Best 12AX7 for an SLP-98?
 

Is the NOS Mullard the one to get?

They are pretty expensive now.

I have a bad one in the left channel and need to replace them.

CRJCApt,
Since I did not see a response, a quick note. Your's is the SLP-98"P" version with built in phono stage, ...the two 12AX7 tubes at the center, correct? What sorta change in sound might you be looking for vs. your current tube sound before they went bad?

FWIW, after trying EH new, JJ/GT Gold, Sylvania NOS, RCA NOS, Tung Sol new and NOS in my 98, I've pretty much concluded many of the NOS tubes just sound better than most new tubes IMO. Former buddy designer at Cary was a fan of the Mullards and newer ones, but I've not tried them yet. Came across a few trying the RCA 7025 industrial / reportedly "lower noise version of the 12AX7" but I've never tried it in the 98, not sure how it would work. Overall, very happy with Sylvania '60s NOS tubes in the 98 pre, and 60s Sylvania NOS for front end tubes in my Cary tube amp.

Yeah, it's a P model.

I'm all about the mid range.

I like a warm sound, but not a soft sound.

After playing with various NOS tubes in my SLP98 and recently new mono amps, and finally setting on tubes - I went back to rotating loaner interconnects (between source and preamp, and between preamp and amps) to tune the sound in a different way. The variation has been fun and an interesting rediscovery.

While tube-rolling can get expensive, IC-rolling can get very, very expensive. Even with used ICs.

Have always found JAN Philips & Sylvania tubes to provide excellent sound at reasonable prices. One good thing about 12AX7s is the fact that there are still many NOS available to roll without breaking the bank.

I'm gun shy about NOS. The last time I tried them they didn't last three months.

Hmmmm............. if you purchased from a reputable seller you should have had no problem with obtaining replacements at no cost.

And, particularly so if one chooses to buy expensive (new or used) interconnects without demon'ing them first. This approach is a roll of the dice which can become expensive and aggravating if you pick the wrong ones!

After getting burned out on NOS tube rolling (16 pairs for amps and 6 pairs for preamp - with a help of a few friends loaner connections), and finally settling on my NOS tubes - I went back to retry ICs again. Glad I did, made a notable difference. More so than many NOS tubes I tried, which I was not expecting.

Demo-before-buying ICs:
After demoing multiple pairs of ICs, I just resold two pairs of expensive interconnects that I ran for years that matched well with solid state gear, now buying replacement ICs for my tube amps at less than 1/3 the cost that actually sound better, more engaging,compared to higher $ versions. Truly a nice difference and the benefit was realized immediately vs waiting 40, 80, 100+ hours of tube break-in time to realize a difference.

A few higher end well known ICs I have demo'd recently did not sound better, in some cases far worse for my particular system. A few audiophile colleagues reminded me not to overlook lower cost ones and so far that advice has paid off well. The only problem with realizing this now is it makes me want to go back and re-look and retry several lower cost ICs I passed on previously. TheCableCo has a nice loaner program and loaner fee applies to purchase if you buy.

My experience has been that the higher up the cable food-chain one goes the more similar they sound. It is at the mid-level and below where one finds the most difference in sound. Like tubes, YMMV.

Good point. And very similar to the experiences I've had so far on this last revisit and go-around with the cable lines I was able to demo, thankfully. In my own comparisons its possibly because the same type (or very similar) design, materials, and technology was used on the upper half of the line whereas as the mid-level and below varies quite a bit from one cable to the next in the mid to lower line. Thx.