Brightest Sounding New Production 12ax7 tubes

[Nigel]

I just love 'ye olde tube threads'.

I went through all of the modern production tubes. Everything is so style and amp specific. That being said, you can see some constants throughout the thread.

EH tubes are going to have that forward, snappy sound. Can be a bit much sometimes.

JJs tend to have that slightly muffled yet high mid grind.

Svetlana has a soft, balanced sound.

Tung Sols are trying so hard to have that vintage goodness to them. They don't, but are still cool.

Psvane tubes sound like farts LOL

The Sovteks can be a bit thin sounding but work well in some amps. LPs are the only variant of this tube that are decent IMO.


Always use a Long Plate in the PI if you can.

I switched to NOS tubes some time ago but I feel it is very amp dependent and can be a rabbit hole, like most gear.

Gentleman and scholar, indeed. First heard the Sovtek LP offering in a Rivera Quiana, and the amp had that next-level quality. Was astonished that it was achieved with all Russian glass. We're getting there. Bits of puzzle, fitting each other as the lyric goes...

 

[Nigel]

I love them in Marshall style amps for sure, and I like'em a lot in some specific spots. In 2 years I had 6 of them which were mot dark at all. Try to have a VH4 with all JJs probably tge NFB mod you've done on some VH4 let them breath a lot more.

No negative feedback and KT77's is
a great combo.

 

[LightsOfSorrow86]

No negative feedback and KT77's is
a great combo.

yeah but a VH4 without negative fb is not a VH4. It sounds like it sounds because of its unique combo of elements. One of the most beautiful sounding amps I've owned and very unique, really strange feelings the first weeks, pure love after the first month.

 

[fusedbrain]

No negative feedback and KT77's is
a great combo.

Do you mean like zero negative feedback, like the wire was disconnected?
I've adjusted the nfb on my VH4 down one tap on the opt, to get a little less nfb, and open the amp up a bit.
But NONE?
Can you elaborate on this a little bit?

 

[fusedbrain]

I don’t love Shuguangs. I know everyone says they’re great. They consistently test average in gain. Around 94 out of 100 or so. The sound doesn’t blow me away at all. I have lots of them and have tried them in many amps. Not bad, just not something I seek out.

I love JJ ECC83’s. A lot of guys say they’re dark, dull, etc… I disagree. They are quiet, reliable, and consistently have high gain. They commonly test 100+, usually 104-106.

I pretty much agree with this whole thing, except that I have come across the odd Shuguang that was really special, with much higher gain than normal, and very quiet.
I am also a big fan of the JJ 83S. I pretty much put them in everything to start, and then adjust if needed to get the amp sounding how i want.
LPS is aways in the PI position.
The Shuguangs are a good alternative for higher voltage cathode follower positions that are hard on the New Sensor tubes, if the JJ's aren't working there.

 

[Nigel]

Do you mean like zero negative feedback, like the wire was disconnected?
I've adjusted the nfb on my VH4 down one tap on the opt, to get a little less nfb, and open the amp up a bit.
But NONE?
Can you elaborate on this a little bit?

I use them in a Zinky that has no NFB and they sound killer, also in a Rivera with NFB.

 

[RedPlated]

Do you mean like zero negative feedback, like the wire was disconnected?
I've adjusted the nfb on my VH4 down one tap on the opt, to get a little less nfb, and open the amp up a bit.
But NONE?
Can you elaborate on this a little bit?

I’ve done a few NFB mods on Diezels. Never have I heard such a dramatic change in an amp’s character from less NFB. It really opens them up and adds aggressiveness.

It’s really simple. Just a 250KA pot inline between the NFB and speaker jack. I put the pot in one of the 4ohm speaker jack holes.

There’s a thread somewhere here about it…