Radiotechnique 12AU7 / 6189 Platinum Grade / No Cryo Reviews

4.8 Rating 37 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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“This is gonna be a long and rambling review, so Iâ€:tm:ll get right to the part that you probably wanna read about: â€œThe La Radiotechnique 12au7 arrived ( I was curious about their sound because they had been compared to valves from Herleen) anyway after the install, I was like whoa!!! Shut-the-front-Door!!â€ Tube rolling, wtf! You know what? This hobby is way too much fun. Serious fun! My PrimaLuna Prologue One came fully equipped with PL tubes. It provided 3D musicality in spades, and it was good. I then recalled having some extra Raytheon 12ax7 lying around the house. They were back-ups for a Bellari phono-preamp in the main system. So, installed the Raytheon and it was good. I then purchased several more used and nos Raytheon and RCA (12au7 and 12ax7) The PL1 sounded slightly different every week as the different tube sets made the rounds. RCA was my favorite after a while, and it was good. My first mistake was ordering Mullard sets from Upscale. (To my ears) There was no turning back to domestically produced vacuum tubes. From that point on I had to have valves!! Now it was time to upgrade the power tubes. The local music-store carried ElectroHarmonix EL34, so it seemed a no brainer. After bringing the quartet home, I pluggedâ€:tm:em in-- sat back and listened. Wow, the 3D experience was still there but there was way too much Caramel in this coffee. It sounded like old-school amplification. So I reminisced for ten minutes and moved on. Two PrimaLuna EL34 on the sides and two ElectroHarmonix EL34 in the center was quite interesting sonically. This is a great friggin amp!! I kept the amp in this configuration until the La Radiotechnique 12au7 arrived ( I was curious about their sound because they had been compared to valves from Herleen) anyway after the install, I was like whoa!!! Shut-the-front-Door!! In a few weeks I pulled the Harmonix and put the PL el34 back in place (and ordered another quad of em) The â€œplumpâ€ sound was not to my Liking, even when mixed with the PLâ€:tm:s. I like the sound of Thelonious Monk and Depeche Mode filtered through Mullard 4004, La Radio Technique 12au7 and PrimaLuna EL34. The sound is clean---musicalâ€”spatial---engaging and fun. I rarely listen to the primary system anymore (ConradJohnson Premier14, Bryston 4bsst, Classe CDP10, MB Quart Alexxa) That is to say the primary system completely blows-away System-Two. Howeverâ€¦ â€¦System Two is just so much fuckin-fun to listen to. Picked up some used Rotel separates(tuner, cd player) and a DacMagic. Plugged in the desktop too(usb) And Iâ€:tm:m good to go. PS:I gotta stock up on them French valves!!”

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Posted 13 years ago

“Hi, purchased this tube back in 5-16-10 ..Last week instlled this,12AU7W,,wow this driver seems to paint a great picture, with music beening its brush..You may find yourself going back and listen to what you have never heard.. thank Kevin..Joe Mozingo”

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Posted 13 years ago

“I bought a pair of these RT 12AU7 NOS tubes from you a while ago and just got around to installing them in my Cary SLP-30 preamp, after a pair of Ei 12AU7 became slightly noisy and had seen their better day. What an across the board improvement! Better highs, bigger soundstage, super low noise, and better bass slam and definition. These are all around better than the Ei tubes ever were.”

Helpful Report

Posted 13 years ago

“I received my Radiotechnique 12AU7s Friday, and when I tried them out, I about fell off my chair! I love them! In the past, when purchasing NOS tubes, I have always been pleased--But I would also think that maybe I could find something even better. I can't begin to describe what I like about these tubes, but suffice it to say that they have brought out the full potential of my Joule Electra VAMP”

Helpful Report

Posted 13 years ago

“Using two Radiotechnique 12AU7s in the Minimax buffer and amp slots and they are very well balanced overall in all aspects - dynamic, detailed, not bright with sparkling top end and excellent soundstage. Excellent combo with my solid state power amp.”

Helpful Report

Posted 13 years ago