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List your favorite preamp tubes

dragonbat13
August 17th, 2012, 11:49 PM
Ok, let the fun begin

For each number post your favorite preamp tube (octal, nine pin, whatever). After that, post what type of music you like to play. If you want put the amp you use, but not necessary.

1. first gain stage ( in other words first tube, input)
2. reverb driver
3. Phase inverter

Here is an example of mine

1. RCA 12ax7 NOS
2. EH 12at7 calms down the reverb in my twin, its too much with anything else
3. EH 12ax7 All I got right now

I like to play rock and blues.. But I use pedals and dont like power section overdrive, which is suicide to your ears on a twin anyway. I run two 5881 Tung Sols with stock plate voltages and an 8 ohm speaker load to correct the trans imp. for super high head room.

TheSmokingMan
August 18th, 2012, 07:18 AM
original mullard 12ax7 is my favorite preamp tube thus far, also like the made in holland philips tubes. in my 5 watt amps(preamp, single el84) I prefer the jan philips 5751.

I tend not to use reverb or amps with reverb much anymore but I could agree with a lower powered tube at that spot

jan philips 5751 at the phase inverter

kleuck
August 18th, 2012, 08:32 AM
Depends on the circuit :)
In simple amps with a lot of gain on each triode, i prefer the TFK smoothplates, or the Tung-Sol long plates (obviously expensive NOS) BUT, they do not sound at their bets in more usual circuits imho.
So in the VHT SP6, TFK.
I have a Push-Pull amp also, but the first tube is replaced with an AOP, so i don't have an advice for the first tube, but the second one is a 12AY7 Black plate, and for the PI (cathodyne for me, but same advice for a LTP, i don't know yet for a paraphase) the obvious winner (by far) is the JJ ECC803S, the one and only modern tube i prefer, even compared to expensive NOS, in the PI position.
A must.

gypsyseven
August 18th, 2012, 08:55 AM
TAD's all the way!

For the V1 positon:

1. 5751
2. 7025WA
3. 7025S
4.12AY

For V2:

12AX7

For V3:

12AT

kleuck
August 18th, 2012, 12:00 PM
TAD 5751=Sovtek
7025WA, not sure, pobably Sovtet too.
7025S=Sino 7025
12AY7 : one and only one built at the time, Electro Harmonix.