Brimar CV4003 / 12AU7 Platinum Grade / No Cryo Reviews

4.9 Rating 152 Reviews

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Phone:

909.931.9686

Email:

joel.m@upscaleaudio.com

Location:

2058 Wright Avenue,
2058 Wright Avenue
California
91750

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“Couldn’t be more complimentary of Uscald service”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Couldn’t be more complimentary of Uscald service”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

George Stadtlander

Verified Reviewer

“Upscale does a fantastic job. I simply couldn’t believe how good the sound improved”

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Posted 4 years ago

“So far so good. I acquired a Rogue RP5 preamp several months ago. It came stock with some Chinese JJs. I replaced those fairly quickly with 4 RCA Clear Tops (these were labeled CONN and I'm certain were salvaged from an old organ). I had a couple of "problem" LPs that were greatly improved by the RCA tubes. Fresh off that experience, I thought I'd try to step up a bit more an ordered these based on positive reviews (mainly from Upscale Audio) and the fact they were more affordable than some of the grail tubes (Mullard, Telefunken, etc). I've only had then playing for about an hour but they are an improvement over the RCAs. I would say the improvement, so far, is not as dramatic as going from the JJs to the RCAs but it is early. I'll report back after 100 hours or so...”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Yi-Yuan Chang

Verified Reviewer

Author didn't leave any comments.

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Posted 4 years ago

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”

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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