Tubes / Vacuum tubes

Tubes

Preamp tubes can be divided into three large families of types. First, let’s look at the larger family. 12AX7, 7025, ECC83, 6H2P, 5751 JAN.
Pipes with basically the same structure, manufactured using similar production technology, are therefore similar in several physical parameters.
The aforementioned whistles, which have similarities in their physics, have different sounds. Several factories sell this type marked: 12AX7/7025/ECC83. That nice long inscription means this pipe has achieved a place on the sorting screen, signifying general, basic use. These are used in averagely stressed qualities.
      The 7025 tube is the most widely used tube in the guitar music world of the sixties. It is directly interchangeable with the 12AX7 tube, but the 7025 has slightly higher gain, more highs, and a wider overall frequency range. Noise-reduced tubes, which are mandatory for Fenders in the very first preamp stage after the input.
      7025 Highrade tubes are highly amplified tubes (high gain) that are characterized by a creamy distortion texture and long sound endurance. Due to the careful selection, it is of high quality.
      The 12AX7 has a smooth, warm sound with a little more midrange. If we want to compare the 12AX7 and 7025 tubes from the same manufacturer, the difference is like, for example, two microphones: both sound with different characters. The sound of Marshall amplifiers is particularly emphasized in the mid-high frequency range. This is why when used with a Stratocaster it sounds very bright, often with so much treble that it becomes uncontrollable at high gain. Depending on general taste, ECC83 or perhaps 12AX7 are suitable for Marshalls, while 7025 is more suitable for Fender input stages.
      12AX7 WA with high gain, the basis of its production was the legendary General Electric tube. The currently known version is the Sovtek 12AX7 WA
      12AX7 WB type with lower gain (-3dB) and very low noise floor.
      The ECC83 is a classic European tube design. Occurs at medium to high gain. Its sound is uniformly clear, with good bass transmission. Its best representative is the Telefunken ECC83, which is now only available as a relic of the past.
      6H2P Used in the Russian military industry, with slightly different internal construction and smaller anode plate. A pipe made with a fairly large variance. Its physical parameters are not completely identical to the previous ones, its characteristics and heating connection are different. It is not a clearly interchangeable type.
      5751 JAN These are the most carefully selected examples of the basic type. All physical parameters are significantly exceeded and subjected to rigorous mechanical testing. Pieces specially selected for military and military-industrial purposes, whose service life is several times higher than that of the basic type.
It is worth highlighting the Sovtek 12AX7-LPS type, which is manufactured using the so-called spiral film technology. The result is hum, microphone and noise-free. While the predecessor 12AX7-LP (tube-selected for noise) also produced a nice sound, the controllability of the 12AX7-LPS increases astonishingly (huge dynamics). Its sound is very rich, warm, very musical, a whistle with a wide range.
Other types of preamp tubes are 12AU7, ECC82, 6891. The gain of these tubes is much smaller than that of the triode family described above. Perhaps this is reflected in the sound they created. Crystal clear, velvety warm, distortion-free, low-noise tube types. It is used in the clearest sounding preamps and it is no coincidence that this tube is also used in the best microphone preamps. Its properties also allow it to be used in the phase inverter drive stage of high-performance amplifiers for even clearer sound.
Since these triodes have an anode power of 2.75 watts, they can also be used to build a Class “A” triode power amplifier. The Hughes & Kettner Cream Machine Overdrive Preamp features a 2-watt triode output stage tuned to 8 ohms. If you listen to it in a 4 x 12 inch speaker, you will be amazed at the volume.
The European version of the 12AU7 is the ECC82. These two types have a complete analogy. There are no differences like 12AX7 and ECC83. The sound achieved is exactly the same.
The 6891 is the military version of the model family and exceeds all of its features. Acquiring it is quite difficult.
12AT7, ECC81, 6201 This tube is very commonly used in American amplifiers, especially Fenders. Fenders with spring-loaded resonators use two 12AT7s, one for the resonator driver stage and one for the phase inversion that drives the power amplifier. The gain of 12AT7 is lower than that of 12AX7, which is why it is popular in the driver stages of power amplifiers. The Fender reverb stage is driven using a very special switching technology: two triodes of the 12AT7 are connected in parallel to increase performance.

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