Presonus Blue Tube 12ax7 Vacuum Tube Best Tube Replacement
Replacement 12ax7 tube question
I know that my TubePre will not see MAJOR difference with a different 12ax7 tube. My stock tube, which is now 4 yrs old fairly heavy use, is gradually sounding "smeary". I can replace with the stock Sovtec tube for about $10. For about $18, I can go with a JJ Electronics replacement. I've heard mixed reviews on the GT's and EH's. Again, I know the starved plate design is minimal. I mainly use my TubePre as a DI for guitar/bass. Sometimes acoustic guitar for a bit of warmth. Any thoughts?
To put it simply, you should notice a difference if you replace the sovtek with a JJ/Tesla - no doubt.
JAN Philips are great tubes as are RCA's, Mullard's, Telefunken's, and personally I like Sylvania's when I find them in old equipment. But to keep it simple and economical just try the JJ's, you'll like them.
Gear Guru
Get a bunch of them and try them out. 12AX7s have a wide variety of sounds. I have a shoebox full that I rotate in and out of amps, depending on how I feel about them. You never know if a given tube is going to give you something you've been looking for or not. You just can't tell how they're going to turn out until you get them in the circuit and give it a listen.
Thanks for the response. For the amount of money we are talking about....I will buy both to see what differences, if any are present. I can always keep the extra tube for next time
Lives for gear
TurboJets is on the right track. Vintage tubes are the only ones that really make much of a difference. Buying two modern tubes for comparison is a waste when you can get a very decent vintage tube for $40. It will also outlast BOTH of the modern tubes you would have bought. Plus, if you ever want to sell it. It will have retained some value.
Lives for gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurboJets ➡️
To put it simply, you should notice a difference if you replace the sovtek with a JJ/Tesla - no doubt.
JAN Philips are great tubes as are RCA's, Mullard's, Telefunken's, and personally I like Sylvania's when I find them in old equipment. But to keep it simple and economical just try the JJ's, you'll like them.
Agreed on the old tubes - and don't forget Westinghouse & Raytheon. The sound is all in the filament coating and if you want great sounding tubes, use the old western tubes (American, British, German). The Chinese/Russian tubes use a different coating and they just don't sound nearly as good.
Keep in mind the 12AX7/ECC83 were extremely common tubes and they're still very plentiful. Call an old family owned TV/Radio repair shop in your area and they may have them - or know an old repairman who does. Also, try looking around at the larger antique malls - these often have a seller who has old radios and they'll often be vacuum tubes you can get for cheap ($5 or less).
If you want the best sounding 12AX7/ECC83, get a Telefunken smooth plate - but you won't find those at your local store...and be prepared to spend upwards of $50 for one.
(I can't tell you how much I wished I had stockpiled premium quality tubes back in the '70s...I could've retired by now!!!)
Lives for gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by DamnYankee ➡️
Agreed on the old tubes - and don't forget Westinghouse & Raytheon. The sound is all in the filament coating and if you want great sounding tubes, use the old western tubes (American, British, German). The Chinese/Russian tubes use a different coating and they just don't sound nearly as good.
Keep in mind the 12AX7/ECC83 were extremely common tubes and they're still very plentiful. Call an old family owned TV/Radio repair shop in your area and they may have them - or know an old repairman who does. Also, try looking around at the larger antique malls - these often have a seller who has old radios and they'll often be vacuum tubes you can get for cheap ($5 or less).
If you want the best sounding 12AX7/ECC83, get a Telefunken smooth plate - but you won't find those at your local store...and be prepared to spend upwards of $50 for one.
(I can't tell you how much I wished I had stockpiled premium quality tubes back in the '70s...I could've retired by now!!!)
Solid info 
Though, you'd be hard pressed to find any deals at repair stores these days!heh
I want to elaborate on what you waid about the Westinghouse, etc as I think a lot of people here can benefit from it. I sell tubes and have listened to hundreds and hundreds of them. The best "bang-for-the-buck" in 12AX7's are Westinghouse, Marconi Canada, Phillips USA, Sylvania, Raytheon, Valvo, Ulton, Siemens, Brimar, and GE (the last 7 are starting to get pricey though). They are all great tubes and sell much less than the more popular RCA, TungSol, Mullard, Amperex, & Telefunken. I think latter are definitely better sounding (in 12AX7, at least) but you'll pay two or three times as much for a tube that sounds 25% better.
Here's some good subs that have similar tones:
RCA, TungSol--- Substitute: GE, Marconi Canada, Phillips, Westinghouse
Telefunken--- Sub w/: Valvo, Siemens
Mullard--- Sub w/: Brimar
I think it sound be noted... or at least in my experience:
(I should also note that my experience mainly comes from a guitar amp perspective and I understand this could be completely different for the Pro Audio world.)
Not all NOS tubes sound good....just because they are old doesn't make them "magical". Because of the nature of manufacturing, there can be a wide degree of variance between 2 seemingly identical tubes.
I did a side by side comparisons between the majority of new pre-tubes as well as some NOS and in this test the NOS did not win...
Also...another thing some people don't know is that Groove tubes does not manufacture tubes. They only test and relabel tubes made by Sovtek (I may be wrong here...I can't remember which other comapany they use), JJ, and Chinese companies. All groove tubes does is raise the price for testing and checking for microphonics...something that can be easily done by anyone with eyes and ears.
All this being said... I've heard some NOS tubes that sound truely amazing but felt I should give the other side of the story...not all NOS are "God".
I put a 12ax7EH (Elecro Harmonix) in my old Hartke 3500 head and I loved the tone. I run the tube preamp full on with the solid state preamp turned off (you can mix both). I also like the sound of the Sovtek 12ax7LPS tubes (currently installed) but I've heard that at really high volume they can squeal. I've never had an issue with noise or squealing, but I don't ever need to run my rig at top volume. Years ago I ran a Sovtek 12aY7 in my previous Hartke head. Everyone loved the sound of it. The gain was lower, but the sound was amazing! I should go buy another one...
Last edited by Craig_S; 15th October 2008 at 04:47 AM.. Reason: Meant to type 12aY7 instead of 12aU7
Source: https://gearspace.com/board/low-end-theory/333662-replacement-12ax7-tube-question.html
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