I thought we should let all you nice people know that we are switching over (immediately) to Tesla (J J Electronic) 12AT7 (ECC81) tubes in our hybrid preamp line circuits, Transcendence DAC, and Fet Valve amplifier production. The phono (12AX7A) tubes remain EH type as they have provided excellent results in this application.
Musically, the J J Electronic tubes provide a more "relaxed" sound than the EH tubes but give away nothing in inner detail, microdynamics, and bass control and power as the other 12AT7 tubes we have evaluated do. They provide a huge and pleasing sound stage, a tiny bit of tube "warmth" but nothing that says "colorations!". They are also really low noise and low microphonics and don't light up white hot like a flashbulb when first turned on (a worrisome characterist some of the high priced tubes we have tested have).
They are $29 a pair (selected and tested) plus $7 shipping anywhere in the continental USA.
This tube issue is making me feel a bit like a Michelin Five Star chef --- got the recipie nearly perfect but making tiny adjustments in the seasonings to please the most guests.
The J J Electronic tubes affect the DAC and hybrid preamps the most as these units have the least overall feedback. With some recent work on the grounding (to lower the noise floor), the bigger power transformer, and the new tubes, we suspect that Tyson would be delighted with the Transcendence DAC now. Your feedback does help us.
Frank Van Alstine
