What tubes can replace 12AX7?

Table of Contents

Knowledge is power, and knowing an unusual substitute may be a true joy.

Small Signal Tubes:
12AX7. Substitutes: ECC83, 12AX7A, 12AX7WA, 7025, 5761,6057,6681,7494,7729, 7025#, ECC83#, 6L13, 12DF7, 12DT7, 5751, 7025A, B339, B759, CV4004, E83CC, ECC803, M8137.
12AU7.
12AT7.
6DJ8.
Rectifier Tube:
5AR4.
Other Dual Triode Tubes:

When should 12AX7 tubes be replaced?

Small signal tubes like a 12AX7 or 6922 will work well on average for about 10,000 hours. If you leave your equipment on 24 hours a day, well you do the math: There are 8,760 hours in a year.

Are they still making vacuum tubes?

As someone who has been a vacuum technology enthusiast for four decades now it makes me happy to find that tubes are still in production and their industry appears healthy for now.

Can 12AX7 be used in phase inverter?

Phase inverter use regular preamp tubes. However, in a lot of cases, you can find something else, like 12AT7. The standard 12AX7 and 12AT7 are interchangeable.

Can I use a 12AU7 in place of an 12AX7?

While you can physically use a 12AU7 tube in place of a 12AX7 in a circuit, it’s not recommended to do. Most circuits that are designed for a 12AX7 will not react well to the significantly lower gain of the 12AU7.

Do gold pin tubes make a difference?

AFAIK, there’s no difference between regular and gold pin tubes. As already mentioned before, the pins are only gold plated, but the reason for the gold plating of pins (or any other connector) is to prevent the metal surface to corrode.

Do 12AX7 tubes need to be matched?

Using 12AX7s as an example, matching these preamp tubes is a good idea, but by no means essential. These tubes, along with the 6DJ8 variety, are known as linestage tubes. When they are matched, this will ensure that you get even gain from both tubes.