490t tube change time??

Snoop- you know what MY favorite 12AX7 is!
MRHP - keep an eye out on eBay- there are a lot of Fisher tubes that were made by TFN that can be had for much less $'s.
The TFN's seem to produce a much wider sound stage than other 12AX-7's I have tried. Have FUN rollin!

Nice to see you back Chauss! I agree with you nothing in the 12AX7-5751 family makes a larger soundstage than the Telefunkens and I don't think they can be matched in detail

Snoop- you know what MY favorite 12AX7 is!
MRHP - keep an eye out on eBay- there are a lot of Fisher tubes that were made by TFN that can be had for much less $'s.
The TFN's seem to produce a much wider sound stage than other 12AX-7's I have tried. Have FUN rollin!

I take it your favorite is the TFN So do you like the smooth plates or ribbed

And just to be sure... I need to look for Fisher labeled 12AX7's??

Yes Telefunkens labeled Fisher. Look carefully though because Fisher used other tube manufacturers other than Telefunken.

Smooth plate- West German manufactured.
They made them all over the place later as the tooling was sold many times over the years(Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Great Britain, France,etc...).

Here is the holy grail TFN 12AX7 tube (usually 100 bucks a pop with good life left)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Telefunken-ECC803S-OldStock-12AX7-ECC-803S-/170867397493?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item27c87d9375#ht_1981wt_1397

Here is a Fisher 12AX7 TFN made tube. (2 are West German TFN - 1 is Mullard -Great Britain)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3pcs-Fisher-Telefunken-12AX7-ECC83-Tube-Tested-Germany-x2-Great-Britain-x1-/130717173487?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1e6f59c6ef#ht_1373wt_1166

The mark of a real TFN tube is the <>(raised diamond) on btm of the tube below the plate- so if ever in doubt- ask for a pic of the btm of the tube from the pin end. To my knowledge only the original tooling had that logo in the mold.



Have a blast rollin!
~Cheers!~

Trust that old fart Chauss, HE KNOWS!!!!!!

I bet you those 803s tubes go for about $700-800.

I bet you those 803s tubes go for about $700-800.

They are on my watch list....but if they go that high I might let 'em pass.

I bet you those 803s tubes go for about $700-800.

They are on my watch list....but if they go that high I might let 'em pass.

Some tube stores sell the 803S for as much as $1400 a tube.

WOW!

What do you guys do with left over tube once you find that perfect combo??? Do you sell them on ebay, to friends, give away??? I have some orange globes, jan phillips, etc that probably wont be used again.

WOW!

What do you guys do with left over tube once you find that perfect combo??? Do you sell them on ebay, to friends, give away??? I have some orange globes, jan phillips, etc that probably wont be used again.

All the above. Some I keep for back ups. They sound good , its just the ones I use in the preamp sound better.

Just hold on to them if they are NOS or lightly used NOS....prices have not been going down!

Just hold on to them if they are NOS or lightly used NOS....prices have not been going down!

There you go! Chauss with the good advice as always!

So have you guys played with 12AX7 Mullards? Looks like I can pick up a fairly cheap pair of Fisher Mullards to try as well.

I bought a nice pair of the RTC E188CC Mullards to try in my preamp and 490t and really like them. My DQ20's are a little bright and they toned everything right down without losing any detail, 3-D, etc. I use them in the 490t when playing CD's and in V2 and V3 when using phono.

Chauss has some Mullards and he let me try them out. Nice tubes. Good soundstage and nice warmth.

Mullards are nice- a bit more "reserved"- but sometimes you need that!
I also like RFT's 12AU7's - the ones with the RAMs head logo made in East Germany- they are a good bit brighter than the Mullards, but town down to just right after @ 50-75 hrs usage. Have fun rollin! The trick is finding the best combo for YOUR gear- as it tends to differ from one amp manufacturers circuit design to the next. ~Cheers!~
RAMS head logo here:
http://tubemaze.info/rft-12au7-angled-getter/rft-12au7/

You can find these on eBay from time to time for @ 35-40 bucks a pair.