Lorenz
Lorenz ECC82 12AU7 Long Plates Pre-SEL 1950s
Lorenz ECC82 12AU7 Long Plates Pre-SEL 1950s
Soundlumia’s Opinion
These must be the most exotic European audio tubes! So elusive they're even unheard of in many parts of the world. Not many of these tubes are around, either, let alone a strong matched pair! Although lesser known than big names like Telefunken and Siemens, they are just as remarkable as any other German-made tubes and have been the go-to tubes for guitar amplifier users.
Like most German tubes, they are characterized by an impressive open "air" at the top end, and the soundstage is large, even in mono applications such as my classical vinyl records from the early '50s, these tubes provides you with a full 3-D imaging. The midrange is ruler flat, a.k.a. natural sound, and the bass is tight and accurate. One very unique feature of Lorenz tubes is the fine sense of dynamics you get from anything you play - it feels you are enveloped by an invisible "musical body" that you can't escape from and it's cerebrally joyful. Last but certainly not the least, as the legend goes for all the German tubes, these are astonishingly quiet. If you're seeking European ECC82/12AU7 tubes with ultra low noise look no further. These will get the job done fantastically.
Professional Sound Evaluation
This tube worked wonderfully and sounded terrific in our professional studio setup for monitoring.
- Input: Cambridge Audio CXC V2 dedicated CD transport + Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 Multibit DAC
- Amplification: Handcrafted Bottlehead Crack Headphone amplifier
- Output: Neumann NDH 20 Closed Back Studio Headphones
Our full tube sound review was written 100% based on the actual listening experience while this tube was running in the system described above.
Round Logo
1x Lorenz ECC82 12AU7 Pre-SEL Tube - Germany 1950s - Strong NOS
$134
Professional Tube Testing
The tube tested Strong NOS (110%+ nominal mutual conductance) and perfectly balanced on a Mercury 2000 tube tester with the following result (mutual conductance in both uMhos and percentage of nominal):
3,490/3,600 (116%/120%)
Good tubes start at 2000 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 3,000 - 3,100, and the Mercury 2000's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 3,000. Test result can also be seen in the pictures. In case you wonder what all these numbers mean to your sound experience, it's actually quite straightforward: mutual conductance directly translates to a tube's ability to amplify sound, so the higher these numbers the stronger. No short, leakage or gas.
Appearance and cosmetic condition
Despite the worn-off lettering and date codes, the Lorenz logo is still visible.
Packaging
NEW white tube boxes.
Round Logo + BWB Falcon
1x Lorenz ECC82 Long Plates - Pre-SEL Round Logo + BWB Falcon - Stuggart '50s
$119.55
Professional Tube Testing
This set was tested and certified by RoeTest V11 Professional Tube Testing System with the following result:
Tube 1:
Measured transconductance(GM): 1.44/1.51 mA/V - 65%/69% (100% = 2.2 mA/V)
Measured plate current(IA): 9.497/8.867 mA - 90%/84% (100% = 10.5 mA)
NO shorts, leakage or gas. NO noise or microphonics.
Curve trace is also included in the original RoeTest report.
Appearance and cosmetic condition
We treasure this tube because of the pristine condition - over 90% of the paint and lettering are well retained.
Packaging
NEW white tube boxes.