You tube ****

Face

Are you guys counting tubes "in use"? In that case I have around 70. :eek:

F1nut

In use, 20.

Face

I meant in addition to in use...if I had 70 in use, I'm not sure I could afford my electric bill.

In use right now, 16, soon to be either 8 or 17.

george daniel

Hmmm, 18 in use,if you count the headphone amp.:)

inspiredsports

The reduced heating bills for some of you guys will be nice as the weather cools off

I just have 4 puny little tubes in use

miner

I have 8 tubes in my McIntosh C2200 pre - 4 12AT7 & 4 12AX7. All are stock - haven't rolled any yet. The Line and phone sections each use 2 12AT7 & 2 12AX7. Any recommendations what to roll with - brand and grade please.

inspiredsports

miner wrote: »

I have 8 tubes in my McIntosh C2200 pre - 4 12AT7 & 4 12AX7. All are stock - haven't rolled any yet. The Line and phone sections each use 2 12AT7 & 2 12AX7. Any recommendations what to roll with - brand and grade please.

The 12AX7 Amperex (Holland) Bugle Boy is my favorite after trying about 10 different tubes in my single-tube/solid state hybrid Bellari VP130 phono amp. The Telefunken 12AX7 Smooth Plate Diamond is virtually a tie. Neither of the above are cheap. I found the best economical 12AX7 solution to be the Sovtek 12AX7LPS (Ruby).

I'm very new to it so many with more experience will have other great recommendations, but the tubes above are very, very musical with astoundingly wide soundstages. The Amperex and Telefunken tubes are smoother than the Sovtek throughout the frequency spectrum.

ViperZ

I bought my ST-70 hoping that I'll be happy with the stock EL34 tubes... Well, in a year, I am on my 3rd set (re-issue Mullards now)... Hopefully, that's the end and I'll just roll a little bit on first stage tubes... Hopefully...

heiney9

miner wrote: »

I have 8 tubes in my McIntosh C2200 pre - 4 12AT7 & 4 12AX7. All are stock - haven't rolled any yet. The Line and phone sections each use 2 12AT7 & 2 12AX7. Any recommendations what to roll with - brand and grade please.

Not to turn this into a FS thread, but I have quite a few 12AT7's coming up forsale.

Amperex "orange globe" made at the Blackburn plant. I have extra's I don't need. I may even have some Mullards made at the Mitchum plant, really nice with copper grid posts from 1959.

My favorites so far are the Valvo's made in Hamburg pre-1960 w/copper grid posts and Valvo goldpin 6201's (no need to get the triple mica version) double mica version is superb and the Telefunken ECC801S.

The Valvo 6201's (made in Hamburg) and the Telefunken ECC801S will set you back a pretty penny. If they are genuine NOS with boxes I've seen the Tele's go for $300/pr.

If you are at all interested I have about 10-12 pairs of 12AT7 or equivalents I'm getting ready to sell. Shoot me a PM and when I get home tonight I can run them all down for you and give you some of the details.

I'll have some nice RCA 6211's and possibly some Amperex "PQ" 7062's made in Holland, etc.

H9

P.s. the 6211 and 6414 are eqivalent subs. see here

miner

Since my tubes will be used in a preamp I will require very low Microphony, hence the high grade rating.

inspiredsports

miner wrote: »

Since my tubes will be used in a preamp I will require very low Microphony, hence the high grade rating.

There are mixed opinions about this too, but you might want to consider adding tube dampers.

I have 3 tube driven devices, all with tubes that don't have microphonics deficiencies, but tube dampers improved sound quality in all cases. I've had great luck with Herbie's Audio Labs (no affiliation) UltraSonic 9's (he also produces great turntable mats if you are into vinyl).

Isolation also seems to work wonders for tube devices if you place Vibrapods or equivalent under the unit.

reeltrouble1

my heart is full of joy and happiness because...........

Tubes Rule.

RT1

doctor r

It seems everything in my system has glowing glass bottles. The preamp, amps, phono section of the pre, and the CDP. In addition I have squirred away a few extras (RCA 5691s, 5692s, Mullard 12AT7s, Tele 12AT7s, Sylvania 6SN7s, 6SL7s, few quads of EL34s, KT77s). I knew I thouight this was a sickness!


By the way what were those "available tubes" you were going to list:D

heiney9

Miner, I received another tube amp today off ebay and of course it's been damaged in shipping so I am dealing with that right now. Probably won't get to that detailed list of tubes tonight as now I have to resize all the photo's I took. The damage was contained to a couple 3 bent or sheared off speaker terminals and some chips is the piano finish. I really wish people would take more care with a 35lb amp!!!!!!

I will get to it though in the next couple of days.

H9

miner

No rush Heiney9 - I appreciate the help.

doctorcilantro

OT - @ Keiko, just got word from Belgium on those D-getter 7062s, he agrees they smoke any 12AT7 he has ever tried.

cheers
dc

heiney9

Miner as promised I finally pulled out some 12AT7 and excellent variants that I'm ready to sell.

These are all great sounding and very low noise used in a pre-amp. These are either duplicates or tubes I will probably never listen to. I'll guarantee them for 7 days and if you have a problem all I ask is you pay the return shipping.

1 pr. 1960's Amperex 12AT7 Orange Globe made in Gt. Britian - Blackburn plant used at 80% of NOS. Original boxes are shot so they will be shipped in white boxes $35 shipped

(3) 1962 Amperex Orange label long plate 7062 "PQ". Made in Holland with the "delta" symbol. Round getter. Very nice sounding low nose tubes. "PQ" are specially screened for low noise. Strong used shipped in white boxes $45 shipped

E180CC or 7062:
Most often found in European types, typically Amperex or Philips, this tube is virtually the same as a 5965 in regard to electrical specifications. Audiophiles have been seeking it out since the price is generally lower than the premium ECC81 NOS prices currently. Like the 5965, it has slightly lower gain than the 12AT7, and has the added advantage of a 10,000 hour heater life to make it another audiophile "secret" tube. A super bargain when you find them, since they are musical and smooth to listen to, and actually sound better than many standard 12AT7 tubes. Better grab them now while the prices are still low! This tube is about a half-inch taller than the standard 12AT7, so chassis space is an important consideration.

(3) 1970's GE JAN (joint army/navy) "green label" 5965, clear top dual side getters, 2-mica. NOS in bulk pack boxes. A very nice sounding lower gain tube. $30 shipped

5965:
This industrial tube is close enough to the 12AT7 that audiophiles have started buying them up and commenting on the low noise of this tube. It most likely is because it has a lower gain, a mu of 47 compared to 60 of a 12AT7. It is kind of like using a 5751 in place of a 12AX7--the lower gain being the main difference. These tubes are still plentiful, and are really well made. GE made a fine version of this tube in their "5-Star" broadcast line. A few have an extra mica spacer on top, known as "triple mica" and noted for lower microphonics. There is also a rare Telefunken version of this tube with long plates.

(3) 1970's GE JAN (joint army/navy) 6414W. Green label, long plate for low microphonics, solid disc getter, NOS in bulk pack boxes. $35 shipped

6414:
An industrial, computer rated dual triode,virtually the same specs as the E180CC or 7062 listed above. Unlike the E180CC, this tube was made in the USA. It is a more rugged build, with the Raytheon blackplate type sporting triple mica and military ratings. This tube is also like a 12AV7 and will work wonders in any 12AT7 spot, and may be just the ticket if you want to boost the gain of a 12AU7 circuit. The 6414 is getting very hard to find, but with a 10,000 hour heater rating you may never need a replacement. Discussion groups rate this type very highly for use in headphone amps. Stands about 1/2 inch taller than the standard 12AT7.

1 pr. RCA 6211 Gray plate, round getter, NOS probably from the 80's. I really like the 6211 because it has such a nice mellow sound. $20 shipped

1 pr. GE 6211, Gray plate, clear top, dual side getter, slightly used, probably form the late 70's nice boxes $25 shipped

6211:
This unusual tube is listed as a frequency halfer, in addition to being a class A amplifier dual triode with medium mu. Medium mu means it has lower gain than the typical 12AT7, in fact lower than even the 5965 listed below. It also has much larger, flat plates that have diamond shaped points at the corners bent inwards (in the versions I have seen) that seem to add rigidity to the plate structure. This tube also has slightly lower plate voltage and current ratings, but not enough to make a difference in hi-fi use. I have seen it used in preamp circuits, and it's lower gain and lower microphonics (thanks to the large plates) probably contribute to a mellow sound. I have an amp where this tube is used interchangeably with a 12AT7, and there is a difference in sound between the two types. These are hard to find, but you may want to try them to see how a medium-mu tube sounds in place of the standard 12AT7. Just the thing to tame down a screaming guitar amp or shrill stereo system.

These all work in the typical 12AT7 spot. Well, there you have it. Ask any questions. I'll give you first shot but I will be "officially" posting these in the FM shortly and then off to ebay.

H9