Apos Ray 12AU7 Tubes

They did not have a sale when I purchased them a few months back, and I like them.

I just pulled the trigger on these myself. interested to hear what they have got!

My all time favorite are still the tungsram pcc88s

The tungsrams are 6 volt tubes which are much noisier in the BHK Preamp. If the triodes are not balanced you will get ticking noise whaen adjust the volume and the have a high level of tube rush. The 12 volt tubes are much better in the BHK Preamp.

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Yes they are noisier but if you have a speaker with sensitivity <90db, you should be fine. I have Tekton Moabs so I hear the hiss lol. Tungsrams sounded phenomenal in my BHK250 though

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That is the key lower sensitivy will mask the noise.

Just to be nit-picky a PCC88 (7DJ8) tube has a 7.6 Vac heater voltage. It’s one way they are different from a ECC88/6DJ8. Just sayin’.

Yes,
I am aware of that. I have tried them in my BHK preamp. I have even tried both bias settings but that did not help with the noise. They can only operate on the 6 volt setting. my sets were from Upscale Audio his most select ones that he only provide to those that bought the Preamp and BHK 250 from him.

About 48 hrs in on a pr of the Apos Ray 12Au7 in the BHK-Pre and I have to concur with dchang05 ,the Rays just come into focus on the soundstage and your like Alice down the rabbit hole, very nice to hear everyone playing so well :wink: I had just installed new Psvane’s in the M1200s but now thinking another set of Ray’s. Noticeably quiet at reference volumes, more air, more focus, thks andynotadam too, nice upgrade. Apos, 10 days out of China, provides tracker

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I like them in M1200 too.

I’m considering selling some extra tubes including Aptos Ray 12au7. I sold my BHK pre but still have M1200. Within next two years I’ll more than likely upgrade the amps too. So I don’t need 12au7 anymore. Check marketplace here later.

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First day listening to a slightly used pair of Apos 12AU7’s I purchased from a member here on the forum and I’m absolutely loving them in the BHK preamp.
They’re clearly a step up from the Gold Lions I was previously using.
Huge soundstage, better imagining, great clarity, and more extended in the frequency extremes. Tonally a little more neutral than the Gold Lions.

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Glad to hear you like them as much as I do! Now we need to see if they will last 10,000 hours as claimed :laughing:

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That would be the icing on the cake.
Also I hope they come out with a 6922 tube for the 250.

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These Apos tubes in the BHK preamp are equivalent to a component upgrade, compared to the Gold Lions, and the GL were decent tubes which bettered the stock tubes. Makes me appreciate the the hybrid design of the BHK pre.
For a very small investment you can get the same adrenaline dopamine rush as purchasing an upgraded component.

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I have asked them for that. I hope the listen and do so.

Beginner tube guy here. My amp uses four 12AU7 tubes. I don’t believe my amp allows adjustments for those. Just for the big tubes. My question, is tube to tube matching a thing? Or should you say in your order before what the situation is? It would be my first roll.

Small signal tubes don’t generally require or are offered bias adjustments.

Small signal tubes should be matched however.

Ask your tube vendor for matched tubes in however many lots you require…

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Not knowing the circuit topology there are probably two most likely scenarios.

  1. All four tubes do the exact same thing in which case the more the quad of tubes are electrically/measure alike the better.

  2. The tubes do different functions in pairs. For example, one pair is the input tubes and the other pair would be the drivers. In this case having two matched pairs should be sufficient.

Your vendor should know once he knows which amp they are for.

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@aangen,
Do you have the manual? It’s the 299D you are referencing correct?

It would be good to understand the 12AU7 tubes function as mentioned above by @joe-appierto

If they are providing gain for the line/phono, definitely seek out a matched quad. Don’t underestimate the impact of the rectifier tube, you can really massage the sound rolling this tube

I believe this is in your office system and not really critical listening? Just get a matched, low noise Apos or EH which were the stock tubes

If you really want to jump in on tube rolling (fun) i can suggest many nos 12AU7’s to try🙂

Best,
-JP

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I agreed two matched pairs will suit you. No tube rolling yet? That’s a serious sin for any audiophile who owns tube amps, and tube rolling is way more fun than fuse rolling.

My NOS Telefunken matched is still available :blush:

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They dont make 12AT7 which my Manleys use.