jhawk92 Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I'm looking at a source for 12AX7 tubes for my Scott 299B. It still has the original Telefunken ribbed plates, so I think they should last for a while, but I'm thinking it might not be all bad to have an extra set on-hand. How are Sylvanias as NOS tubes? There is also a set of Raytheon "tall" 17mm "black plate" tubes. Are these worth the extra $$? Any help from the tube gurus would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 Them TFK will probably last you the rest of your life ! Sylvania's would be pail in comparison. I'd use matched JJ telsa or EI Elite gold pins first. But pay extra for matching ! The biggest problem with the modern preamp tubes is the are wildly mismatched triode to triode so pay the extra for matching. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 I bought some Ei Elite Gold for my Scott a while back and was very happy with them (cost me $9.99 each to boot). I actually preferred them over the telefunkens I originally had in it. Soon after I bought a pair of Mullard Blackburn's off audiogon for $50 and these are currently my favorite. For a cheap backup pair go for the Ei elite golds, but you may be pleasantly surprised how well they sound for a $20 "backup pair" Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 What's the sound difference between the Ei and TFK? I too am looking for some 12AX7s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 What the heck is <> supposed to mean??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 It's the Telefunken trademark. It's a diamond, usually found on the bottom of the tube between the pins. Made by little Elves in the Black Forest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 ---------------- On 5/30/2004 7:10:47 PM DeanG wrote: It's the Telefunken trademark. It's a diamond, usually found on the bottom of the tube between the pins. Made by little Elves in the Black Forest. ---------------- Man, and all this time I thought Elves were just a myth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Genuine Telefunkens have a small diamond shape on the bottom center of their glass base (in the center of their pins). Dean beat me to it...I'm always a day late and a dollar short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 There must be an echo in here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlecreekguy Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 There must be an echo in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 There must be..... ummm, I better not. I might piss off a moderator or something, thinking I'm post "whoring", which I'm not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 To me the Ei Elite golds were warmer, more tube sounding. They bring out the midrange more for me, especially with female vocals. Also they seem to have more gain than the tele's. The tele's were nice for sure, clean and pure sounding, but something about the Ei's made me feel like I was listening more to a tube amp, which was the whole purpose of buying the Scott in the first place... I am all about the midrange, especially Female vocals and instruments. The Mullards brought this out even further for me, but they cost more, and were not brand new. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Another option is 5751 tubes, preferably triple mica blackplates if you can get them. They are only rated at 70% of the 12AX7's, but sound better than the < > on my Scott LK-72, (299C in kit form) IMHO. I have a pair of GE triple mica blackplates, Sylvania JHS versions are even higher rated, but also more expensive. RCA triple micas are also in the running. I find they have a little more body and with 35 W I can get by with a little less power on my Cornwalls. Another option to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Strange. I replied to this thread this morning, but the post gremlins must have been at work. Craig- Thanks for the info. Nice after-sales support! I'll keep an eye open for the EI Elite golds. Can you try a pair of Teles on one side and the EI's on another, or do you need to swap the whole quad out? My musical memory isn't the best, so it's hard to remember what tubes sound like after you let them cool for several minutes, pull the shields, swap tubes, replace shields, warm up the amp, etc. Bob- Where did you get your EI's for $20? I might just try a pair at that price. I bought a set of EI's that are supposedly similar to the legendary Tele smooth plates, but I haven't had a chance to swap them out. I think I paid about $20 or so for this quad also, so I figured I'd give them a shot. Ryan- So what's a good price for the Raytheon's if they are genuine? Would I really be able to tell a difference in the preamp tubes? Dflip- Interesting ideas. Will have to keep them in mind as well. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Here they are for $9.75 each, but they seem out of stock at the moment: This is where I bought mine for $22.00 a matched pair about 6 months ago. http://www.boiaudioworks.com/index.php?cPath=21 Looks like you can get them here matched for $23.90 , but once again out of stock for the moment. http://shop.store.yahoo.com/triodeel/tubad.html Strange everyone has them out of stock... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Did you Froogle for them? I have seen definitive comparisons of 300B and 2A3s published, but is there any objective comparisons of 12AX7s anywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Reviews of 12AX7 tubes for your reading pleasure: http://www.blueguitar.org/new/articles/blue_gtr/amps/ritetube.pdf. http://hktubeaudio.homestead.com/files/12AX7.html http://www.nickdangerous.com/misc/mghead/joestubelore.htm http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0902/karlskorner.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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