Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

+1 for the 12AT7. I use that in V1 & the PI in my 3120, opens the amp up while still keeping the high gain nature. Would be curious to try the 803 you mention but i see it has the same amount of gain as the ECC83 which is what i pulled out from those 2 slots.

The 803 is actually 10% less gain than the typical 83s.

The 3120 from what I hear, is a lot like the XXX. Another tube that I liked in my XXX was the JJ 12DW7/ECC832 in V2. It opens up the gain without losing the sparkle that a good V1 tube can provide. I used to use either a TungSol or the JJ 803 in V1 of my XXX with the 832 in V2, regular 83s in V3 and an AT7 or 803 in the PI. Maybe try the AU7 like Whizzy said. If its more musical than the AT7, then its definitely worth a shot.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Give the Mullard RI a try for the PI slot or the Sovtek LPS. I did not like EHX or tungsol in that spot of my amp.
I've tried all of these in the pic below for pre's in my amp. It's comes down to each amp but in general my thoughts on them were:

Tungsol: Bright(very bright when using more than one in the preamp), wonderful highs, emphasis on lows, high mids & highs. The highs keep ringing(sustaining) the most out of the notes. The gain structure is best suited for clean to mid gain apps. Add some fizz. Low noise too

EHX: Less bright than a Tungsol but also lot less lively than the Tungsol. A lot fizzy than the Tungsol too. I'd rather directly go for Tungsols than these when given a choice.

Mullard RI: Very different from the Tungsol/EHX. Sounds flat, emphasis mostly on lower mids otherwise balanced throughout. Very articulate & does not get muddy in V1/V2 for me. I prefer using this one in the PI slot, it works best for me in that slot of my amp.

JJ ECC83S: Strong midrange emphasis, tight low end & smooth highs. Avoid in PI, dulls the amp when used in that spot. I'll be getting the ECC803S next time to try in the PI spot. Very low noise/hiss & fizz from these & still have incredible amount of gain. The most gainy tubes in my collection are these.

TAD/Shugang/Ruby[Rebranded Chinese stuff]: Fizzy! and balanced in a way but bright. High gain tubes. Stock ones did not last the first quarter of the waranty period of the amp. Their 7025 sound a little different from their ecc83. Haven't tried the Ruby rebrands or regular chinese ones. I don't much care about these at all anymore since JJ work the best in my amp & the price point is also around the same or less.

IME, the LPS and Mullard RI are good tubes for PI. The LPS seems to have a very even tone, not really offensive in any category. Its warm, even, pretty detailed and has good power and gain. The Mullard seemed to have a lot of the LPS character, but is a bit warmer, a touch squishier and a little more powerful. My MKIII seemed to kick harder with the Mullard in the PI. The JJ 803 is still my current favorite PI tube.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Looks like I'm rolling with Genalex Gold Lion KT88s instead of the EH 6550 tubes. I ordered the Genalex first from GC, then tried to cancel the order and switch them with the EH but GC is being a lil $%^&, so looks like I'm rolling with the Genalex which are still Russian made.

I'm interested to hear how these turn out. I use a pair of NOS Gold Lions which I figure will need replacing at some time in the future. I've contemplated getting a re-issue pair.:scratchch

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I'm interested to hear how these turn out. I use a pair of NOS Gold Lions which I figure will need replacing at some time in the future. I've contemplated getting a re-issue pair.:scratchch

I'll def let you know how they sound hopefully monday

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

The Genalex Gold Lions really make my amp roar with no pun intended.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

The Genalex Gold Lions really make my amp roar with no pun intended.

Cool. How hot did you bias them?

 

[Blue Calx]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, but I'm just now getting into the world of tube amps.

In searching this forum for tube brand suggestions/reviews, I keep finding that people actually use different tubes in different positions for the same stage (for example, the OP uses Tung-Sol 12ax7s in his V1, but EHX in his V2, V3). From what I've read, the EH tubes are brighter, even ice-pickier than the TS, but how does one make a decision about which position (V1, V2, V3, etc) to put differently voiced tubes?

 

[CTN]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, but I'm just now getting into the world of tube amps.

In searching this forum for tube brand suggestions/reviews, I keep finding that people actually use different tubes in different positions for the same stage (for example, the OP uses Tung-Sol 12ax7s in his V1, but EHX in his V2, V3). From what I've read, the EH tubes are brighter, even ice-pickier than the TS, but how does one make a decision about which position (V1, V2, V3, etc) to put differently voiced tubes?

learn about the design of your amp, and how each tube is used in the preamp circuit.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

learn about the design of your amp, and how each tube is used in the preamp circuit.

This. As I just discovered. Really research and learn EVERYTHING you can about your amp. This goes far and above beyond reading reviews. Look at schematics, manuals and basically anything else you can get your hands on. Before today, I thought of the V spots as nothing more than spots for tubes, little did I know that each spot affects my overall tone and each spot plays a specific role.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I will also like to add read/research about differ tube brands and models. This will help you decide what may work for you.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Also use the search button and try searching for tubes in subject then search mwalluk for user, i must of put up 20+ threads on it and there's some really really great advice in it.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I will also like to add read/research about differ tube brands and models. This will help you decide what may work for you.

I started a tube thread a few days ago so it can work as a good reference thread. Check it out and post your own findings with what you used too.

 

[Blue Calx]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Thanks! I'll gather more info on my particular amp. I knew my question had to be too broad as stated!

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Thanks! I'll gather more info on my particular amp. I knew my question had to be too broad as stated!

What kind of amp do you have? What kind of speakers? What are you looking to add/subtract/change? What do you want?

 

[Blue Calx]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

What kind of amp do you have? What kind of speakers? What are you looking to add/subtract/change? What do you want?

It's an 18-watt marshall TMB kit from Trinity amps. There is an excellent builder's guide included, and I intend to learn a lot about tube amps along the way (including the role of each tube in the circuit). Won't have a chance to really work on it until the summer, but that'll give me plenty of time to really study the manual. Eventually, I wanna pair it with an Avatar 2x12 with one Celestion v30 and one G12H30.

I really just wanted to have the tubes on hand for the build, but as I just learned in this thread, that choice is a decision to make after a bit more reading.