Ecclectique - well... In the Supratek, the Siemens Gold Pin CCa's were a nightmare. The ones I had (two pair) were purchased from two separate dealers at different times. I had read how "great" they were so.... I paid the bucks and purchased some. They were open sounding that's for sure.. to the extent of being obnoxious - even etchy or bright - downright screachy!
Given the reputation of the Siemens, I suspect its me and not the tubes.. but.. I would never recommend them to anyone. There is also the possibility of these tubes being candidates for counterfeiting due to their very high price.
I forgot all the "claim to fame" and specifications for this particular tube but it took me a long time to hunt them down. The pairs I had were from the early 1960's (1962) and gold pin.
In the Cortese, Telefunken CCa sounds superb - however.. I use Mullard ECC32's in the line stage. That must be considered as a part of the overall sonic signature. The stock Philips JAN tubes sound fine but ultimately do not have the clarity & resolution of the Tele CCa.
As I said earlier, the changes in the Supratek resulting from changes made to phono stage tubes are not exactly as substantial as the improvements acheived through changing the line stage and power supply tubes. But there are improvements none-the-less only here (in the phono stage) you REALLY have to pay for them.
Given the reputation of the Siemens, I suspect its me and not the tubes.. but.. I would never recommend them to anyone. There is also the possibility of these tubes being candidates for counterfeiting due to their very high price.
I forgot all the "claim to fame" and specifications for this particular tube but it took me a long time to hunt them down. The pairs I had were from the early 1960's (1962) and gold pin.
In the Cortese, Telefunken CCa sounds superb - however.. I use Mullard ECC32's in the line stage. That must be considered as a part of the overall sonic signature. The stock Philips JAN tubes sound fine but ultimately do not have the clarity & resolution of the Tele CCa.
As I said earlier, the changes in the Supratek resulting from changes made to phono stage tubes are not exactly as substantial as the improvements acheived through changing the line stage and power supply tubes. But there are improvements none-the-less only here (in the phono stage) you REALLY have to pay for them.