Your favourite Preamp Tube Type

Discussion in 'Preamps' started by msommers, Jun 15, 2017.

  1. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Let's waste time less on educating people about how tube's work with awesome sauce links from random companies and "experts", and waste more time with describing your favorite tube amp type, and what you like about them.
     
  2. updated

    updated New

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    I am enjoying my schitt Valhalla2
    Laptop,Bifrost4490,Adcom2 , Martin Logan M40 set up:)
     
  3. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    1963 Ulm factory Telefunken "Diamond Bottom" ECC801S input tube for Kenzie. W at end of serial number denotes low noise mil-spec. Best input tube I found for the Kenzie. Neutral with excellent imaging, wide and deep soundstage, extended natural treble. Black background low noise allows low level details to be heard better than any 12SL7GT, 2C52 or 5755 I have tried.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Anything NOT 12*7 type.
     
  5. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    All these years spent seeking transparency have apparently been wasted. Who knew?
     
  6. Bones13

    Bones13 New

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    Pre-amp

    1) Source selection
    2) Volume control
    3) Impedence matching
    4) Tone Control via circuit choice, tube choice, and or dedicated tone control circuitry.

    My current pre-amp is sold state, and combo passive & active in function. Looking at a new pre-amp with tubes though.

    Some systems need none of these, or only some.
     
  7. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    I am a 6SN7 guy. Fronts are Sylvania 1950s "Bad Boys" and rear are Raytheon black plates

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    Not sure if this is of any meaning since I don't have it, but I really like what Vinnie Rossi did with DHTs in his L2 preamp.
     
  9. WhiteNoise

    WhiteNoise Facebook Friend

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    For preamp duties I really like the 12AX7, 12AT7 and 12AU7. I have a few preamps but my TAD-150 is lovely with the 12AX7's.

    I saw someone mention Garage1217 earlier in the thread and I would add to that. The Project Ember is one heck of a tube roller. Auto bias makes swapping tubes simplistic. A huge assortment of tubes can be rolled. Using the adapter will allow even more tubes to be played with and with preout outputs it works well as a simple preamp.
     
  10. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    Hah, when I saw this I instantly went to see whether TAD-C2000 by TAD Labs got a smaller brother. Well no, wrong TAD :D
     
  11. WhiteNoise

    WhiteNoise Facebook Friend

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    Yup...different TAD. Tube Audio Design (TAD) :D
     
  12. Tristan Jones

    Tristan Jones Acquaintance

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    I prefer DHT preamps. 26, 10y/801a, 71a, and so on.

    6sn7 preamps aren't bad. But IMO they are either exceedingly overpriced, or they don't really sound good.

    12au7s are junk. That isn't my opinion either. They are electrically inferior tubes. I have heard that there were some special military versions that had some of the 12au7 issues ironed out, but I haven't tried them.
     
  13. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Do you own any DHT preamps? Can you show us?

    What makes a good 6SN7 preamp? Or rather prevents one from sounding bad?

    What makes the 12AU7 electrically inferior?
     
  14. Tristan Jones

    Tristan Jones Acquaintance

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    Kinda.

    I have been working on a preamp for about a year now. Right now its apart. Im still tweaking things, trying out different circuits, and generally experimenting to see what I like best. Im thinking it will probably be a 26 preamp, however I still have some stuff with the 10y I want to try out.

    If you want to see something similar, just go look at what Thomas Mayer does. My stuff is fairly similar. If anything Thomas actually over engineers his stuff compared to what I do.

    And the 12au7 has a real problem with distortion. All tubes distortion, but the 12au7 figures are kind of high. The 6cg7 is a 6v 9 pin equivalent to a 6sn7 and has MUCH lower distortion and even has a tiny bit more gain.

    As far as I can tell, the one and only reason to use a 12au7 for much of anything is price. 12au7s are in production and cheap. Other than that, there are much better tubes.
     
  15. Puma Cat

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    Yes, I know this preamp well, I have had one for about 10 years now. The old trope that CJ gear is "mellow and slow" is about 20 or so years out of date. From approx 2000 on, CJ preamps, most of which were based on the ART, ACT and GAT series of "TOTL" preamps have been notable for being exceptionally clean, fast, quiet, very, very neutral and yet very musical with excellent imaging and soundstage. And very reliable. I bought my CT5 a month after the original owner bought it for $8500; he sold he because he got frustrated with burning in the proprietary CJ Teflon caps. Which I understand, as it took about 2 years for my CT-5 to fully burn in.
     
  16. Puma Cat

    Puma Cat Friend

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    Respectfully disagree. I've heard a number of system with outstanding DACs (e.g. MSB) that could be run w/o preamps and invariably my buddies and I have always preferred having a preamp in the system. Horses for courses.
     
  17. je2a3

    je2a3 Almost "Made"

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    med-mu triodes: 27/56, 37/76, 6SN7, 7N7, 7AF7
    hi-mu triodes: 75, 6F5, 6SL7/5691, 6SF5, 7F7, 7B4, 7B6
     
  18. Caryking

    Caryking New

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    Damn!!! Can people have an opinion of what they prefer? I never post here; however, the argument about Tube Pre-Amps vs No Pre-Amp is just ridiculous. People have different likes for how they want their system to sound...

    I know one thing for sure about audio systems: to me, nothing I have ever heard equals live (even live has its own problems)! So, an audio system, again, my opinion, is always a coloration of sound!

    I would like to add a tube preamp into a system to get that tube sound. Its just something I like. Once I add the tube preamp, I may want to take it out, from time to time, Just may want to change the coloration a little... Is that wrong? NO! It's just different...
     
  19. Caryking

    Caryking New

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    how do you like the Cary Pre-amp?
     
  20. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    Hmm, it's true that there's no accounting for taste.

    I do sometimes wonder why people who want live sound don't just buy PA speakers? They're cheap and you'll basically recreate 80% of venues.

    Spill some beer on the floor and you'll have true live sound aura and aroma therapy.
     
  21. Caryking

    Caryking New

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    Live sound, I'm referring too, is very different than you described. I'm should be taking your post with sarcasm, right?
     

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