NICE VINTAGE QUAD of very nice, strong early 1960s era Telefunken 12Ax7 (see beautiful photos of glass - exhibit E) 17mm SMOOTH ECC83 tubes. These are all originals from the late 1950's . All are beautiful early examples of Telefunken produced tall, late 50s smooth plate design.
The 17mm smooth plates were the original type of Telefunken's 12AX7 (and were for a period manufactured concurently along side the earliest generation of tall 17mm ribbed).
This surviving set is from a 1950s HiFi estate is beautiful. If you are a current owner of Telefunken 12ax7/Ecc83 "ribbed" plates (or any other vintage type domestic/euro) then you totally owe it to yourself to try the original! Telefunken 17mm smooth plates! Nothing else sounds so creamy & rich or lasts as long.
In addition to being exceptionally smooth, these original's are extremely accurate and faithful to the music. They were the favored choice of all of the best original HiFi manufacturers, like Marantz and Macintosh of the early 1950s thru early 1960s ... the golden era of home HiFi. Not to say the ribbed 17mm's are not outstanding also...you need to experience both!
Few 12ax7 tubes were ever constructed to this superior standard, the characteristics of the original tall smooth plate or what all of your tubes are measured against. These tubes sound excellent and annihilate any modern 12AX7 type.
I recommend to all collectors and audiophiles that if possible, own one of every type of vintage Telefunken, Mullard and RCA if they can afford to do! (Not a bad idea, as they're also excellent investments in today's markets.)
You will of course find the famous "diamond" bottom on these... note Exhibit D and F. These tubes are genuine West German production, Telefunken made these tubes dring the early to late 1950s. They feature typical amazing Teleunken quality, thick top halo getter, smooth, thick shinny top flashing, tall heavily built plates and beefy mica supports.
The sound of these smooth plates are really nice. HiFi listeners frequently favor them over the shorter ribbed plate Siemens, Telefunken and Amperex of the later decades -- the sound undeniably faithful, smooth and refined. Guitar players also choose them sometimes over the 17mm ribbed of the late 1950s ....when you need quality tubes to last a long time, balanced tone, and they're one of the worlds quietest 12ax7 types.
The sound is definately Telefunken pedigree, with all of that creamy, lush sweetness -- with polite ever-present highs compared to the more risque and aggressive ribbed plate. It's a choice, and once you own the smooth plates, you'll also want to add a set of ribbed type to your collection ( and vise versa).
If your past audiophile experience was with the tall 17mm or 14mm ribbed plate variety , give these 17mm SMOOTH beauties a try ... you may well like the delicate presence. For those who love the incredible long life that early german tubes give -- but found other brands were not balanced or detailed enough..... give these a try! They have the old world quality, literally.... and will give any 12ax7a/Ecc83/7025 equipment wonderful definition in the vocal region.
All 4 pieces test well MATCHED for GM & Plate Current readings on Calibrated Lab Tester at the full, fixed bias 250V. Study the photos below ... it's the best matching set of these you'll see anywhere.
A 4pcs are STRONG, test range 115% or better of new on ALL sides, they are low hours examples. (see exhibit B)
As found amongst a cache of stored spares, from a HiFi estate, in are old Telefunken boxes. The boxes are old and show many stains due to age (exhibit A, H). The early Telefunken tubes inside look beautiful and sound wonderful.
Emissions test shown below for easy reference -- all sides are over 115% dynamic emissions. (see full lab test reports for GM & plate matching data below, exhibit A,D,E,H). The QUAD Tested strong and quiet on multiple testers. And, played in preamp....quiet to ear - No microphonics.
They're guaranteed NO DOA, very much happiness with these nice old tubes is assured!!
These are the classics; West German of the 1950s & 60s have long set the standard for 12Ax7 dual triodes ... a very clear, detailed sound come from these ... and absolutely one of the silkiest, sweetest 12ax7's you can own. Plus, genuine early Tele's go forever as well, outlasting most...other brands of the era. (they have superior build quality which equates to incredible lifespan)
Study the large photos & reports below, and you can see they are genuine Tele tubes and in great, matched shape!
Strong tubes, and they sounded great, when tested in a hifi audio amp -- QUIET and WONDERFUL..
Gourgeous Tele's. The flashing is beautiful & shinny, pins are straight. White Ink, clearly marked West Germany (exhibit A,E), they have partially missing LOGOS and ink, .. see exhibit photos and descriptions below...
The units are matched construction, 17mm ribbed, top halo, and have (exhibit D,E,F,G) .
Likely the most throughly tested set now online ... anywhere ... especially stateside ... and so throughly checked out & fussed over QUARTET, all made during the 1950s.
A QUAD matched set like this is irresitable to both the collectors and audiophiles .... all over the world. These will surely sell quickly -- Buy now to avoid a bidder's war.
Always carefully double boxed, and fast shipping with tracking #.
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