Tung-Sol 12AU7W / 6189 Gold Grade / No Cryo Reviews

4.6 Rating 19 Reviews

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Michael Stevenson

Verified Reviewer

Author didn't leave any comments.

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Robert Light

Verified Reviewer

“very smooth sound with great bass thanks KEVIN”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Mark Cherrington

Unverified Reviewer

“I can't believe what a difference this tube is making in my headphone amp. It's replacing a JJ tube, which is a brand I've always liked, but this is day and night. Absolutely no grain at all, beautiful harmonic balance, utterly silent, and a remarkable ability to combine warmth and clarity, like an autumn sunrise. It has that magical quality of creating relaxation and peak involvement at the same time, and it is absolutely musical. I find myself wanting nothing more. In fact, the only problem I see is that I'm using this at work, and I can't bring myself to remove my headphones, even for my boss. To be able to get this much musical satisfaction for so little money is astonishing to me. This is my first purchase from Upscale, and it won't be my last--the care, testing, and high standards really pay off in a big way.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

“I replaced all six stock preamp tubes in my PrimaLuna dialogue premium integrated amp with the Tung-Sols which resulted in a significant sonic improvement in detail and tonal balance from top to bottom. Also, the upper midrange glare that was present with the stock tubes is now absent. I also replaced the stock el 34's with some Mullard re-issue el 34's, which resulted in a substantial sonic improvement, most notably with a glorious midrange but also throughout the entire range, albeit with a bit less gain than the stock tubes. They produce smooth, silky highs, a pleasant and slightly rounded bass, and a top to bottom coherence and natural presentation that sounds far closer to live music than sounding like reproduced music. In my seemingly unending quest for audio bliss, I will try a couple of Brimar 12AU 7's or some Clifte's to taylor the sound as I could benefit from a bit more air. Until then, I will enjoy this combination.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

“The Tung-Sol's replaced an old quad set of Sylvania JAN 6189 in the pre-amp section of my Bada DC-222 Integrated Amplifier. I really like the sound/tone of the 6189's, but they were getting really old. Time for something new. After installing the Tung-Sol's and letting them burn in for 100 hrs, I really like the sound of these tubes. The detail is back without any grain at all. Mid-bass is tight and has good punch. Also these have more gain than my old tubes which is a plus. Sound stage image is also very good. I wanted to buy the Cifte 12AU7 but they were just too expensive. Very happy with these tubes and will buy again from Upscale Audio.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Father Bob Ulc Church

Unverified Reviewer

“if you do not have a high quality tube tester and real background in tubes you can only buy from these guys every tube is tested and is ok to use most others charge much much more and dont test. the quality of all items is very good . i was verry hapy with this tube set and it brought my tube amp back to life. prices are very very low compared to others and i was very veyr hapy with the high quality of customer service. they really guide you to the best buy for your rig”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“Just completed my 'roll' with these in my Yaqin MC-10T. Friend of mine called Charles gave me this and I've been hooked. Rolling the tubes and tuning the sound to my speakers and sound is awesome. Am an electronics engineer by trade and completely re-discovered music. Awesome!! TS 12AUW / TS 12AX7 / Svetlana Winged =C= / Definitive Technology SM65”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“My observations come from an application in a line stage (Decware ZBOX), that is feeding a solid state integrated amp. The Tung-Sol 12AU7W is a very neutral and well balanced sounding tube. It does not have a distinctive sonic signature, but it covers the entire audible frequency range really well. It may not have the very last degree of finesse that some of the best NOS tubes can produce, but it's a tube that does not "add" anything of notice to alter the sound. It's a very high value tube for the price and I recommend it without reservation.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago