Ralph,
I have no knowledge on circuit design. However, from experience, what I can say is that the 12BH7A is cleaner, more robust (with more body) and smoother sounding valve than the ECC82. And it seems that there is a general consensus in favor of the 12BH7A.
You just have to take note that from what I've read the 12BH7A draws twice as much current that the ECC82, so that should be probably taken into account if you are considering a swap.
Originally Posted by
CornishPasty
I built a phono stage based on the 834P but with Thorsten's mods which includes using an ECC82 for the output buffer stage instead of the usual ECC83. After reading through this thread I'm wondering if a 12BH7 would offer any improvement over the ECC82?
System1: Lenco L75 with custom plinth, SLAT, sph bearing, SG4 external power supply + Alfred Bokrand AB-309 tonearm + Denon DL103R (aluminum body) + Well Tempered 12" tonearm clone + Denon DL103R (wooden body), ASR Mini Basis Exclusive HV, Marantz CD6005, LAB12 DAC1 SE+, Hattor BIG passive + active pre, Lab12 Suono power amp, Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge, LAB12 Gordian, Belden 8428, Black Cat Red Level Triode, LAB12 Knack MkII
System 2: Roksan Xerxes original (HiFi Inspire plinth) with Maxon ReMax motor + Audiomods Series6 + Ortofon Cadenza Black microridge retipped, ASR Mini Basis Exclusive, Marantz CD6003, Croft Micro25R + Series7R monoblocks (110W/ea), Harbeth SHL5 Plus 40th Anniv.
System 3: Marantz CD6003, Croft SuperMicroII ('R' spec by Croft, Tesla E83CC in phono)+ Series7, Snell Type EII (with bypass caps, new internal wiring, WBT nextgen 0703Cu), Mark Grant HDX1, Atlas Hyper 3.0