clear top tubes

So I've been wondering for a little while, apart from being clear top, what other difference/s are there between clear top tubes and 'standard' ones, do the clear tops have a getter?
Would there be a marked difference in the 'sound' between a clear top and standard?

ps I haven't yet seen a clear top in 'person'

Clear top have side getter or dual side getters.

I love Sonotone 12AX7 clear tops.  rugged and sound killer good.

I like GE 5965 or other clear tops of this make.  Industrial solid build and performance is great.

5965 is between a 12AU7 and 12AT7 gain wise

I don't think they're any different in performance from other tubes. I'm willing to bet it was mostly a cosmetic decision. I have a pair of RCA clear top 12AU7 and they were decent sounding but nothing special.

I'm a fan of the RCA clear tops ... at maybe $10 a pop, you can pay a lot more for a lot less.

RCA tubes in general are surprisingly good. Currently running a nicely matched pair of 1940's black plate foil getter 12AU7's for side drivers. Those have been in there for quite a while now. The getter's actually on the top of those.

sKiZo wrote:I'm a fan of the RCA clear tops ... at maybe $10 a pop, you can pay a lot more for a lot less.

RCA tubes in general are surprisingly good. Currently running a nicely matched pair of 1940's black plate foil getter 12AU7's for side drivers. Those have been in there for quite a while now. The getter's actually on the top of those.

yeah heard good things about RCA, so have been stocking up on RCA 12AU7, AT7 & AY7's. In fact been stocking up on a lot of tubes....ya never know ey!!   
I am assuming by side drivers you mean in the ST70/120, I use 12BH7's in there, very nice!

7062 tubes are worth a try as are the GE 5965. these are a half inch taller and a bit more heater current. The heaters are 10,000 hour and the gain is around the 12Y7 I believe

mantha3 wrote:7062 tubes are worth a try as are the GE 5965.  these are a half inch taller and a bit more heater current.  The heaters are 10,000 hour and the gain is around the 12Y7 I believe

built like tanks and sound excellent.

I'm personally a huge fan of RCA clear top 12AU7s and 6FQ7s, I buy them whenever I can, to my ears (and a lot of other people) they sound better
than most other affordable tubes (I say that to differentiate from expensive tubes like Telefunkens).

Tele-funk YES!

Thanx for the reminder. Here's a set I haven't warmed up recently ...



The Gulbransen are Phillips Holland in case anyone's wondering ... organ pulls ... Identical to the Heerlen (Amperex) Bugle Boy. Just change the screen on the label machine, and there ya go. Very nice combination with the Tele ... All later production, but still dang near as old as I am ... and you can tell how old I am ... I just said "dang" ... there ... I said it again ... dang!

But back on topic, the RCA clear tops do give them a good run for the money. This particular combination tends to be a bit darker overall, which works well with my room.

tubes4hifi wrote:I'm personally a huge fan of RCA clear top 12AU7s and 6FQ7s, I buy them whenever I can, to my ears (and a lot of other people) they sound better
than most other affordable tubes (I say that to differentiate from expensive tubes like Telefunkens).

I went for the more expensive and earlier RCA black-plate 6CG7/6FQ7 RCAs, but they are hugely harmonic and tough to hand-pick. For my money I would agree with Roy, you can't beat RCA clear-tops. Here's a caveat; RCA farmed out later manufacture of these tubes to Brazil to keep replacement parts up, and they show up on fleabay, but the QC isn't nearly as a good as the U.S. tubes. Make sure you're getting originals, triode-matched, about $100 a quad if you want the best. Compared with the new Russian tubes, the old clear-tops are like inflating a flat balloon. And they will last you until your hearing goes potty, 10-20 years I would think.
Beautiful RCA "house sound." I don't think the Telefunkens or Philips are any better, at least in the SP-13, truth be told.