Let’s explore whether there are some currently-produced tubes that sound great, focusing on the 12au7 tube type (since that is what we use in our line stage preamps at Backert Labs). There are many tubes made today, primarily in Russia and China. Of these, we have found that some of the best sounding brands are Gold Lion gold pins, the Mullard re-issues, and the Psvane “ART” series tubes.
A quick summary of the qualities of these brands of 12au7 tubes:
Mullard re-issues (Russia): Faded silver print on the tubes, and silver pins. Very smooth. Warm, full and punchy bass. Treble is smooth and extended. Dynamics and ability to convey emotion are excellent. Midrange sounds correct and full, but not quite as full and fleshed-out as some more expensive tubes. Price as of 2022: $30 per tube.
Gold Lion gold pins (Russia): These also say “Genelex” on the tube. Gold ink on the tubes, and gold pins. This is a superb 12au7 tube. Similar to the Mullard re-issues in dynamics, smoothness and treble extension, but more neutral and textured (i.e. better) in the bass. Excellent finesse. Excellent dynamics and ability to convey emotion. The Gold Lion gold pins also provide a more fleshed-out midrange. Overall a more neutral and “correct” sounding tube. Also more expensive, at $70 per tube.
Psvane ART series (China): Also superb. Gold ink on the tubes, and gold pins. A fairly new tube. Has a “full and neutral” presentation similar to the Gold Lion gold pins, but higher gain, with a more saturated sound quality. This means they are more warm, more punchy, and have more energy in general (and perhaps a little tiny bit less finesse and sense of space than the Gold Lions). These tubes are a bit louder. Excellent dynamics and ability to convey emotion. A very enjoyable, beautiful-sounding tube. Reliability has been an issue with past Psvane 12au7 tubes. It’s too early to know if the ART series will reliably measure well and be free from noise, but we have not had any problems yet. (We have had reliability problems with the new cheaper Psvane series that has silver pins and red ink.) Price for the ART series as of 2022: $72/tube on Amazon. $55/tube at vivatubes.com. $39/tube from Chinese sellers on Ebay.
If you have other new production tubes that you like in the 12au7 format, let us know by email at:
