Brimar CV4003 / 12AU7 Platinum Grade / No Cryo Reviews

4.9 Rating 147 Reviews

Visit Product Page

Phone:

909.931.9686

Email:

joel.m@upscaleaudio.com

Location:

2058 Wright Avenue,
2058 Wright Avenue
California
91750

Visit Product Page

Allan Jonzon

Verified Reviewer

“Rolled into a prologue one ..day 1, unknown static in my hand, touched the volume knob & buzzing started in the left ch. Turned off immediately, back on 2 min later, buzzing was gone. Not sure they sounded the same after that as I only got 1 hr of listening b4 buzzing. Thx, Allan”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Gregory Bullock

Unverified Reviewer

“I bought a pair of these tubes for the output stage of a nearly 20 year old Conrad Johnson PV10b. The PV10b has wonderful sound and works beautifully despite its age, but it has two problems: it can be very microphonic and it eats output tubes very quickly. Honestly, I should probably replace the unit but I have a fondness for it. I ordered a pair of the Brimar 12AU7s from Kevin’s stash and requested Cryo treatment. I thought they were on the expensive side but I wanted to see how they improved the sound of he until. I’d been using cryo’d Gold Lions for many years and was impressed with the sound and long life of them. Service from Upscale Audio was great and a lovely pair of the tubes arrived very quickly. The sound was incredible, easily the best I’ve heard compared to the Gold Lions, and various JAN and Phillips tubes I’ve used. Microphonics completely disappeared! I heard lots of detail in the sound though it was never overly bright or harsh. Beautifully balanced. Bass was accurate and incredible, full of detail and real drive, but never bloated or overly emphasized. Soundstage was very wide, deep, holographic and wrap-around, at times giving me a surround effect from a 2-channel system! I’ve given the Brimar tubes 4 out of 5 stars because, true to form, the PV10b ate them in just under 9 months. I should mention that I work from home and listen to music for many hours a day, so I worked these tubes very hard. I have ordered another pair from Kevin’s stash just now, because when the first pair died I swapped in a pair of Electro Harmonix 12AU7s and the sound could not have been less interesting! So I am addicted to these Brimar 12AU7s and will stick with them until I decide finally to replace the Conrad Johnson unit.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Hey! These are the real deal, worth every penny, as you will hear where your money went once they break in! They sounded a bit warm Initially but had plenty of crisp low end and slam once broken in so do be patient during break-in period. Increased Depth of sound and Extended sonic presence of midrange and high end were particularly noticeable for vocals, horns and guitar. Even the sound of Digitally recorded vinyl is enhanced. This one‘s a no brainer boys!!”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Phillip Holder

Verified Reviewer

“Original two tubes had one bad one. Shipped it back and was replaced. Now I notice that the one original is very black on the top, compared to the replacement.This does not appear to affect the performance, it just looks a little worn compared to the other five shiney silver tops ( four PL and one other Brimar ) Nice clearity and airy, if you will. Nothing to dislike. I would buy from Upscale again and am considering Tung-sol KT120's”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

James Randall

Verified Reviewer

“I have tried several input tubes on a Prima Luna Dialogue Premium Integrated and these are my favorite for their clarity, detail, and black background. They represent a high value upgrade over the stock tubes.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Swapped from the stock tube in my Vincent phono 701 preamp. Worth the purchase for me and my setup.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Nathan Lacey

Verified Reviewer

“Excellent”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Steven Swartz

Verified Reviewer

“Sound great in my system... that is what counts!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago