Deang Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 I need 4 Telefunken 12ax7 Smoothplates for my Scott 299b. If you're running a Scott, and you're not using these tubes in the preamp section -- start saving your money. Craig sent me a batch of these to try out for a while, and I'm freaking floored by the improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Im Running a set of the telefunken rib plates in my scott 299a, and I prefer them over the electro hormonics. I think most of the improvment with going with the telefunken tubes is in the upper end.I could live with either of these set of tubes, the change to me was slight, but it was there, is it worth 100 bucks for the telefunken, my vote is yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 29, 2003 Author Share Posted March 29, 2003 If you know a place where I can find Telefunkens at $25, please tell me. I haven't seen a Smoothplate anywhere for less than $50 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Anyone in the Orlando area may know of this place. I found them on the web one night. They have Telefunkens for $30. http://www.vacuumtubesinc.com Stock comes and goes as the suypply changes. I haven't purchased anything form them so I don't know their quality of service. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Dean, Pretty awesome aren't they. Those are ribbed plates you have by the way !! I have one word for your search EEEEEEEEBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAYYYY That is where I collected most of my 9 smooth plates and 12 ribbed. Buy them 1 and 2 at a time from sellers that sell tubes all the time and list tubes scores. You have the added benifit of not caring about markings (with your anal hot spot polishing theory). Its pretty much a no brainer with a Telefunken the diamond between the tube pins proves its the real deal. Since you don't use the phono section you only need Two there buddy !! The center two in the amp are the preamp tubes. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny dB Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Hey Craig, what kind of Telefunkens are in my 299A? If you can remember mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 John, I believe they were Ribbed plates. All you do is look at the large grey plates the will either be smooth or have ribs or raised lines in them. All telefunkens have a faint diamond impression on the bottom between the tube pins. I would like to add that I hear little or no difference between ribbed and smooth others say smooth are better. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Dean, I'll take a look at what I have buried in storage. I know I have some Telefunkin 12AX7. Whether they are smooth plates or not, I don't recall. All I can remember is way back when I was still tube rolling, they didn't make much difference to me in my equipment, so I'm definately not married to them. If anything, I liked the red label RCA's or the cheap Japanese International's (IEC)in my ARC SP6. If anybody knows where I can get the 12AX7 IEC's please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3015392239&category=3284 The ones that say "Dynaco" or "Fisher" on them are ALWAYS cheaper. But if you REALLY want that Scott to sing, you should try THESE: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3015427714&category=3284 These babies ROMP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 29, 2003 Author Share Posted March 29, 2003 I was kidding about donations, I certainly wasn't expecting anyone to donate tubes! After I finish paying Edmond for the SLP-90, I'll start scrounging money together for the tubes. Of course Artto, if you're independantly wealthy, and those Telefunkens are just collecting dust... I'm glad you don't hate everyone anymore Allan:) I can't see eBay from work -- what is that last link all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Mullard box-plate CV-4004. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 29, 2003 Author Share Posted March 29, 2003 Thanks Allan Artto, are these them? 12AX7 / 7025 Japanese made New Old Stock in original and whiteboxes. Nice tube, similar to Mullard in construction. Most made at the Matshush!ta factory, which was set up by Mullard U.K. $10. Several are 7025, add $5 to price. I've been doing quite a bit of reading on tubes as of late. I started doing more research after realizing how good the 5963 RCA Blackplates sounded that Edmond sent with the Cary. With the Mullard EZ-81's in the preamp, I actually prefer the 5963's over the Telefunkens. The 5963 is basically a low gain, low noise version of the 12au7. The tube has about 70-80% of the gain of the 12au7. Reading through Joe's Tube Lore at the Asylum, I found out about the 5751 as a replacement for the 12ax7. Same story as the 5963 and 12au7. A tube designed to overcome some of the problems with the 12ax7. Low gain, low microphonics/noise design. Any history with the 5751 and the Scott? Any opinions here on this? From Joe's Tube Lore: After reviewing most of the 12ax7's, he goes on -- Well I've just run roughshod over some of the most revered tubes in the NOS universe and basically damned them with faint praise at best. So what do you do if your gear has a couple of sockets that expect to see a 12AX7? Well I would propose that you cast an eye toward the 12AX7s more refined and altogether superior offspring - the cheap, lowly 5751. In its day (it was introduced in the mid '50s) the 5751 was created as premium 12AX7 designed by US manufacturers to overcome the well known limitations of American made 12AX7s, specifically: huge sample to sample variability, microphonics and noise. The fact is this tube had considerable care exercised in its design that is evidenced in its physical construction: Rigid metal rods linking the mica spacers for a more rigid less microphonic tube, a third mica spacer to brace the getter halo (again to combat microphonics), careful testing to assure consistency tube to tube and lower mu (apparently to combat noise) which results in an altogether more focused & palpable sound. But then a funny thing happened. This tube was made in massive quantities by companies like Sylvania, RCA, GE and Raytheon and was supplied to the US military resulting in massive JAN stocks of NOS tubes lying about. Just not the sort of exclusive limited availability tube that exclusive NOS tube dealers could charge $ 50 a pop for - like those rare & exclusive Tele & Mullard 12AX7s...So a premium tube with great performance and a genuinely careful design has knocked about as a common $8 NOS plug in for 12AX7s while its less capable but better known 12AX7 competitors have achieved legend status. Now all may not be well in audio land here so I'll warn you now. The 5751 has a lower mu than a 12AX7 and some circuits purportedly don't abide by that but I've tried them in 4 preamps with no problems and this guy has found pride of place in a lot of tube preamps over the years CJ used them in their line stages for years and Joule Elektra ran them in the LA 100 / 200 series of preamps until very recently - so there are other people have heard the merit in these guys too. So if the 5751 is the direction to look, where do you start? Well there are several choices and vintages (most of which are ridiculously cheap) that will put a Tele or Mullard 12AX7 to shame... http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#12AX7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Dean, The link I provided above has three of the 5751 model for $14 each. Now you know Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Dean....I can't click on the link. Could you type in the the address? The International 12AX7 I remember had sort of a "skwooshed globe" (eliptical) on them. I believe the name "International" & "IEC" was on them, in yellow printing (possibly white if my memory is failing me). It was a somewhat "dirty" sounding tube but very sweet. The ARC has never sang again like it did with those tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 29, 2003 Author Share Posted March 29, 2003 Sorry Artto, that's not a link. I just cut and paste what was on Brent Jesse's page. You'll have to scroll down to see the text I copied. No picture. You'll have to email Brent and ask him. I trust him implicitly. http://www.audiotubes.com/12ax7.htm Thanks Marvel. I'm sure you know there are at least a dozen 5751 types, and they all have a somewhat different signature. I've seen Sylvania 5751's for $50 a piece! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Dean, Telefunken 12AX7's are sometimes available for less than people usually expect. For instance, I paid about $15.00 each for 6 of them in 2 different lots off eBay. They were semi-grungy looking and needed a little cleanup. I bought them because 2 different, highly respected techs (Craig "Double Cheese" Ostby and Mike Zuccaro) both told me that they very rarely test a Tele 12AX7 that doesn't measure new or nearly new. When Craig went through my 299 recently I included a bag of assorted 12AX7's for him to measure. Every tube (including 4 Tele's), except for 1 Amperex, tested extremely well. I'm starting to believe that the older, high quality 12AX7's have a very, very long usable life. BTW, I'm running 2 smooth plates in the phono section and 2 ribbed in the pre amp section of the Scott. Earlier this year I bought 3 Mullard CV-4004's that Allen speaks of from a dealer in Hawaii. They made a very noticeable difference in my EAR 834P phono stage. Regards, Chris PS Craig, just kidding 'bout the moniker. Do you remember that we were talking on the phone while you were ordering lunch at that well known health food restaurant? I shouldn't talk, they have a breakfast plate named after me at "Mike's Hockey Burger" across the street from my office/warehouse. You don't even want to know what's in it. It should be called the "Heart Attack Special". Regards, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 ---------------- On 3/29/2003 10:43:41 AM NOSValves wrote: Dean, Since you don't use the phono section you only need Two there buddy !! The center two in the amp are the preamp tubes. Craig ---------------- Is this also true of the 299A?? One only needs to have two of the preamp tubes if the phono section isn't used?? I don't have phono. This could help double the life of those somewhat pricey telefunkens. (I hope they survive all this shipping everywhere...) Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 30, 2003 Share Posted March 30, 2003 Mace, Yup the two 12AX7 to the right when viewing the amp from the front are the preamp tubes. The two to the left are strickly phono section. But there has to be tubes in these sockets !!! You can't run the amp without tubes in the phono section but they can be any old 12AX7. On another note I wouldn't worry to much about wearing out telefunken 12AX7's any way they lissterally last 12 life times if the amp there in is working right ! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted March 30, 2003 Share Posted March 30, 2003 Dean, thanks for posting these links. I have been looking at eBay myself...matter of fact, I just sent a pair of Teles back cause one was DOA. I initially discounted ever getting the 5751 due to their lower gain, but this article has made me think a second time.... Chris, I didn't know you have already acquired such a collection of tubes...you must bring them over ! And don't worry about crossing the Orange Curtain...we weill welcome you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 30, 2003 Share Posted March 30, 2003 Before everyone runs out and buy's 5751's for the Scott's. I suggest one person do it and see what they think. They may be great in some amps and not in others ! No sense in all of use wasting a bunch of cheese. I believe my Dad has some of these but I won't be heading his way for at least a few weeks and they will most likely be mixed brands. I may try to ****** a set off Ebay and give them a whirl. If there big strong point is being quiet and less microphonic then I really don't see the point since I find Telefunkens dead silent and never microphonic. So unless they impart some great advantage in the music we hear I see no point in lowering the gain. I know this won't be a good Idea in the phono section ! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.