Today's Fresh Catch is the Sophia Electric 12AU7 and EL34-ST vacuum tubes!
I had mentioned to Sue at Sophia Electric about my long term update of the Sophia Electric EL34-ST vacuum tubes in my Leben CS600 integrated amplifier (HERE), and that I would be reviewing the new Leben CS600X.
Sophia Electric EL34-ST
Sue suggested I give the Leben CS600X the full Sophia Electric tube treatment, and sent me a quad of the Sophia Electric EL34-ST vacuum tubes for the CS600X, and a pair of the Sophia Electric 12AU7's.
Sophia Electric 12AU7
Sophia Electric doesn't offer a 12BH7, so I'll use the stock JJ Tesla 12BH7's for now. The 12BH7 is an interesting choice for the Leben CS600X, as NOS 12BH7's are not particularly abundant, as with the NOS 6CS7's in the original CS600.
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON 6CS7 VACUUM TUBES: Normally I buy my NOS 6CS7 tubes from Radio Electric Supply, who has the largest stock of vacuum tubes in the world. I've done business with them for over a decade, and when looking for NOS American made tubes I always check with them first. I just checked in with them about some other NOS American tubes I was looking for, but also asked them about the availability of NOS 6CS7 tubes. Their reply was, "No 6SC7's at all. They are getting impossible to find." That's bad news for owners of original CS600 owners, because if you don't have quads of 6CS7s laid up for the future, you're probably out of luck at this point. Way back when I laid up 5 quads of 6CS7s for the future, and I sure am glad I did so now. Here's what I am going to do for you original Leben CS600 owners like myself: I am going to ask specifically what modifications a tech needs to do to modify the circuit to use the current tube complement. I'll report back on what I find out.
I'll also ask why the 12BH7 choice was made for the CS600X as we get closer to the feature review, but there are current production 12BH7 versions from JJ Tesla and Electro-Harmonix, so you shouldn't have to worry about availability in the future.
Sophia Electric Blue Glass Coke-bottle KT88-ST Tubes (long life version)
I might also add that the Leben CS600 / CS600X can use a multitude of output tubes (HERE), so if you were so inclined you could also try the Sophia Electric Coke-bottle KT88-ST Tubes (long life version), which for some listeners could be a better choice depending upon the overall system tonal balance they prefer.
Sophia Electric EL34-ST
More soon on the Sophia Electric EL34-ST and 12AU7 vacuum tubes in the new Leben CS600X!
Sophia Electric 12AU7
As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
