Preferred Series 7025 / 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube
This 7025 is a high quality and very rugged custom 12AX7 tube produced for us in China by the Shuguang factory. The plates are manufactured out of a premium metal imported from Germany and supported with extra thick mica spacers to insure against microphonics. They are burned in and tested at the factory and then again on our digital high voltage equipment to make sure the tubes selected for you will provide outstanding tone and performance.
From our review: "A great sounding 12AX7 tube type that reminds me a little more of the ECC83 that Ei made in the old days. That's a pretty nice compliment. I compared this tube against an old Ei and Telefunken smooth plate and there was very little difference. Lots of gain with a rather low noise floor. No microphonics issues at all. Very good considering the large plate size. Spot welding may be better for microphonics than crimped plates. I tried it in all the standard guitar amp duties and it was fine. Fabulous in Blackface Fender amps. We tried this 7025 in a 66 Vibrolux reverb 2x10 combo and the tones were all there. Light and shimmering or really aggressive, it's all good."
Warranty: The Preferred Series 7025 tubes carry a 6 month extended warranty.
Other Preferred Series tubes 
12AX7 TypesAdditional Information and Downloads
Reviews:
12AX7 Tube Review
Tube Matching Information:
Matched Sections Service
Downloads:
Preferred Series 7025 Datasheet (PDF)
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF reader
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 6 monthsPreferred Series tubes have a 6 month warranty from date of purchase. (Any exceptions will be noted on that tube's Warranty tab)
If you receive a tube that does not perform to the manufacturer's specifications, please do the following:
- contact us to get a return authorization
- return it via regular mail within 180 days from when we shipped it, and we will provide an exchange or refund of the full purchase price of the tube.
Returns not related to warranty or defect will be considered at our discretion, and are subject to a 15% restocking fee.
We can not accept returns that don't have an authorization, are past 6 months, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
86 reviews
Excellent !
by Andy S
Super articulate but also very warm sounding. Notes ring out beautifully without sounding brittle. Using this in V1 in a ValveKing and also in V3 (reverb recovery) in a Hand Wired Princeton Reverb clone.Great results in both positions.I'd also like to thank Dave for the exceptional customer service as always ..... 2 thumbs up !!!!
Finding the best phono section tube
by R.Jobagy
I have tried and spent a mighty sum of money trying to get the best out of my decware phono section. Compared to the many 12ax7 tubes I have tried these 7025 tubes best the lot of them by a huge margin. The search is over after all these years and money spent. I would never have believed it if I had not heard it for myself. A tube made in China beats all other 12ax7 tubes I have tried. What's that old sayin', better late than never. Well done thetubestore, you hit it out of the park with this one.
My McIntosh MC225 now sounds wonderful
by Bob W
When I acquired my McIntosh MC225, the tubes that came with it were near end of life. I wrote an email to thetubestore.com looking for recommendations for a new set of tubes for the MC225. I received an email back that recommended : Preferred Series 7025/12AX7,JAN Philips ECG 5814A/12AU7,Electro-Harmonix 12BH7,Tung-Sol 7591A. I ordered the tubes in the correct quantity. For the first 25-50 hours on the new tubes my MC225 sounded harsh. Then it got that sweet tube sound and I found out how incredibly wonderful a McIntosh MC225 sounds. I have recently ordered a spare set.
V1 in a re-issue 65 Princeton Reverb Amp
by Layton
IMO the V1 tube is the most influential tube as a single tube replacement. Compared the stock groove tube, the Preferred Series and a Gold Lion Premium...was hoping these went on special...and they did (thanks Tube Store).First, I am looking for a sweet, warm, woody tube to play clean tones with archtop guitars....this is important to remember because I look for different traits compared to a rock/metal person.Groove tube, stock tube at purchase, good enough to make you buy the amp ....practically anything else is better.After comparing the tubes, 2 rounds of rolling,....I left the Preferred series in the V1 slot for the simple reason that I liked the sound better. It was more 'warm' than the Lion...simple as that. (The Lion is also a great tube and would probably be preferred for more of a blues rock tone, just slightly more aggressive and slightly louder). Both were clear, quiet and musical.The Preferred tube is a solid tube at a good price.....great for the Fender Princeton playing clean.In the end these are the tubes in the different positions that I have chosen to create a great sound:V1 preamp: Preferred (12AX7)V2 reverb: Mullard NOS (12AT7)V3 reverb recovery and pre inverter gain: Gold Lion Premium (12AX7)V4 Tremalo and Phase Inverter: Preferred (12AX7)V5&6 Power tubes: Tung-Sol 6V6V7 Rectifier: Tung-Sol 5AR4
Short life
by MattyB
I like the sound of these as gain tubes in the vibrato channel in my Fender Deluxe reissue. However, they seem to repeatedly go microphonic--to the point of needing to be replaced--within several months. I just can't get them to last.