Wow. Great reviews of the tubes, but mostly from stores. See our reviews…
Share this post:
2 thoughts on “Electro-Harmonix 12au7”
You’ll see great reviews for the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 all over the web, but my experience tells a different story. While it’s certainly not a “bad” sounding tube, we have to ask ourselves: when we’re investing huge amounts of money into high-end tube equipment, is “good enough” actually enough? I don’t believe so. To be honest, I didn’t care much for this tube at all; it feels boring and leans far too close to a solid-state (SS) sound profile.
While it does offer a larger soundstage than most solid-state amps, the transparency and imaging simply cannot compete with the top-tier 12AU7 options. The high frequencies roll off much too early and carry a distracting metallic tone. On a positive note, the construction is excellent—reminiscent of Sylvania Gray Pinched Plates with old-style micas. I actually prefer the build quality of EH over ShuGuang, as there is clearly a lot of care put into the internal structure.
While it wouldn’t be fair to compare a $10–$12 tube to legends such as Telefunken, Amperex, or Mullard, the price point isn’t the primary issue. The real problem is that even an RCA Cleartop or a standard 5814 will outperform this tube in every category—including reliability—despite costing half as much in some cases.
Final Verdict: Despite the solid build quality, the lackluster performance and rolled-off highs make this a “pass.” I would not recommend it when better, cheaper vintage alternatives are readily available.
So this is where my tube rolling started. I bought a Cary Audio SLP-03 Pre-amp that had 4-EH 12AU7’s in it. The rest of the reference system includes a Chord DAC, Krell Evolution Amplifier, B&W Diamond Speakers, and pure silver solid core wiring throughout.
At the time I had no idea I could swap out tubes.
Initially the set-up had loads of grip, plenty of definition and detail, adequate soundstage between the speakers, and enough “umph” to keep me and others thoroughly impressed.
Then I started to tube roll. The first matched quad to arrive were the Sylvania JAN-CHS 12AU7’s at $20/tube. This is when I realized my high’s were “rolled off”, I had no extension, and the system was very “solid state” sounding. I was missing tube magic, but had the ultimate Pre-Amp to showcase the uniqueness of new tube to come….
Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 – 3 Stars
You’ll see great reviews for the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 all over the web, but my experience tells a different story. While it’s certainly not a “bad” sounding tube, we have to ask ourselves: when we’re investing huge amounts of money into high-end tube equipment, is “good enough” actually enough? I don’t believe so. To be honest, I didn’t care much for this tube at all; it feels boring and leans far too close to a solid-state (SS) sound profile.
While it does offer a larger soundstage than most solid-state amps, the transparency and imaging simply cannot compete with the top-tier 12AU7 options. The high frequencies roll off much too early and carry a distracting metallic tone. On a positive note, the construction is excellent—reminiscent of Sylvania Gray Pinched Plates with old-style micas. I actually prefer the build quality of EH over ShuGuang, as there is clearly a lot of care put into the internal structure.
While it wouldn’t be fair to compare a $10–$12 tube to legends such as Telefunken, Amperex, or Mullard, the price point isn’t the primary issue. The real problem is that even an RCA Cleartop or a standard 5814 will outperform this tube in every category—including reliability—despite costing half as much in some cases.
Final Verdict: Despite the solid build quality, the lackluster performance and rolled-off highs make this a “pass.” I would not recommend it when better, cheaper vintage alternatives are readily available.
So this is where my tube rolling started. I bought a Cary Audio SLP-03 Pre-amp that had 4-EH 12AU7’s in it. The rest of the reference system includes a Chord DAC, Krell Evolution Amplifier, B&W Diamond Speakers, and pure silver solid core wiring throughout.
At the time I had no idea I could swap out tubes.
Initially the set-up had loads of grip, plenty of definition and detail, adequate soundstage between the speakers, and enough “umph” to keep me and others thoroughly impressed.
Then I started to tube roll. The first matched quad to arrive were the Sylvania JAN-CHS 12AU7’s at $20/tube. This is when I realized my high’s were “rolled off”, I had no extension, and the system was very “solid state” sounding. I was missing tube magic, but had the ultimate Pre-Amp to showcase the uniqueness of new tube to come….
Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 – 3 Stars