chefothefuture wrote:Since the original question was about preferred driver tubes in a VTA ST120, will 7199s even work in one?
No
+9
Peter W.
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A question of tubeage ref the VTA ST-120 drivers
Bob Latino- Admin
- Posts : 3277
Join date : 2008-11-26
Location : Massachusetts
- Post n°26
Re: A question of tubeage ref the VTA ST-120 drivers
by Bob Latino Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:29 pm
No
peterh- Posts : 1869
Join date : 2012-12-25
Location : gothenburg, sweden
Sorry, it was ment as a joke , note the smiley.Bob Latino wrote:chefothefuture wrote:Quite true, but I thought the purpose of the VTA board was to get away from the 7199s...
I realized my previous comment was in error. Forget the topic referred to all driver types. Many apologies.
Yes > Why use a driver board using driver tubes (7199) that are not made anymore ? The price of the remaining crop of 7199's keeps getting higher and higher each year. Right now the average price of an NOS 7199 is maybe $35 or $40. Also there is no other driver tube that you can substitute for a 7199 with a direct plug in ? Sure - You can use a 6GH8A as a replacement driver tube with a suitable adapter but the adapters are $10 and up per tube.
Bob
kevinmi- Posts : 88
Join date : 2009-11-17
I bought a bunch of 12au7 variants a while back, and finally got around to trying them out on my ST-120. I found a vintage GE 5963 to be the best overall tube in the center while using the Gold Lion KT-88's. Even beats out a vintage Sylvania 12bh7 I recently purchased
chefothefuture- Posts : 28
Join date : 2018-03-28
- Post n°29
Re: A question of tubeage ref the VTA ST-120 drivers
by chefothefuture Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:23 am
Well, after a bit of a wait, the Treasure CV181 arrived. Put it in the center position and it certainly changed the sound. Frequencies seem more distinct. Things like reverb in a recording seem to jump out. Stereo seems wider. Maybe that's improved soundstage? But there are some odd things too- the bass on Yes's "Long Distance Runaround" sounds mildly flanged, though my ancient mono Daphis et Chloe sounds superb. Also- the tube flashes at power up but then dims to a normal glow. So I like the tube but I hope it lasts a while.
kevinmi- Posts : 88
Join date : 2009-11-17
I just bought a vintage Phillips branded Amperex Holland 12au7 that is phenomenal in the center spot!
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