Candela tube linestage

[W WALDECKER]

Hey folks, my new linestage arrived today. looks sweet, weighs 22lbs has a Alps blue velvet remote volume control. it is a mu follower design that phase inverts and uses the 12AU7 twin triode tube. i just hooked her up to the mono extreme SEs and i am listening to the Who / Whos Next and it sounds very clean and clear and wide open with well defined bass and a really nice midrange.human voices sound so lifelike it is almost scary.i want to let the sonicaps burn in until the weeked before i post any more of my impressions of this sweet little preamplifier. thanks....WCW III

[RuSsMaN]

What 12AU7's are you running? That's one of my favorite tubes for drive / gain.

Cheers,
Russ

[VR3]

OMG

You suck.

That is all. I am JEALOUS! Cant wait till I get mine... speakers first though...speakers first.

[W WALDECKER]

What 12AU7's are you running? That's one of my favorite tubes for drive / gain.

Cheers,
Russi am running the stock JJ tesla 12AU7s till i burn it in and i am looking into getting some Mullard 12AU7s, Amperex 7316s and maybe some cryroed Ei elite 12AU7s. i am open to sugestions because i have no experience with the 12AU7s whatsoever. thanks....WCW III

[audiobliss]

Man, I bet that's sweet. I wanna see some pictures!!

[organ]

Congrats man! Glad you like the sound this much.

I'm also a big fan of the 12AU7 family of tubes. The JJ is my favorite current production. Similar sound signature as a Mullard.

I've got quite a collection. Here's my list of favorites.

1. Siemens 5814A (triple mica with old Siemens SH logo): This is the best 12AU7 tube I've heard. The most detailed and controlled sound. Some may find it too analytical. Very dynamic sound. Rare and pricey but worth every penny.

2. Tung-Sol 12AU7: (D getter, 1950's production). Similar to the Siemens but have a more wet sound and a little smoother across the whole freq range. I think I like the mids a little better too but it's too early to tell.

3. RCA clear top: Lacks detail but gives a very smooth tubey sound and a BIG soundstage. Has the ability to make me forget about gear and listen to the music.

4. Mullard 12AU7 (old shield logo): I'd say this is a tie with the RCA (not the same sound). The Mullard is super rich in the mids and upper bass. This tube adds a lot of warmth and richness to the mids but lack some HF detail. Bass is powerful but not as fast as the Siemens and TS. Also, doesn't really have the openess and clarity of the top 2. May be a little bit too much of a good thing for some people.

5. JAN GE 12AU7 (black plates): Very nice sound. But not something you'd want to listen to everyday. Sounds much too polished for my ears.

I've tried all these tubes both in my cd player and pre amp with the same results.

Just start collecting them, so you can always change the sound when you feel like it. Some tubes sound good on certain types of music.


Now show us some pics of your rig!

[george daniel]

William, congratulations on your new pre:)

[SCompRacer]

Congrats and Njoy the new pre William!

[W WALDECKER]

:D I just Rolled in a pair of Mullard CV4003 12AU7's that i ordered from Upscale Audio. Alex G who designed the Candela and has experimented with several NOS valves in this circuit told me that this particular tube sounds fantastic in his Candela. this pair is a special CJ grade that is even higher than the Upcale platinum grade. all four triodes match exactly. the Mullards have boxplates and the internal structure is entirely different than the stock JJ Tesla 12AU7's. i will give them 50 hours or so and share my impressions of these British Military tubes in the Candela.thanks....WCW III