Tubes -- go Mullard NOS or go home?

My integrated amp uses either two 6922 tubes or two 12AX7 tubes, my DAC uses a 12AU7 tube, and my phonostage uses two 12AX7 tubes and one 12AU7 tube. I have a pretty nice little collection of NOS tubes now but after long and exhaustive auditioning, it looks like Mullard NOS is going to win every spot. Are these results typical?

 

I love the Mullard sound.

 

If you like that NOS Mullard sound, I don't see any reason to stray.

Personally, I'd take Amperex Orange Globe 7308s over any NOS Mullard 6922 variant I've heard, but that's just me..

 

I'm using Mullard M8137 (military spec 12ax7s) in my preamp!

JG

 

I always thought it would be best to put Mullards on the amp *or* on the DAC/phonostage, but it turns out it sounds best to me with them in both spots.

 

I have a bunch of 12AU7 tube that I bought to roll into my phonostage. Ive landed on the one I like so I'd be willing to trade some of those for any extra 12aX7 tubes you're not using.

 

I'm reaching the point where tubes in the phono stage isn't even up for discussion.

 

Have you tried Telefunken 12AX7?
They always win out my tube rolling tests, but I have never had any Mullards to go against. Just other common ones.

 

The part highlighted in bold. It comes a time when this has to end. I'm personally burned out on it. Why should it be such an extensive process settling on a tube(s). For me the answer is that tubes introduce too much distortion. One type is worse than the other. Before I subject myself to another round of tube rolling torture. I'm apt to pack up the tube gear and try solid state .

 

Have you tried Mullard NOS in every socket? I would be feeling the same way if I hadn't tried Mullard everywhere.

 

Some of the best, Mullard UK 12AX7 goal post round getter or the earlier goal post square getter.
Have you tried Amperex Holland D foil getter 12AX7?

Unfortunately I've come to the expensive conclusion that most of the best tubes were made in the 1950's.

 

All of my tube knowledge comes from upscaleaudio.com where I buy all of my tubes and he doesn't break it down that far. How many different-sounding Mullard 12AX7 tubes are there?

 

IIUC Mullards lean toward the 'smooth, creamy' sonics (as opposed to 'crisp, clear') but I guess any tube can be both or can be high resolution without being overly crisp.

Sorry about the descriptors, it's just that these phrases come to mind after reading too many audio magazine reviews.

In my gear, I've tended toward wanting more resolution and yes, even a bit of 'zing' to the top end. Using Siemens & Halske NOS (60s? 70s? I forget) 12AT7s as drivers for my 300B amps made a big difference over the stock (RCA?) that came with the kits. When I had the McIntosh C220 I used basically Telefunken ribbed plates (UOS Teles, 1970s NOS Tesla E83CCs, and finally new production Gold Lions all sounded VERY similar to me in that application). These seemed very 'neutral' and had wideband good musical sonics.

I'm wondering if the Mullards can be smooth and creamy but still have very high resolution? At this point I only have the drivers in the 300B amps to play with, I went SS on the preamp recently, and am very pleased. It opened up the soundstage a bit and (must have?) lowered the noise floor, as now I hear more details in the music and there's even more "PRaT" evident.

 

As with most things audio, experimentation is key.
The "best" tube in one component (or system) may not be "best" in another.

 

The goal post getter Mullards are from the 50's and made in UK.
Easy to see, two posts hold up getter.

There are tubes labeled Mullard which were not made by Mullard.
And there are real Mullards that are not labeled Mullard.
This whole subject can get insanely intricate and
sometimes takes an expert to sort it all out.

Best to find a trusted dealer and stick with them as you have.

 

Long plate or short plate Mullard? The former is (slightly) better (and more expensive) than the latter.

Tube rolling is sooo system dependent. I've had good luck with a mix of Amperex, Mullards, and Telefunkens. Also CBS, RCA, Raytheon, Ei, Matsushita, NEC, and a few others that I probably missed. That's the nice thing about the 12A_7 series of tubes, there have been so many makers that the rolling possibilities are deep and wide.

 

I have listened to different 12AX7s in several different phonostages, such as a Viva Fono (the one I own), a Tron phonostage, Hovland preamp (in phono secton) and a friend's custom built phonostaqe. In all of these, there was a consensus that Amperex tubes sounded better than the Mullards we auditioned. In my own phonostage, after listening to quite a few alternatives, I have stuck with Telefunken ECC802S as the best sounding.

 

PS: Amperex Holland 12AX7 - getter is D shaped with straight part of D a piece of foil.
Also 1950's.
There's also the Mullard 10M series, super premium testing and quality.

Important to remember, there's probably not a single "best" tube for all applications.

 

Long plate, short plate; then there's the whole gray plate, black plate and occasionally silver plate thing.

 

I think Mullards have the most classic "tube-like" sound that everyone always talks about. Very thick, rich and organic. Kinda "gooey", but in a lovely, musical way. I'm running a quad of NOS 12AU7s CV4003 (from Upscale) in the preamp section of my PrimaLuna Premium Integrated. They sound utterly marvelous!

I actually like the NOS (1962 era) Cifte 12AU7 that I got at the same time even better. I was enthralled with them for a while. Then I rolled in those Mullards a couple of months ago and just cannot bring myself to switch them out for the Ciftes. They sound that frickin' great! I thought the stock tubes already sounded pretty excellent, but tube rolling these NOS tubes really, really made a difference. The sound of the amp went from great, to absolutely stunning.

Gonna get another quad of each from Kevin @ Upscale before they're all gone.

So yeah, go with Mullards!

 

I have the Cifte 12AU7 too and I've gone through periods of loving it. Really 3D like Kevin says. The best midrange I've heard from a tube is from the Matsushita 6922 but the top end doesn't sound right.

 

The have a lot of high resolution detail. Definitely not all mushy or rolled-off sounding. A lot of that comes down to the design of your amp too.

A great sounding tube amp should have all the detail of a SS amp, but with the life-like holographic, organic sound character of tubes.

 

Tubes is a PITA. I'm a guitar player and have been through the whole thing. The knowledge, hunting, matching, and PAYING!! for the tubes is a whole new ballgame. Then you gotta do it all over again if you wanna try something else. You better have deep deep pockets.

FYI, everyone wants vintage 50s Mullards. Esp the 12AX7s (CV4004? ECC83? I forget the equivalent nomenclature). I'd stick with current tubes (Gold Lion is decent, and other higher end tube manufacturers) and enjoy my music

 

If your using all genuine Mullard tubes, my instinctive response is that your likely filtering the high frequencies to the point of not noticing any irritating distortions.