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rackmount tube preamps

ashbory said:
Westland,
How would you describe the difference between the LPS and the Tung-Sol? I haven't tried one yet, but have been experimenting recently with tubes new and old. The new Tung-Sol is my favorite so far.

It's been a week since I tested all of these, rotating them through the V1 socket. The LPS is both warm and defined. The Tung-sol I remember as being warm in the same way, stronger low end and not as defined... that said, it is all very subjective, and I would need to A/B them again to assure that's how I felt comparing these two.
 
tombowlus said:
Just curious, but what tone are you going after?

Tom.

... good question ... and I'm still searching for that answer myself. I like the vintage fretless J- bass sound, but with definition and with more overtones. My current favorite bass is my Dean Edge Fretless 4 with Nordstrand pups and Aguilar OBP-2 preamp ... into DB659 (with LPS in V1 and Groove tubes Chinese 12zx7 in V2) into a TFB-550 set flat except for the Timbre set at -7 dB. I like this tone.
 
westland said:
... good question ... and I'm still searching for that answer myself. I like the vintage fretless J- bass sound, but with definition and with more overtones. My current favorite bass is my Dean Edge Fretless 4 with Nordstrand pups and Aguilar OBP-2 preamp ... into DB659 (with LPS in V1 and Groove tubes Chinese 12zx7 in V2) into a TFB-550 set flat except for the Timbre set at -7 dB. I like this tone.

That's cool. I have found that the Sovteks (LPS) in the 659 were a a bit wooly in the mids for me, but I was going for a more "pristine", clear, balanced, articulate tone. To that end, NOS Telefunkens hit the nail on the head for me.

Tom.
 
tombowlus said:
That's cool. I have found that the Sovteks (LPS) in the 659 were a a bit wooly in the mids for me, but I was going for a more "pristine", clear, balanced, articulate tone. To that end, NOS Telefunkens hit the nail on the head for me.

Tom.

Interesting ... I actually haven't tried the NOS Telefunkens because of a write-up on the Tube Store website that suggests these are better in vintage amps. They are expensive too at $85 ea (actually this is my main objection) ... the tubes I've experimented with are all under $20 ea; the only NOS are my GE 5751 JANs which are very nice as well.

When you say 'wooly' can you explain a bit more? I've heard the word used, but don't have a good feel for what this means in terms of the sound.
 
westland said:
Interesting ... I actually haven't tried the NOS Telefunkens because of a write-up on the Tube Store website that suggests these are better in vintage amps. They are expensive too at $85 ea (actually this is my main objection) ... the tubes I've experimented with are all under $20 ea; the only NOS are my GE 5751 JANs which are very nice as well.

When you say 'wooly' can you explain a bit more? I've heard the word used, but don't have a good feel for what this means in terms of the sound.

First off, you can find NOS Tele's for much less than that if you are patient and keep looking. I think I paid $35-40 each for mine (which is not cheap, but more reasonable, IMHO). By "wooly" I mean that the mids are a bit thick and not as well defined. What I am hearing is not so much low mids or high mids, but "middle mids" (tending towards higher mids). It kind of lends itself towards that "vintage tube vibe", so it's a matter of picking what sound you are after.

But, be aware that I also stongly prefer NOS JAN GE 5751's to the Sovtek LPS, too.

Tom.
 
tombowlus said:
First off, you can find NOS Tele's for much less than that if you are patient and keep looking. I think I paid $35-40 each for mine (which is not cheap, but more reasonable, IMHO). By "wooly" I mean that the mids are a bit thick and not as well defined. What I am hearing is not so much low mids or high mids, but "middle mids" (tending towards higher mids). It kind of lends itself towards that "vintage tube vibe", so it's a matter of picking what sound you are after.

But, be aware that I also stongly prefer NOS JAN GE 5751's to the Sovtek LPS, too.

Tom.


Good information Tom (you are certainly the man to ask for first-hand experience on any piece of equipment :D ). "Wooly" sounds like a tone that would interest me, and maybe that's why I'm attracted to the LPS. I definitely like the NOS JAN GE 5751's ... very nice tubes, and they give me a sound that I'm after ... I found a store in town (Wei Wei) that sells them for about $11 ea, and bought several.

Tell me your opinion on the 5751 vis a vis the LPS ... how do you find them different, and why do you prefer th LPS (I trust your opinion)
 
westland said:
Good information Tom (you are certainly the man to ask for first-hand experience on any piece of equipment :D ). "Wooly" sounds like a tone that would interest me, and maybe that's why I'm attracted to the LPS. I definitely like the NOS JAN GE 5751's ... very nice tubes, and they give me a sound that I'm after ... I found a store in town (Wei Wei) that sells them for about $11 ea, and bought several.

Tell me your opinion on the 5751 vis a vis the LPS ... how do you find them different, and why do you prefer th LPS (I trust your opinion)

I can't talk about the specific preamps that you guys use, but I love my NOS JAN GE 5751s. Best $40 I ever spent (needed two) on an amp upgrade. Long live tubes.
 
westland said:
Tell me your opinion on the 5751 vis a vis the LPS ... how do you find them different, and why do you prefer th LPS (I trust your opinion)

To my ears, those NOS JAN GE 5751's have a great blend of clarity and fullness, with good tonal balance. They aren't quite as open and airy as some of the NOS tubes I have played, and their lows aren't quite as forceful as some, but on the whole, they are a very competent peformer that doesn't seem to screw anything up. I will add, though, that I have heard a variety of "GE 5751's", and they can sound quite different. The Five Stars are the best I have heard.

As for the Sovtek LPS, they tend to fatten up the tone and smooth out the highs. There is a slight addition of mud and blurriness, too (at least compared to the "cleaner" tubes that I like, such as NOS Tele's, or new JJ's). While I generally prefer something else in much of my gear, I did find the Sovteks to be very beneficial in my Pignose B-100V (which was a Pig in need of fattening :D).

Tom.