Anyone have experience with Tung Sol 12AX7's

[D-Rock]

I didn't care for the Tungsol I put in my JSX. I tried it in all positions and it added an element of hiss to the amp. I exchanged it for a Gold Pin EH.

 

[RockStarNick]

I'm probably gonna get majorly attacked for this, but after getting some NOS tubes recently, in my opinion, out of all the current new production tubes, the Tung Sols most closely resemble the good NOS tubes, as far as detail is concerned. I'm really liking them at the moment.

The Tung Sols don't have the big bass that the JJs or EHs do, but that's part of the reason why they stay so crunchy and clear. They sound good in V1 in just about every amp I've tried them in.

JJs are dark, but thick, but they do have a good midrange crunch. In my observation, the shorter the plates, the darker the tube. Now, in a dark amp, JJs suck. However, if your amp is sounding thin, they'd probably work well.

The Chinese Tubes. C9s. I've gone back and forth on them. High gain, they're great. Top end, very nice and smooth and glassy, in a good way. Midrange is a tad spongy and saggy, but in a cool way. Again. Depends on your amp.

Electro Harmonix. Just not really loving them at the moment.

And I hate to break the bad news, but the gold pin tubes are IDENTICAL inside the glass. Zero difference. The gold pins won't oxidize, which is great, but probably not worth the money.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

don't think i'd run a Tung-sol in every slot of any amp?


but i've got a Tung-sol in V1 of all my amps.


most of my amps are Tung-sol in V1 and the C9 in the rest, but do use Sovtek a lot for the PI.


also use Tung-sol quite a bit for tube buffered loops.

 

[Audioholic]

Really like them for most things. They are clear and articulate, though if your amp is a bright amp, it may not help. If you like JJ's, then TS may be a little to bright. I use to hate JJ's, but in the right amp, they can sound nice and smooth, good at taming ultra brightness a little. But clarity in the TS is very nice.

 

[D-Rock]

And I hate to break the bad news, but the gold pin tubes are IDENTICAL inside the glass. Zero difference. The gold pins won't oxidize, which is great, but probably not worth the money.

Meh. Regardless, compared to regular EH's the gold pin has smoother highs, a bit less gain and is much quieter. It works very well in my V4 spot.

 

[Vrad]

I used one in V1 for a while in my Quickrod, then moved it to V2 for a while, then went all Tung Sols, then went back to JJ's

The Tung Sols with the QR were very bright and glassy sounding, they also cut the gain and made the amp even more 'stiff'. For now I'm using JJ's (which I really hate in most other amps) because they seem to tame the high end. I'm rather surprised that Scott is building them with all Tung Sols now...I really don't care for them

Yup... Same here...
I hate JJ's, even in supposedly bright amps. Yet, in the QR, they sound really good. I just can't get passed the fact they're JJ's! LOL!

Shreder75, Psychodave and myself tried like 5-6 different preamp tubes from Tungsram, NOS Mullards to JJ's and 9th Gen's.
If I remember correctly... the Tungsram and the JJ sounded the best.

 

[RockStarNick]

D-Rock, I guess the most important thing is that regardless of specs, it SOUNDS good, right?

That's the general rule for tubes. Heck, I got (3) $25 JAN NOS GE 12AX7As. All 3 sound incredibly different. One is pure glory. The other one is relatively dull yet solid sounding, and the other one is a little microphonic, but after burning it, its getting better, and the tone is coming thru.

 

[Meathead]

Yup... Same here...
I hate JJ's, even in supposedly bright amps. Yet, in the QR, they sound really good. I just can't get passed the fact they're JJ's! LOL!

Shreder75, Psychodave and myself tried like 5-6 different preamp tubes from Tungsram, NOS Mullards to JJ's and 9th Gen's.
If I remember correctly... the Tungsram and the JJ sounded the best.

I really like JJ's!

All my amps have either JJ's or Sovtek 12ax7wc's in them.

 

[Vrad]

Yup... Same here...
I hate JJ's, even in supposedly bright amps. Yet, in the QR, they sound really good. I just can't get passed the fact they're JJ's! LOL!

Shreder75, Psychodave and myself tried like 5-6 different preamp tubes from Tungsram, NOS Mullards to JJ's and 9th Gen's.
If I remember correctly... the Tungsram and the JJ sounded the best.

I really like JJ's!

All my amps have either JJ's or Sovtek 12ax7wc's in them.

Really? Man... I hate both those tubes... They make the amp sound like it's got a sinus infection... LOL!
But hey... I can't argue with the tone I've heard you get...

 

[kannibul]

Well? Do ya?

Like em in lower gain amps, Plexi/JCM800....

They have a strong top end that helps give them a bit more "something" - in the JVM, it's a tossup.

 

[kannibul]

Ya I dig them.

What amp are you using them in?

ALL

I'm specifically looking to put in my Splawn. Wonder how they compare to JJ's.

The JJs seem dark and lifeless to the Tung sols.The TSs have a very nice rich sound!!!To me of course.

Yeah I generally HATE JJ's and Sovtek's and both of those sound very good in my QR! LOL!
I like Shuhuang 9th Gen and they're too bright in the Splawn...

IMO, the TungSols' have more clarity, and more top end than the Shuguang's.

 

[Variable]

I used one in V1 for a while in my Quickrod, then moved it to V2 for a while, then went all Tung Sols, then went back to JJ's

The Tung Sols with the QR were very bright and glassy sounding, they also cut the gain and made the amp even more 'stiff'. For now I'm using JJ's (which I really hate in most other amps) because they seem to tame the high end. I'm rather surprised that Scott is building them with all Tung Sols now...I really don't care for them

I'm surprised about the gain comment. In my experience the Tung Sol has the most useable gain out of any 12AX7 I've tried over the past few years (Chinese R8/9 a close second). But I can see why you like the JJs best in the QR, because they really do tame the high end in an overly bright amp (and that amp is pretty bright if I recall correctly). I think I like the Tung Sols in my Guytron so much because they brought out the high-end in an overly dark amp

 

[70strathead]

yep, tossed them after about a couple of hours. I've standardized on groove tube 12ax7m's which i feel are harmonically richer and have a more pronounced midrange.

 

[RockStarNick]

yep, tossed them after about a couple of hours. I've standardized on groove tube 12ax7m's which i feel are harmonically richer and have a more pronounced midrange.

I've heard these are amazing, but not in production anymore.

You're lucky you got some.

 

[amiller]

I heard good things about the Tung-sol tubes so I got some a while back and tried them in my XTC. I thought they "deadened" the tone of the XTC...sorta sucked the life out and tamed it. The XTC is not known for being an aggressive amp and does not need any taming. I put the Penta Labs back in and MY XTC comes back to life. Every once in a while I put the Tung-sol tubes back in just to verify and I always have the same reaction...'just not my cup-o-tea.

 

[Vrad]

I heard good things about the Tung-sol tubes so I got some a while back and tried them in my XTC. I thought they "deadened" the tone of the XTC...sorta sucked the life out and tamed it. The XTC is not known for being an aggressive amp and does not need any taming. I put the Penta Labs back in and MY XTC comes back to life. Every once in a while I put the Tung-sol tubes back in just to verify and I always have the same reaction...'just not my cup-o-tea.

Well I got a hold of one... I'll report back...
Sounds like it might be a terrific tube for the XTC....

 

[70strathead]

yep, tossed them after about a couple of hours. I've standardized on groove tube 12ax7m's which i feel are harmonically richer and have a more pronounced midrange.

I've heard these are amazing, but not in production anymore.

You're lucky you got some.

wow, i had not heard that. i bought a big batch of them when they were first announced and havent had any issues with them but that really sucks that they're no longer in production. interesting...thanks for heads up.

 

[Vrad]

yep, tossed them after about a couple of hours. I've standardized on groove tube 12ax7m's which i feel are harmonically richer and have a more pronounced midrange.

I've heard these are amazing, but not in production anymore.

You're lucky you got some.

wow, i had not heard that. i bought a big batch of them when they were first announced and havent had any issues with them but that really sucks that they're no longer in production. interesting...thanks for heads up.

The GT website says they're out of stock, not out of production.

 

[Vrad]

Sooooo, what is your opinion...on each tube.

LOL!
I really appreciate you swinging by and dropping them off. You rock!

Dude I've been running errands and vacuuming for my daughter's party tomorrow. I'm hoping I can wrap up and play around with it a bit tonight and report tomorrow.

 

[MikeT]

The GT 12AX7R3 is the same tube as the TS 12AX7 and for the most part the EH 12AX7 which has a minor variation to the getter construction. They are all made in the same factory (westside Reflector). This is my understanding unless someone calls BS on this .

IMO
GT 12AX7R3 R2, TS 12AX7 , JJ ECC83S, GT12AX7M, and chinese 9th gen tubes are all about equally good (if properly selected) just depends what you are going for and in what amp.

Mike