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Is there a 12AT7 tube that is a good performer without breaking the bank

W

wgrr

Super Member
I have been checking out 12at7 tube prices today and it looks like almost all the old stock tubes run from $65 to $100+ apiece. I need four good tubes for my inbound C2200 pre. I have four good 12AX7 Teles so I am good to go there.

I guess what I am asking for is opinions on new and old stock 12AT7's that sound good at a reasonable price. So far I have seen Gold Lions, Jan Phillips, RCA, Mullard that are all below $40 a tube.
 
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Real GECs are over 100 dollars per tube in NOS. Not sure what Golden Lions you mean?:scratch2: I really like NOS Tungsrams in the 12AT7 spots on all my amps, and sometimes you can get them for a deal on European Epay. Last quad I got was around 100 I think, plus shipping of course. Don't forget to search for 6201 too, which is the special communication tubes number for the AT7.
 
wgrr said:
I have been checking out 12at7 tube prices today and it looks like almost all the old stock tubes run from $65 to $100+ apiece. I need four good tubes for my inbound C2200 pre. I have four good 12AX7 Teles so I am good to go there.

I guess what I am asking for is opinions on new and old stock 12AT7's that sound good at a reasonable price. So far I have seen Gold Lions, Jan Phillips, RCA, Mullard that are all below $40 a tube.
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I'm running some JAN Phillips blue printing as we speak, and they sound fine to me.
 
Lots of Sovtek tubes on Amazon for around $10 each. I was actually thinking if the Telefunkens in my Scott are among the most desired ones, that I might flip them and go with new Sovteks so that I can use the revenue to pay a tech for working on it. I'm not sure yet.

Edit: my bad. I read it as 12ax7. I've been looking at those a bit today.
 
jaymanaa said:
Real GECs are over 100 dollars per tube in NOS. Not sure what Golden Lions you mean?:scratch2: I really like NOS Tungsrams in the 12AT7 spots on all my amps, and sometimes you can get them for a deal on European Epay. Last quad I got was around 100 I think, plus shipping of course. Don't forget to search for 6201 too, which is the special communication tubes number for the AT7.
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Not NOS these: GENALEX Gold Lion 12AT7 ECC81 B739 Gold Pin Tube New. There are some NOS Gold Lion on epay for $400 a pair.
 
The Mullard CV4024 is a 12AT7 equivalent tube and IMHO is one of the best 12AT7 type tubes out there today. I use three as driver tubes in my VTA ST-120 tube amp. They are still fairly plentiful and usually about $30 a piece.

Bob Latino
 
jaymanaa said:
I'm running some JAN Phillips blue printing as we speak, and they sound fine to me.
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I have JAN Phillips 12BU7 in my MC40s and am going to use JAN Phillips 6U8A's in my Scott 299. They are the best priced 12AT7 I looked at. I can get five for $54.75 and support an AK advertiser thetubestore.com. Five dollars more to match the sections.
 
Bob01605 said:
The Mullard CV4024 is a 12AT7 equivalent tube and IMHO is one of the best 12AT7 type tubes out there today. I use three as driver tubes in my VTA ST-120 tube amp. They are still fairly plentiful and usually about $30 a piece.

Bob Latino
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I saw those too and I will get a quad. However they may be used in my ST70 I bought this week. I want to use The VTA driver board upgrade.
 
markshan said:
Lots of Sovtek tubes on Amazon for around $10 each. I was actually thinking if the Telefunkens in my Scott are among the most desired ones, that I might flip them and go with new Sovteks so that I can use the revenue to pay a tech for working on it. I'm not sure yet.

Edit: my bad. I read it as 12ax7. I've been looking at those a bit today.
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My 299D had Telefunken smooth plates. I got a quad of Sovtek 12AX7's and tried them in my MC40's and was impressed. The date code was 1999. A pro guitar playing buddy of mine recommended them. They have to have the 1999 date code. Mine are going into the Scott 299D and the Teles are going into my C2200. Try it you may like it.
 
any 12**7 family of tubes, it makes a lot of sense to use american tubes over tele's or mullards, but sovtek, you will definitely hear and feel why they're so much cheaper. fail sooner, noisy, and quality of sound.
 
Bob01605 said:
The Mullard CV4024 is a 12AT7 equivalent tube and IMHO is one of the best 12AT7 type tubes out there today. I use three as driver tubes in my VTA ST-120 tube amp. They are still fairly plentiful and usually about $30 a piece.

Bob Latino
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Plug and play in most circuits?
 
gogofast said:
sovtek, you will definitely hear and feel why they're so much cheaper. fail sooner, noisy, and quality of sound.
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Really? I am new to tube hi-fi, but they are well liked in guitar amp circles (different goals I know, but still). Mesa Boogie uses Sovtek IIRC. The "fail sooner" part I find most difficult to believe as a guitar amp is regularly put through stresses that a hi-fi should never see.
 
I have found that German-made RFT ECC81 (12AT7) are quite good performers, without spending a ton of cash, like many NOS European tubes cost.

Steve
 
I just replaced a pair of Tele 12AT7 tubes with a pair of RCA 6201 Black Plates in a pre-amp. The RCAs were an improvement.
 
markshan said:
Really? I am new to tube hi-fi, but they are well liked in guitar amp circles (different goals I know, but still). Mesa Boogie uses Sovtek IIRC. The "fail sooner" part I find most difficult to believe as a guitar amp is regularly put through stresses that a hi-fi should never see.
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i also have about half a dozen tube guitar amps that i use regularly. for both hi-fi and guitar amp use, sovtek's preamp tubes are way more reliable than their output tubes, but they still do fail earlier or are poor sounding than most old stock US made tubes.

for hi-fi purposes, sovtek's have failed me almost one out of every two times, at least in my experience. if you look at my junk tube coffee can, you'll find mostly small sovtek and EH and some chinese tubes that came as stock....and only a few US tubes that i accidentally dropped.

Andy_H said:
Can you explain why please? I've been on the lookout for 12AT7 lately as well.
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the way i rate tubes might be different from how others or the market rates them, but what i look for in tubes are (not necessarily in order): 1. low noise 2. clarity 3. definition 4. reliability..... and so on.

US made 12au7 & 12at7's are dirt cheap. in receivers and other small circuits, i've used them extensively while comparing with european ones and they perform as well or even better. they all have distinct sounds though.
 
GE and Sylvania 12AT7 tubes do not get near the respect of their RCA brethren (especially RCA black plate).
In most applications, they work just fine.
You can usually pick them up relatively cheap, even NOS.
I grabbed a pair of NOS GE 5-Star 6201 (mil. spec. 12AT7) tubes on flea-bay, for less than the price of a case of cheap beer....even with shipping costs added in.

Steve
 
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