Tried a Sovtek LPS in the PI slot. Sounds great.

[Racerxrated]

I had a sovtek 12ax7LPS is definitely one of the best tubes in the PI socket. Used it for years. But a while back I decided to try a 12AT7 in my Splawn Nitro PI socket and I actually like it better. To my ears, the 12AT7 (Jan Phillips to be exact) took out that ear pearcy high end frequently that was introduced with the LPS.

Amp sounds cleaner and tighter too.

Cheers

That's another good one for the PI...I have a blue label Phillips AT7 as well.

 

[braintheory]

What qualities in sound do you guys look for in the PI slot and why is long plate preferred there? I’m guessing there’s some quality of why the Sovtek LPS works well there, but we can I’m sure find a good vintage tube with similar strengths and the advantages of a more organic, rich tone than the Sovtek. In V1 at least it just sounds to me like a generic newer tube

 

[johnny q]

`Thinking about it now, aside from my Mesa (which is all Mesa branded JJ ECC83s) all of my amps have the LPS in the PI. I have the LP (non spiral) in my Rivera amp because that is what shipped OEM back in the day and apparently due to the type of heater in that particular amp - the spiral design can cause noise (if my memory serves me.)

 

[Rex Rocker]

I like the LPS in the

What qualities in sound do you guys look for in the PI slot and why is long plate preferred there? I’m guessing there’s some quality of why the Sovtek LPS works well there, but we can I’m sure find a good vintage tube with similar strengths and the advantages of a more organic, rich tone than the Sovtek. In V1 at least it just sounds to me like a generic newer tube

Yeah, the LPS is certainly not a V1 tube, IMO. In V1, it tends to be micrphonic because of the long plates, and its clean characteristics tend to get lost if you use it in a distorted channel.

I like the LPS in the PI position, but I do think there its qualities are overhyped. In the PI, it's that little extra 2% louder, cleaner, and maybe less compressed than almost anything else. That is as far as CP, though. I've never really ventured into the NOS realm on preamp tubes, if I must be honest.

But as much as I've had fun swapping tubes around, I always felt it's a matter of making an amp you love that little extra 1% better for you. I'd never try swapping tubes in an amp I hate and expect to all of a sudden love it, personally.

 

[braintheory]

I like the LPS in the

Yeah, the LPS is certainly not a V1 tube, IMO. In V1, it tends to be micrphonic because of the long plates, and its clean characteristics tend to get lost if you use it in a distorted channel.

I like the LPS in the PI position, but I do think there its qualities are overhyped. In the PI, it's that little extra 2% louder, cleaner, and maybe less compressed than almost anything else. That is as far as CP, though. I've never really ventured into the NOS realm on preamp tubes, if I must be honest.

But as much as I've had fun swapping tubes around, I always felt it's a matter of making an amp you love that little extra 1% better for you. I'd never try swapping tubes in an amp I hate and expect to all of a sudden love it, personally.

I agree tube swaps like this are subtle tweaks, but as gear nerds it's still fun to optimize. The older tubes IME just sound more rich and organic tonally. That's the only reason why I'd think someone super into tubes would try for something better than that. If the goal is to have something louder, cleaner with more heardoom, less compressed, and long plates I'd try an old 12BZ7 and they're cheap. Again microphonic in V1, but not in the other slots. I can imagine Tungsram and Fivre also working well, but would have to try it

 

[Bash_Man]

That's another good one for the PI...I have a blue label Phillips AT7 as well.

this is the one I am using in both Clean Channel and PI sockets

 

[anomaly]

Everyone seems to like that tube for the phase inverter, i better try it.

 

[anomaly]

A LP in the PI spot will add warmth and bottom end to thin, shit sounding amps like WIZARDs.. LOL

Any amp can sound like shit regardless of the price tag. Lots of factors. Even the IIC+ can sound like shit and any Mark user knows this.

 

[just42dave]

I finally found a very strong and balanced Yugo / Telefunken, from a non-flakey seller. I have been looking for a few weeks now, as I want to try it in the PI slot of one of my Marshalls, but finding one with those 3 prerequisites proved harder than I thought it would be .

I have used Tungsrams in the PI slot of most of my amps for years, with the occasional LPS in certain amps. Anxious to hear the results when it arrives, and was glad that this topic came up, to get some other opinions on what others have used.

I got zillions of them hmu

 

[Navigator]

It's the PI in my Marshall. Sounds good to me.