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Tubes - 12AX7 & Varieties

If your a tube amp (or valve if your from across the pond) person then a key ingrediant to great tone is using the optimal tubes for your amp. We'll start this series of articles by looking at the different flavors of preamp tubes the old 12AX7. Later articles will touch on different sound characteristics of different brands of preamp tubes.

TubeDescription
12AX7 This is the original version of this tube. The earliest ones were all made in the USA by the usual manufacturers like RCA, Sylvania, GE and Tung Sol.
12AX7A This is the second generation of 12AX7 tubes.
7025 This is the "hi fi" low noise version of the 12AX7. All other specifications are the same as 12AX7. Use if your looking for a very low noise pre amp.
ECC83 This is the European equivalent to 12AX7
ECC803, ECC803S E83CC This is the "premium" version of the European 12AX7. The "S" on the ECC803S means "select" version. These are usually found on Telefunken brand tubes only.
5751 This is the military spec version of the 12AX7, but is also slightly different. The 5751 has the same plate resistance as the 12AX7, but the gain factor is only 70 compared to 100 for the 12AX7. The 12AT7 also has a gain factor of 70. If your looking to reduce the gain of your pre amp try the 5751.

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Available Preamp Tubes


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