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15th August 2011
| #1 |
| Gear Head Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 46
Thread Starter | Tube replacement in an sE z5600a microphone.
Hi people! I'm looking at replacing the tube in my sE z5600a. Which one should I get? The current one has got the 12AT7 but I heard that the 12AX7 is the quietest, lowest floor noise. After some research on the Internet I came across this article: ******//recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/2282/0/ Now I know it's a trial an error procedure, but if there is any expert in the field could you please step up and shed some light on the matter. And btw I was looking at those ones: GE 6072A Triple Mica, EF86, AC 701, and VF14-M and the Telefunken Diamond Bottom ECC801s Your thoughts... |
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16th August 2011
| #2 |
| Gear Head Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 46
Thread Starter |
Bump.
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16th August 2011
| #3 |
| Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,630
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Killbert, Firstly, I am not as expert as some others on tubes, but I can confirm this much for you, the z5600a ships with an ECC83 as standard. Any of these tubes should be pin compatible and directly interchangeable : * ECC81 (12AT7, M8162, 6060, B309), * ECC82 (12AU7, M8136, 6067, B329), * ECC83 (12AX7, M8137, 6057, B339) .. Of the others, from what I know, a Telefunken Diamond Bottom ECC801s and a GE 6072A may also be compatible. (EDITED) I'm not sure if a EF86, AC 701 or a VF14-M would be either voltage or pin compatible and would need a tech or someone else to confirm this. As always, there are not a lot of opportunities to try before you buy. I'm always looking to find decent, honest & reputable sellers, who actually do listening tests with their tubes, and understand audio qualities (beyond what testing equipment tells them). They need to know what they're talking about, and they are in the minority. Having said that, I have found some of the eBay sellers have a genuine return policy if a tube is not sold as described, or suffering from issues (microphonics, noise, voltage or current sag, etc), but always verify before you buy. Look up a guy named "Bowie" on this forum as well. He is a reputable seller. Hope this helps. |
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16th August 2011
| #4 |
| Gear Head Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 46
Thread Starter |
Thanx a lot man I'm on it.
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16th August 2011
| #5 | |
| Lives for gear  Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Banana Republic
Posts: 2,351
| Quote:
...my tube of choice for the Z5600A was an NOS GE 5-Star 6072 triple-mica (high-grade 12AY7)...this tube has a lower gain rating than the 12AX7 and 12AT7, and will require a slight bit more gain from your mic pre, but historically, the 6072 was one of the tubes of choice for microphone applications...that said, the availability of good quality NOS 6072 tubes is getting scarce, and prices reflect the situation... ...another tube that is less expensive and more available, that I have found to work quite well in microphones (using the 12A*7 family of tubes) is the NOS GE 6201 (military-grade 12AT7WA)...these have a slightly higher output than the 6072, but have a nice musicality...Sylvania (gold label) also made a great 12AT7WA... ...but tube-swapping is highly subjective...it's best to get a selection of different tubes and try them in your mic and make your own conclusions...don't be afraid to buy a few "cheapies" on eBay for your comparisons...I've scored some wonderful tubes that way...once you find a tube that you like, you always have the option of buying a high-grade, low-microphonics rated version from a reputable tube dealer... ...one more thing...I've chosen to relegate the 12AX7 tubes to guitar amp duty...they have the highest-output in the 12A*7 family, and while they may offer a low noise floor, they also tend to distort more easily (thus the guitar amp application)...of course, YMMV... 
__________________ reggae souljah "It was only four tracks on the machine, but I was picking up twenty from the extra terrestrial squad." LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY | |
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17th August 2011
| #6 |
| Gear Head Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 46
Thread Starter |
Thanx man just ordered the NOS GE 6072a triple mica from tube depot and a few cheapies as you mentioned ! I definitely think that's the way to go to find what sounds suits what I'm after.
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17th August 2011
| #7 |
| Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,630
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There you go, I think I'll even try some of those suggestions. Interesting noting what KiddyVibes says about the distortion characteristics of the 12A*7 family of tubes .. Some additional info. just for the record .. Tube Substitutions for ECC83 High-Mu Twin triode : 12DT7, 12AD7*, 12AU7§, 12AU7A§, 12AX7A, 12AX7WA, 12BZ7*, 12DM7*, 12AX7, 5751*, 5751WA*, 6057, 6681, 7025, 7025A, 7494, 12DF7, 12AX7 Notes: * - Parallel filaments May not work in all circuits Based on pin and voltage compatibility only .. Nice to know when you're dealing with large voltages !! |
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17th August 2011
| #8 | ||
| Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Banana Republic
Posts: 2,351
| Quote:
...cool...let us know how you make out...Good Luck!  Quote:
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17th August 2011
| #9 |
| Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,630
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Yeah Mun .. Running Tings !!  I hope you're well ..
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17th August 2011
| #10 | |
| Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Banana Republic
Posts: 2,351
| Quote:
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19th August 2011
| #11 |
| Gear Head Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 46
Thread Starter |
Can you suggest some good and reputable NOS tube dealers ?
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