[HAM] Best 12AU7

[goffmac747 at aol.com]

Scott,
Thanks. I have Svetlanas in my 2nd 122 at present. Not by choice, it 
just came with the amp on a rebuild.

I was never aware that 6550's blew up. Glad I never experienced that. 
My other 122 has the original Tung-Sols that came with, from the 
factory.

Is there a tester reading for old Tung-Sols 6550's? I know someone who 
has a pair in an old PA amp...Or is it just as long as the tester reads 
"good?"

Goff


-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Hawthorn <organfreak at donobi.net>
To: The Hammond Forum <hammond at zeni.net>
Sent: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 3:07 am
Subject: Re: [HAM] Best 12AU7










At 10:53 AM 3/8/2008, goffmac747 at aol.com wrote:
>Ok..what about the 6550's? any difference in these?

It's a whole can o' worms. For instance, my view is that the brand is 
not
at all critical, except that build-quality matters. (You don't want 
them to
blow up when you first fire 'em up.) I'll bet there are whole legions 
of
people here who will swear they can hear the difference between this 
tube
and that tube, and I also bet they'll chime in right about......now.

Of course, the gold standard is NOS Tung-Sols (not the new repros), if 
you
can afford them. I have also seen testimonials from users of the new 
repros.
I have had very good results with Svetlanas, and now, I am told, the
Winged-Cs are good.
Another bit of lore is that NOS G.E.s are good unless they were the 
ones
built in Kentucky (they say so on them). I had a pair: one blew up.
I would steer clear of any Chinese tubes because of unreliability.
Avoid *anything* recommended by Austin Pittman. Run, run away fast.