TAD 7025

[Cliff Schecht]

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... 7025WA-TAD

Does anybody have any experience with this tube? Sounds like a lot of marketing hype but I can't really make any judgements until I try one.

Good for V1 in an Express maybe?

[selloutrr]

I've tried a few they sound like a new production tube. I'm not sure exactly what to tell you. Yes they will work. No they are not a Telefunken or NOS british tube. IMHO as good as a $9 JJ or $12 Tungsol new production a little richer then a $8 Sovtek. You will need nice output tubes to gain anything from the improvement in tone these preamp tube makes.

For the cost of a JJ 12ax7/ECC83 tube and a $3 charge for hand selecting you can get the same tone from Eurotubes.com. To the best of my Knowledge TAD does not product/manufacture tubes. They use the same current production tubes as Ruby, Fender/Groove Tubes, Mesa Boogie. You pay double for the handling charge of testing the tube a second time.

[David Root]

Looks like a Chinese tube to me. Tonequest magazine liked them. The old Beijing silver tops that MESA used in the '90s look a lot like that and they were pretty good for new production, but no, Mullard or Amperex tone they ain't.

[Milkmansound]

I like them - they are made in the same Chinese factory as the Ruby tubes by a German Company

In my experience, they are much more reliable than JJ tubes and they sound quite a bit better.

If you need spiral filament and want new production, these are probably the way to go

[erwin_ve]

TAD 7025 sound very much like a JJ ECC803S. The TAD has a little more top end sparkle. Very nice tube.

[martin manning]

In rolling tubes through V1 in the Express I just completed, ECC803S was by far the quietest tube (hiss-wise) I found. It was a bit microphonic, and in the end I went with a noisier 12AX7EH for now- it seemed to have a little bit more interesting tone in the mid-range. I should have ordered a couple of the TAD's; I've been meaning to give them a try.

[Structo]

Aren't the TAD 12ax7's made in China?

[erwin_ve]

Aren't the TAD 12ax7's made in China?

Yes; on specs of TAD; Shuguang tube factory. At least that's their information

[gktamps]

I bought 6, all with supposedly matched sections, and found them to be low in emissions (lower than many vintage, used tubes I've got), and with less than matched sections. I've had two of them fail after 10-30 hours of use. They were quiet enough, but one of the failures was the cathode, so it was dead quiet after that! All in all, I wasn't that impressed.