Tubes -- go Mullard NOS or go home?

I gave up on "accurate" sound a long time ago. All I care about now is an enjoyable listening session.

 

Tubes require some effort to do right. But the benefits far outweigh the trouble for some of us. No, it's not cheap to run NOS nor is it easy. Most quality pursuits aren't.
And hey I feel you man! I'm a musician too with tube amps galore to maintain. I also have a recording studio with tube mics, tube pres, tube compressors, tube DI boxes. I'm surrounded by tubes!

Solid state gear can and does sound excellent. I have some real nice stuff that's SS. But tubes have a certain magical quality and that classic "analog" realness that can't be replicated.

 

I see your from Hawaii, did I sell you a pair of Siemens 7308 tubes with RCA labels back in 2002 on Audiogon? I have a feeling your the same person..

 

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Make no mistake, everything in a stereo system is "filtering frequencies". From your speakers to your amplifier to your cable to your source. Whatever distortion a tube might have will be of a musical nature (unless it's crapping out). Solid state distortion is not very musical. Digital distortion is hell.

 

No but I would like to hear those tubes. I have Amperex 7308 and I just ordered Mullard 7308 today.

 

White label USA made Amperex 7308's are also very nice.

 

Forgot smooth plate and ribbed plate. Oy!

 

"Digital distortion is hell." Amen to that! I hate it.

 

White label, orange label, green label - Amperex made an excellent 7308 that's rated for 10,000 hours (I can personally vouch for that lifespan). I've tried many NOS 6DJ8/6922/7308s and always come back to the Amperex 7308 - it just does everything I need in my buffer stage. The Telefunken 6922 gets a big thumbs up from some folks, but their price is steep and I haven't had any to try out yet. The Mullard 6922s I tried were just a little too laid back in my system - very nice sound, but the Amperex do the fine tuning between my Adcom preamp and Sony NS999ES cd/sacd/dvd player.

 

watching and learning with great interest as i am slowly going down the same road with the 12A_7's

 

This is a good tube, low distortion, big sound stage, great bass, dynamic and slightly forgiving on the top end:

RCA 5814A Triple Mica Black Plate- mid to late 1950's

 

RCA 6FW8
Equivalent to a 6DJ8

Some folks like these tubes, not the easiest to find







Base Noval, B9A
Filament Vf 6.3 Volts / If 0.4 Ampere / Indirect /
Tube prices 0 Tube prices (visible for members only)
Literature Essential Characteristics, GE 1973

 

Looks like a goal post D getter but kinda tough to see.
Also like the slant getter.

 

Interesting, I never heard of this Valve (Tube) being a 6DJ8 equivalent!

JG

 

We all have our faves. I don't think anyone can posit a "Mullard or go home rule."

I really like the Mullard long plate 12ax7's in particular -- I think they're smooth without sounding rolled on top; it's a kind of effortless upper frequency quality that I think sounds like real life. But my favorite 12ax7 in just about every application is the blackplate Sylvania D-getter, which I think has awesome frequency extension and great dynamics. That's my go-to 12ax7.

I love an RCA blackplate D-getter in guitar amps that need some midrange umph, like blackface Fenders, but I don't like 'em in hi-fi gear -- too wooly and fuzzy in the lower mids/upper bass; plus these days they're all but impossible to find NOS and more often than not the used pulls are noisy, or will go noisy before you know it.

I also think, in an application where a 5751 sounds good (and even though it's basically a 12ax7 with lower transconductance, in most circuits designed for 12ax7s I find the high mu tube sounds much better), the Raytheon windmill getter really is all that. Extremely clean, clear, tight. Really conforms to the old audio similes -- like a veil was lifted or a window was open when you install 'em.

Never been fortunate enough to have Amperex or Telefunken 12ax7s in hand. I also think there are some good sounding new production New Sensor 12ax7s that I would use without worrying too much about the sound quality. Dunno about the QC on 'em though.

I don't have a lot of experience with the 6DJ8 family -- having always just stuck with plain old Amperex 6DJ8's, both Bugle Boys and the A-frame globe-logo tubes which were once so plentiful as pulls (maybe still are). Both always sounded great to me, with the A-frames being brighter and more open sounding; Bugle Boys warmer and more typically "tubey." By the time I had equipment that needed 6DJ8s, the price and availability on premium European 6922s and 7308s was just too rich for me.

 

re: B9A- 6 Volt tubes (6922/6DJ8)

If the piece of gear your experimenting with has a beefy enough power supply. You might want to try the following tubes:

6CG7/6FQ7

6H30

6N1p

 

The NOS Mullard 12AU7's from Kevin Deal that I rolled into my CAT Sig are bringing the phono stage to a whole new level. Superb tube which works like a charm in this preamp.

 

I'm using a pair of Mullard goal post halo getter 12AX7's now and they sound excellent to these ears.
I think they were made for a short time during the late 50's right after the goal post square getters.

BUT, I'm always open to trying something new.

 

How much are T-Funk 12AX7's?

I may be be auditioning a Croft Integrated today - if I buy it, it'd be the first tubed bit of hifi kit ever for me. Reviews are great with stock tubes from somewhere in Eastern Europe; not sure I want to get caught up in "tube rolling" … I may chicken out and go Rega Elex or summat …

 

No affiliation, but there's some great tube descriptions here, as well as pricing, just scroll down.

http://www.audiotubes.com/12ax7.htm

I'm a NOS Amperex fellow myself (Thanks for the heads-up to our host!), but I would like to try the 12AX7 Telefunken smooth plate, diamond mark, this chap has listed. Looks like around $230 for a matched pair.

I can see where it would be easy to spend a lot of $$$, on a lot of tubes and still feel like you're rolling for naught, because maybe there's another rare NOS tube you just have to try. But, I researched tubes, asked around, and then took solid advice on what tube would work best with my gear, and my music, and I couldn't be happier.
I can't see the sound getting better per se with different tubes, but I could see it being a different flavour, and that's pretty cool in my books.
Having two or three sets of quality, closely-matched NOS tubes to dial your sound in based on your listening session is my idea of audio nirvana.
I think having dozens of sets of tubes to weed through would short-circuit my mind.
YMMV.

 

With all due respect, you told us in another thread that you've been fighting a leading edge. And that your using Nordost cabling. It makes sense now why your go to tube brand is Mullard. I personally never cared for Nordost. I think that's were your "problem" originates.

 

I'll second that. RCA Black Plates are my favorites. Seems to combine the best qualities of the Teles and Mullard to me. The RCA Black Plate 12ax7 and 5751 for my money are the best of that type. I loved my long plate Mullards after living with the teles that came in my Fisher. So warm and just liquid sounding. Soon though I decided I was missing too much detail and extension and went back to the teles. It was a happy day when I came across a good pair of the RCAs

 

For me when deciding which 12Au7 to put in my headphone amp it was RCA Clear Top. Currently deciding what to put in the Rogue Audio Atlas...

 

Did you get any replies. I have Telefunken 12ax7 smoothplates 1960 vintage (4)
Mullard 12ax7 I63 1964 vintage or their abouts (2)
Amperex Medical grade 12ax7 from 1957 (2)
Some others that Im not sure what to do with, write if interested, John M.

 

Mullards atleast with 12ax7 tubes with cream and smooth and resolution in my exp. the 1959-64 I61 short plate. The long plates are beutifull but can be on the overy warm side. Choice of preamp means much though.
To me the best sounding 12ax7 are the Amperex D getter foil long plate Bugleboy or same factory phillips.
Its as if Telefunken and Mullard had a baby tube and called it Amperex. Take care my friend, John M.