Has anyone tried the Audio Note 4300E 300b tube? They commissioned Psvane to make them these tubes with Molybdenum anode metal.
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A little update on these tubes. I have had some time to really dig into some listening. I decidedly prefer the Amperex, Brimar and a Valvo 6201 Gold Pin delivered early this week. The Valvo is like a cross between the Amperex and the Brimar. It’s super clean, muscular with a great sense of space. I think it is technically the best of the bunch and also currently the most enjoyable.
As these things go, though, I will likely favour others on a different day. I keep having these “Holy shit” moments when I switch between these three. I would say, though, that the Amperex, Brimar and Valvo work really well for my chain and tastes.
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Amperex, Valvo, and Brimar. . . those are my three favorite tube brands.
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Now I feel bad about neglecting my gear using 6201/E81cc tubes. Time to break them out again…
Valvo 6201 pinched waist, Valvo 6201 pinched waist blue label, Siemens Halske triple mica E81CC
6201/12AT7 by drjlo2, on Flickr
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How is the blue label 6201 compared to the non-blue label Valvo? I have to say that the 6201 is really making it’s mark on me right now. It makes me lusty for moar. The Valvo 6201 I have here is really really good.
Below is an extract from audiotubes.com. I’d be interested in others’ impressions that further elaborate/clarify as to the sound properties/nuances, especially between Telefunken, Siemens, Amperex, and Philips in particular (or provide another tube resource that they refer to)? I’m in the process of selecting 12AT7/6201 input tubes for the Linear Tube Audio MZ2.
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TELEFUNKEN, SIEMENS, VALVO, LORENZ, and other German made NOS: These tubes are usually characterized by an impressive open “air” at the top end. The soundstage is large, even in mono applications these tubes have a great 3-D image. The midrange is ruler flat, and the bass is tight and accurate. These tubes have a fine sense of dynamics, and most are impressively quiet. These are not “warm” tubes, and to some ears their lack of midrange warmth may be heard as bright. I tend to think of them as accurate, and their clean, focused sonic image is astonishing. My personal favorites. For critical phono or microphone preamp needs, grab the rare Telefunken or Siemens ECC801S before they are gone! They are absolutely incredible tubes that will never be made again!
AMPEREX, PHILIPS, MAZDA and other Holland/France/Belgium made NOS: These tubes are a great balance of a clean, airy top end, nice midrange warmth, and accurate bass. They are very pleasant, clean, and musical to listen to in hi-fi applications. Unlike other clean European tubes, these break-up impressively when overdriven in a guitar amp. The rare longplate versions are the same, but with even more soundstage space and detail. The Mazda adds a nice bit of dynamic punch to the sound.
MULLARD, GENALEX, BRIMAR, and other British made NOS: Like a warm British jacket of the finest tweed, these glorious tubes have an attractive sweet warmth in their midrange and lower regions. The top end is silky and pleasant, without being rolled-off. The best of these tubes retain a fine sense of “air” at the top, and the upper midrange is smooth and liquid. These tubes reproduce the human voice, especially female voices, with haunting realism. The rare D-Getters and Genalex versions have an eye-popping huge soundstage, razor sharp focus and detail, and an uncolored top end while retaining the warmth of the lower priced versions.
RCA, RAYTHEON, GE, SYLVANIA, and other USA made NOS: This group is very diverse. The RCA, Raytheon, and Sylvania blackplates are among the best here. These are very musical tubes with air and sparkle at the top end, warmth in the mids, and great bass. The RCA are drop dead beautiful in guitar amps, even the lower priced greyplate and longplate versions. They also have a wonderful “phat” gritty sound when overdriven in these amps. The blackplates and most tubes made for organs are very quiet. The greyplate GE is an all-around nice-guy tube to listen to, the blackplate here possibly getting the nod for hi-fi use. The Sylvania greyplate and military versions are clean and a bit bright, but the Sylvania 6201 variants are very balanced and pleasant to listen to for hours. The RCA 6201 and 5965 is more like the Mullard, with a rich warmth and wide bandwidth. The computer type 6414 by Raytheon is a bargain since it is a 10,000 hour lifespan tube and has a great detailed top with some warmth in the lows. Currently, the USA made tubes are a nice surprise with their low prices as compared to the European types.
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@bpcarb you may want to email Brent directly, he was a great resource for me in identifying a pair of 6922. We had a lot of back and forth to nail down what I was looking for, and he is very responsive.
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Nice, thanks. I initiated correspondence today and lobbed over a couple follow up questions for him this afternoon. He’s been helpful and we’re almost there.
Very imaginative descriptions. Like a fine tweed. Sounds like he never met a tube he didn’t like.
What would that sound like?
Russian Vladivostok Peoples Factory Tubes
The Kremlinski 6P1P-IV pentode Is like an agricultural 5 year plan from the 1970s. Warm and furry like an Aleutian Farmers Daugher, it may send you to a gulag if ridden too hard.
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Right. Thus, my “phoning” a friend for help.
Your Russian description is golden – I interpret that as she being all about that bass, no treble.
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I hear ya, I misunderstood.
This guy has some good information on the different brands. Look under tube tours; http://vintagetubeservices.com/
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All good. Thanks for passing along this reference. I wasn’t aware and the site looks to be pretty extensive.
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Where did you source your Telefunken 12AU7? My brother found a couple of them in an old meter and saved them for me. The price was right. He said he thought they were circa 1959/1960 ish. West German markings.
My headphone amp input sure likes the flavor.
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This would be a nice gift for tube amp lovers!!
I just found it on ETSY and by the way, this is not an advertisement in any way( don’t even know the shop). I just thought will looks great in some set ups .
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I’ve come an inch away from buying a nixie clock several times. There are some weird square tubes too.
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Wonder how hot that would run? I’ve seen them advertised before as well, kinda neat.
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OK. It has been a while since I have head-phoned things. Tonight is definitely a headphone night.
I have worked my way through a bunch of gain tubes in my MAD EAR+ HD (mod). Tonight the mighty Valvo 6291 gold pin is setting an unbelievable stage. For the last while I have been listening with the Brimar Yellow Ts, Going back to the Valvo is a revelation - it’s sick good. The detail and extension at both ends is simply exemplary. The imaging is ridiculous. Eff-yah.
Happy New Year you all.
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@jts, where did you end up with on your 12ax7 (or equivalent) tube rolling? Last I saw, back in April of last year, you liked the 6201? Which brand did you prefer and how did it sound?
I’m looking to change the Baldwin 12au7 in my Pendant, just to see how the sound changes, so I’d love some recommendations.
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Also very eager to hear these recs. For me, of the two Pendant tube sets I have (Zach’s picks and Prof special), I like the following combo the most:
The power tubes are yellow label baldwins (not sure of original manufacturer - Baldwin didn’t make tubes), which Zach told me he doesn’t have anymore.
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I have Zach’s picks:
Hammond EL84 power tubes
Baldwin 12au7 green label (which according to Google was made by Sylvania, whereas yellow was made by Raytheon)
RFT EZ81 rectifier
I love this combination, but I wonder how changing the 12au7 would change the overall sound. I saw your Radiotechnique 12AU7 on Upscale Audio’s site, and it’s on my shortlist.
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