Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Tubes Asylum ] [ Return to Search Results ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Valvo, Hamburg 6201, Siemens triple mica E81CC, Sylvania triple mica 12AT7WA

Posted by Bambi B (A) on August 5, 2009 at 09:33:59

In Reply to: 12at7 posted by kkcinc@verizon.net on August 4, 2009 at 18:15:20:

kkcinc,

If you don't mind, I'm pasting in a general discussion on 12AT7s from 2007:

I'm a fan of the 12AT7, using 8 in various pieces of gear. And I've tried a few kinds:

12AT7 [8] 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1

Siemens & Halske E81CC- 3 mica- DE- NOS
Siemens & H- ECC81- NOS
Valvo 6201– White label- Hamburg- gold pin- DE-NOS
Mullard M8162- GB- NOS
Telefunken ECC801S- DE- NOS
Sylvania Gold Brand 6201-steel pins- NOS 124/120,120/118
Sylvania Gold Brand 6201 gold pins- US- NOS
Amperex Bugle Boy-France- NOS
GE 6201 5 star- 3-mica- NOS
RCA -HP- NOS
RCA 6201 2-mica black plate- NOS
Sylvania JAN 12AT7WA 3-mica 1958 -NOS
Sylvania 12AT7WA-Gold Print- 3 mica -USED
GE -NOS
Westinghouse- black plate-NOS
Telefunken ECC81- USED
Philips JAN- NEW
ARC -USED
GE 6201- 3 mica, sq gtr- NOS
Telefunken ECC81- NOS
Siemens&H-12AT7WA-3 mica-1-dbl gtr sup-DE- USED
Siemens-12AT7WA- 3 mica- single gtr sup- DE- USED
Sylvania JHS 12AT7WA 3-mica, bl pl, sq gtr -NOS
Raytheon JHC 12AT7WA- blk plt 3-mica- NOS [*5
Raytheon JRO 12AT7WA halo gr plt 2 mc-NOS [*5
Siemens ECC81 by RFT?- military label- USED
Telefunken ECC81 by Siemens & H- Munich- USED
Valvo ECC81- Mullard Blackburn UK- USED
TungSol 6201 2-mica, grey plate-halo- NOS
Valvo 6201 Hamburg gold pin- dimp- DE- NOS [20
Siemens E81CC/6201 2 mica- stl pn- DE- NOS [13
Valvo 6201, Blue Label- 2 mica gold pin- halo-DE ‘64- NOS
Siemens & Halske E81CC- 2 mica- DE- NOS

I found three I really like, depending on the use:

1. The best all rounder is the Valvo, Hamburg Blue label gold pin 6201. I only have the 2-mica version- and the triple mica version is supposed to be even better, but this 6201 for me does everything right- detail, image, timbre, great bass- very quiet , beautiful top end. Like the Telefunken but with a bit more authority.

2. The Siemens triple mica E81CC is a tube that I like to energize vintage gear, it's almost aggressively powerful but is never harsh in any way and that bass- fantastic: nimble and transparent. It's a 10,000 hour tube as well. A different tube from the Telefunken, but an exciting one: try it with Bach organ and Mahler.

3. Sylvania JHS, JHC 12AT7WA triple mica, black plate, square getter. I bought 6 of these 1958 military tubes 6 months ago for $6 each and it has a most amazing quality of lushness, liquidity, and depth of any 12AT7 in the list above. And they still have remarkable detail, though the bass is not as punchy as the Siemens. They're very quiet and I use these in a microphone preamp when I want that "1939 Bing Crosby" sound. The 12AT7 ws a tube Sylvania really got right. I have sometimes used 6- Sylvania triple mica black plate 5751's and 2- Sylvania triple mica 12AT7WAs in the mic pre- and it's quite amazing- my Kawai sounds like a Bosendorfer!

I really like the Telefunken ECC801S also, but in some of my uses- 60's McIntosh- it's almost too "light" for my taste- but wonderful and effortless and among the best 12AT7s. And, I think the closest sound to it I know is the Valvo 6201. Today, I don't often see "decent" prices for these, the 4-1963, 2-mica, Blue Label I bought a year ago were almost $30 each with shipping and I thought I was very, very lucky. I've tried to buy the Blue Label triple mica version for four years and get beat on every auctions. The last auction for triple mica ones, I decided to make an outrageous bid- quite a bit more than I'd ever paid for a single tube of $70, and I still lost. However, the two mica version is superb and you might find you like certain aspects more than the Telefunken.

Cheers,

Bambi B

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Amplified Parts

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---