One thought on “Sylvania 12au7 Short Black Plates”
As much as I like Sylvanias, I felt that this tube didn’t deliver the sonic performance of other tubes, as the specific unit I tested was an average, garden variety 12AU7 with pinched black plates rather than the superior earlier wide, long plate version. The sound was okay, being generally warm and bold, but it completely failed to deliver in terms of HF extension. The overall impression was that the sound felt muffled, and that essential feeling of presence and the large soundstage typically expected from quality tube amps simply did not materialize. This was a big disappointment, and there is really no need to buy this tube when there are so many awesome alternatives available that don’t cost much more than this specific Sylvania.
* Sonic Profile: Warm and bold but lacking clarity * High Frequencies: Poor HF extension, resulting in a muffled sound * Soundstage: Disappointing, with a lack of presence and scale * Value: Poor, especially considering the many better options at similar prices
Final Verdict: The Sylvania 12AU7 Short Black Plates are a big disappointment, and I suggest skipping these in favor of more transparent vintage glass.
As much as I like Sylvanias, I felt that this tube didn’t deliver the sonic performance of other tubes, as the specific unit I tested was an average, garden variety 12AU7 with pinched black plates rather than the superior earlier wide, long plate version. The sound was okay, being generally warm and bold, but it completely failed to deliver in terms of HF extension. The overall impression was that the sound felt muffled, and that essential feeling of presence and the large soundstage typically expected from quality tube amps simply did not materialize. This was a big disappointment, and there is really no need to buy this tube when there are so many awesome alternatives available that don’t cost much more than this specific Sylvania.
* Sonic Profile: Warm and bold but lacking clarity
* High Frequencies: Poor HF extension, resulting in a muffled sound
* Soundstage: Disappointing, with a lack of presence and scale
* Value: Poor, especially considering the many better options at similar prices
Final Verdict: The Sylvania 12AU7 Short Black Plates are a big disappointment, and I suggest skipping these in favor of more transparent vintage glass.