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Which brands would be considered "Good" tubes????
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soundmotor
super modified
If you are referring to NOS, the easy pics are Amperex, Mullard, & Telefunken. Other brands such as GE, RCA, Sylvania, & Tungsol have versions that perform as well as the above. Then you get into lesser knowns like Brimar, Lorenz, Siemens, Tungsram, & Valvo. Within these brands you have varietals such as which plant made them and plate type. Very likely any one of these would work well for you, really.
Bottom line is there is no right answer. There is no possible way to discern at a distance what works and what does not. Over the years I've found my best sounding tubes by plugging them in and listening to them. In some cases the maker's mark was smudged off. Although I could probably figure out with enough effort who made it, does it really matter? Start buying, start trying, ignore the hype, keep an open mind.
Bottom line is there is no right answer. There is no possible way to discern at a distance what works and what does not. Over the years I've found my best sounding tubes by plugging them in and listening to them. In some cases the maker's mark was smudged off. Although I could probably figure out with enough effort who made it, does it really matter? Start buying, start trying, ignore the hype, keep an open mind.
Yes... this is good advice. I like the Sylvania 12AT7's and Amperex 6DJ8's in some of my equipment but they may not suit your listening tastes at all, even if you were using the same amp or preamp. I've found it best to forget about the brand and focus on the sound. While some brands are noted for great sound, like Amperex, Mullard and Telefunken, you really have to try them out yourself. I love the sound of Telefunken in my McIntosh stuff, but I didn't care for the same tube in another amp I just recapped. Ended up using Sylvania driver tubes. What sounds good in one piece of equipment may not sound good in another, or to another person.
gearhound
Lunatic Member
Are you looking for good, or good-n'-cheap?
Some of the European tubes can run you a $100 each!!
For a European tube, the RFT 12AT7 is affordable.
American-made NOS 12AT7 tubes are also reasonable priced.
Again, most American-made NOS 6DJ8 tubes are decent and reasonably priced too.
BTW: I just purchased a single NOS Sylvania 6DJ8 tube from Angela Instruments (NO affiliation), for $10.98, delivered.
Steve
Some of the European tubes can run you a $100 each!!
For a European tube, the RFT 12AT7 is affordable.
American-made NOS 12AT7 tubes are also reasonable priced.
Again, most American-made NOS 6DJ8 tubes are decent and reasonably priced too.
BTW: I just purchased a single NOS Sylvania 6DJ8 tube from Angela Instruments (NO affiliation), for $10.98, delivered.
Steve
soundmotor
super modified
OP, as an aside keep your eyes peeled for a vintage Tektronix or H-P 'scope. It will likely have a raft of Amperex or Telefunken ECC88 (6DJ8) between the 'scope and the plug-ins and quite possibly a couple same-brand 12AT7's too. Last 'scope I bought like this yielded (~14) ECC88's and set me back a whopping $20.
The advice you've gotten so far is excellent...
just one thing that I'd add... Not only is there not necessarily a right or wrong answer... It is one that is subjective. Some people will prefer the sound of one tube over another and others may prefer the opposite. And even more so which tube a person prefers may be different in a given amp. A 12AT7 that sounds great in one amp may not sound as good in a different amp. A good example of differences are what might be good for hi-fi amps might be lousy in say, a guitar amp, and vice-versa.
There are few tubes out there that people universally agree are crap... that said, a lot of people have a strong preference for old stock tubes vs. some of the Russian or especially Chinese production. On the other hand even some tube snobs I know say that the quality of Russian and Chinese tubes has improved over the past few years, so possibly some day they will be viewed on par with old US or Western European tubes.
wa2ise
Super Member
And then there are these from "Standard Brand":
More details at:
http://uv201.com/Tube_Pages/rogues_gallery.htm
More details at:
http://uv201.com/Tube_Pages/rogues_gallery.htm
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Bluelobster
Well-Known Member
Required reading! joe Rosen could be painfully truthful but he isn't far from any mark you can put up.
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html
This pretty much sums up my feelings too, but I'd add something Kegger taught me.
He's found that often the driver tubes have a more profound effect upon your sound than your power tubes, and in my limited experience, I'd have to agree. I tend to use 5751s for 12AX7 applications as I like them better and swapping them about is more noticeable than if I swap out my 6BQ5s.
In fact, I've sold off some of my Mullard and Bugle Boy drivers in the past for some Russian or domestic tubes and they sound quite nice to me.
ferninando
Lunatic Member
what is it about any given tube that makes it sound better than another just like it? construction? material? manufacturer? what about 'black plate" tubes? Just tyhe fact the plates are black? Are there any engineering reasons for tha way a tube sounds?
DrMux
Welcome to the Gig.
I gave up on brands for the most part. Not big on NOS either. I'm more concerned with them all being the same brand than what brand they are. And they test good of course. I've taken one brand that I didn't care for and put them in a different type amp and they sounded fine. Too many variables.
Most of the time I notice little difference in audio amps. With guitar amps when gain and distortion play more there's quite a bit more difference to me.
Most of the time I notice little difference in audio amps. With guitar amps when gain and distortion play more there's quite a bit more difference to me.
Probably like anything else it's all of the above.
Just like vanilla ice cream, black paint, and orange soda pop, it all depends on who makes it and what goes into it, trumped by the end user's personal tastes
becketma
Active Member
One cannot answer your question.
You might find someone with the same unit you have and find out what tubes they are using and what ones they tried.
Just the 6DJ8 family also includes 6922, 7308, and 7DJ8
The 12AT7 is even wider, 12AT7WA, 12AT7WB, 6201, E81CC, ECC801s and then substitutes.
Bob
You might find someone with the same unit you have and find out what tubes they are using and what ones they tried.
Just the 6DJ8 family also includes 6922, 7308, and 7DJ8
The 12AT7 is even wider, 12AT7WA, 12AT7WB, 6201, E81CC, ECC801s and then substitutes.
Bob
ferninando
Lunatic Member
anyone know who made Magnavox's tubes? I mean the ones with 'Magnavox" on the bottle and no other ID. Was it Hienz 57 varietys?
Phototone
Super Member
All classic commercially made high quality amplifiers and receivers (from the 1950's on up) used negative feedback circuits to reduce distortion and flatten frequency response. Some, such as the HK Citation line had nested multiple feedback loops designed in. In this situation, it is more the sound signature of the amp that you hear, rather than the "sound" of a particular tube, UNLESS the tube performs outside the design parameters for that particular tube. So if you have a 12AX7 (as an example) that meets design criteria for a 12AX7, and it has good emission, it should sound just like another comparably good 12AX7 in a commercial amp. That is my take on this.
There are other criteria for selecting tubes, such as longevity, availability and price. Some brands, such as the classic Telefunken are known for keeping up their emission over a very very long time.
Almost every manufacturer who could order a large enough order of new tubes from the tube factories can have their LOGO put on them. They still do this today.
There are other criteria for selecting tubes, such as longevity, availability and price. Some brands, such as the classic Telefunken are known for keeping up their emission over a very very long time.
Almost every manufacturer who could order a large enough order of new tubes from the tube factories can have their LOGO put on them. They still do this today.
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DrMux
Welcome to the Gig.
Except of course guitar amps many of which have distortion circuits built in. MUCHO GAIN......Metallica, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, etc. etc.
Phototone
Super Member
Oh yeah, for sure. I guess I should have said HiFi amps. And the Criteria for the selection of tubes for use in Guitar and Musical Instrument amplifiers is totally different than the criteria for HiFi tube selection. In many guitar amps...you actually select tubes for the way they distort.