics and micro dynamics is also amazing. You can hear dynamic swings in even the smallest instruments. What it does to the vocals is just awesome. The mids is extremely smooth and highs is just right. The bass hits hard and it's very powerful.

Check www.triodeel.com and www.thetubestore.com They have great selections. You might want to buy a whole bunch because 12AX7's are not expensive. It's so much fun to try out different tubes.

If you'ree looking for NOS, a lot of people love the RCA clear tops and Tungsram. They're pricey but suppose to sound very good.

I recently got a pair of RFT 12AU7(ECC82, E. Germany, 1980's prodction). I knoow it's not a 12AX7 but if the sound signature on their AX7's is the same as the AU7's then this is a tube to look out for. thetubestore.com has them in stock. So far my pre amp is using a pair of RFT and the Sovtek. I have to exchange my Ei 12AU7 Elite's because one of them is a defect. I was really looking forward to hearing these tubes.

Let me know what 12AX7's you go for and share some info on the sound. I'm still trying very hard to reach audio Zen whoopie:).

Maurice

Loud & Clear

12AX7 Reviews

I also recommend checking out JAN GE 12AX7 WA's if you get the chance; perhaps the warm tube sound you're looking for. I have them and really like them.

danger boy

I posted this a while ago. but here it is again.. the DAC w/Mullard 12AX7 tubes for those of you who dig em.

thanks, tonyv1
organ and L&C

this is much better info than I can ever find on the net.. spending hours and hours searching and reading things.. and a person is still not convinced which direction to go. So i value your help and recommendations.

Al

organ

Sweet looking DAC man! I'm looking for one under $500US. Is there any tube DAC where the tubes are exposed? All the ones I've seen have the tubes in the chassis.
What kind of improvements did you get with the DAC compared to the DAC in your CD player?

The best place to find out a ton of info about tubes is to go to the tube forum on www.audioasylum.com and do a search. Type in mullard 12ax7 and you'll get at least 200 posts about it. I get around 200 hits each time when I type the brand name and tube type.

Maurice

organ

Oops, double post

danger boy

Maurice,

I keep the cover off of my CAL DAC. While it doesn't ever get very warm... I read the the sound improves if it runs cooler.. so I keep it off all the time.

I haven't seen any DAC's with the tubes exposed either.. maybe they don't make DAC's like that. who knows.

As for improvements over the CD player DAC's.

I found that the sound is much cleaner now. It's crisper, more open soundstage.... piano's sound like real pianos now. Overall instruments sound more real and lifelike. Some people say that DAC's make even bad CD's sound good.. I have to argue with that. A poorly recored CD won't benefit from a DAC at all. It just sounds bad either way.

But a good well recorded CD sounds so lively. On one song of Annie Lennox's i can hear her breath.. and take breaths. it's incredible. The soundstage is wonderful.

the CD player sounds muffled... no distinction between drums, and other instruments. It's tough to explain.. but it sounded like the speakers were covered in foam padding. Highs were muted, voices sounded bland and unlifelike. Bass wasn't as good either.

I had my doubts when i was shopping for a DAC. Guys on here helped a lot. It was still my decision, but i'm glad I got one now. My CAL DAC ran me $350, it retailed new back in 1996 for about $1400 It's an 18bit DAC. Yeah it's not state of the art by any means of todays standards... but i like it.

Anyone thinking about getting a DAC.. do it. Don't spend a lot on it.. but get one. It'll always be part of my CD listening experience from now on.

organ

Al,
Thanks a lot for the info. When I have the $, I will check e-bay and probably get the same DAC as yours. There's so many 12AX7 tubes out there to play around with. The price for the used DAC is perfect for me.

Maurice