MeloManiac

Male

Geluwe, Belgium

Photography, movies, art history, literature

Klipsch Heresy I (1972)
Klipsch RP160M
Marantz MP5005
TubeCube 7 | Tube upgrade: Sovtek 12AX7-LPS (longplates) and Sovtek EL84-M
Pro-Ject Essential III - George Harrison special edition


a Amazon Fire 7 for streaming (cable-connected to the switch)
a brandless cd/dvd player (it also has usb-in and a cardreader)
Spotify Family


Sovtek 12AX7-LPS - This is an entirely new design from Sovtek and a great step up in sound quality. They have very large ribbed plates and great sound reproduction. I found them very smooth and well balanced in terms of bass, mids and treble response. The large plates make them more prone to microphonics and in combo amps, so they can be a problem if you like to run things wide open. It is still the best thing Sovtek has produced in a 12AX7, with very good gain and low noise. I would advise against using them in compact high-powered combo amps where they will be subjected to lots of vibration. One other note about the construction of these tubes is they have filaments that are almost completely encased in the plate structure. They often don't "light up" when working properly. This is not a problem, it's normal for the LPS.

Sovtek EL84-M - A military-spec version of the standard Sovtek EL84 - the Sovtek EL84M's extended voltage tolerance - improved plate dissipation - and rugged construction make it equivalent to the RCA 7189. Chosen by Matchless for their designs - the EL84M also features higher transconductance - more power - and longer life than the less expensive EL84 - making it perfect for hi-end audio applications. However - many musician's prefer the regular EL84's warm distortion to the EL84M's tighter - cleaner tone. For all Hi-Fi users - the EL84M is definitely the tube of choice.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanlietaert/