“This tube has excellent dynamics,great base and highs. Midrange is also good and whilst not as good as a mullard it is not over bright.If your system needs a dose of PRAT then try this tube out.Pakaging excellent as was Upscale Audios service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“The positive effect on the sound produced by the Rogue Audio Ares phono stage that I use, along with a mono cartridge and a mono SUT, for playing mono lp's was immediately, emphatically apparent. Natural, realistic concert hall sound makes this Radiotechnique an ideal tube for me.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“Compared to my other tubes, Gold Lion ECC82 and the JJ ECC82, the Radiotechnique is more dynamic, with crisp transients and a stronger bass response. Itâ€:tm:s my preferred tube among the three.”

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Posted 11 years ago

Johnny Maggitas

Unverified Reviewer

“I tried these on a whim as Kevin recommended them in my VAC Signature IIa preamp. I plugged these in along with the Ediswan 6922 equivalent and all I can say is WOW. I have had many tubes in my preamp and I keep coming back to this combo. The RT tubes are clean, well extended and airy. They have a nice punchy bass that really goes low. They present a natural 3D soundstage that is very natural and inviting. I find myself continuously raising the volume level. The RT's are nimble and open. I highly recommend them.”

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Posted 11 years ago

“These tubes are great. Replaced 2 platinum matched Mullard CV 4003 in my Atma-Sphere MP3. With the Mullards there was a beautiful midrange but the sound was somewhat closed in. The RT immediately opened up the sound, have a greater sense of air, more present highs without being overemphasized or harsh and, finally, the bass is deeper and better defined. I see no disadvantage.”

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Posted 12 years ago

“This is gonna be a long and rambling review, so Iâ€:tm:ll get right to the part that you probably wanna read about: â€œThe La Radiotechnique 12au7 arrived ( I was curious about their sound because they had been compared to valves from Herleen) anyway after the install, I was like whoa!!! Shut-the-front-Door!!â€ Tube rolling, wtf! You know what? This hobby is way too much fun. Serious fun! My PrimaLuna Prologue One came fully equipped with PL tubes. It provided 3D musicality in spades, and it was good. I then recalled having some extra Raytheon 12ax7 lying around the house. They were back-ups for a Bellari phono-preamp in the main system. So, installed the Raytheon and it was good. I then purchased several more used and nos Raytheon and RCA (12au7 and 12ax7) The PL1 sounded slightly different every week as the different tube sets made the rounds. RCA was my favorite after a while, and it was good. My first mistake was ordering Mullard sets from Upscale. (To my ears) There was no turning back to domestically produced vacuum tubes. From that point on I had to have valves!! Now it was time to upgrade the power tubes. The local music-store carried ElectroHarmonix EL34, so it seemed a no brainer. After bringing the quartet home, I pluggedâ€:tm:em in-- sat back and listened. Wow, the 3D experience was still there but there was way too much Caramel in this coffee. It sounded like old-school amplification. So I reminisced for ten minutes and moved on. Two PrimaLuna EL34 on the sides and two ElectroHarmonix EL34 in the center was quite interesting sonically. This is a great friggin amp!! I kept the amp in this configuration until the La Radiotechnique 12au7 arrived ( I was curious about their sound because they had been compared to valves from Herleen) anyway after the install, I was like whoa!!! Shut-the-front-Door!! In a few weeks I pulled the Harmonix and put the PL el34 back in place (and ordered another quad of em) The â€œplumpâ€ sound was not to my Liking, even when mixed with the PLâ€:tm:s. I like the sound of Thelonious Monk and Depeche Mode filtered through Mullard 4004, La Radio Technique 12au7 and PrimaLuna EL34. The sound is clean---musicalâ€”spatial---engaging and fun. I rarely listen to the primary system anymore (ConradJohnson Premier14, Bryston 4bsst, Classe CDP10, MB Quart Alexxa) That is to say the primary system completely blows-away System-Two. Howeverâ€¦ â€¦System Two is just so much fuckin-fun to listen to. Picked up some used Rotel separates(tuner, cd player) and a DacMagic. Plugged in the desktop too(usb) And Iâ€:tm:m good to go. PS:I gotta stock up on them French valves!!”

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Posted 12 years ago

“Hi, purchased this tube back in 5-16-10 ..Last week instlled this,12AU7W,,wow this driver seems to paint a great picture, with music beening its brush..You may find yourself going back and listen to what you have never heard.. thank Kevin..Joe Mozingo”

Helpful Report

Posted 12 years ago

“I bought a pair of these RT 12AU7 NOS tubes from you a while ago and just got around to installing them in my Cary SLP-30 preamp, after a pair of Ei 12AU7 became slightly noisy and had seen their better day. What an across the board improvement! Better highs, bigger soundstage, super low noise, and better bass slam and definition. These are all around better than the Ei tubes ever were.”

Helpful Report

Posted 12 years ago

Radiotechnique 12AU7 / 6189 Platinum Grade / No Cryo Reviews