Do military/industrial tubes sound better than regular ones ?

Or they are usually just more rugged and longer lasting? I am particularly interested in 12AX7 and 12AU7 RCA blackplates from early and late 50s.

They are often double the price, but that would not be my main concern in this case because even regular ones should last for a very long time.

In other words, I would like to have best sounding RCA blackplates in my VAC Avatar SE, and longer lasting would be a bonus.

inna02-06-2025 10:02pm

carlsbad2 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 2,023 posts 02-07-2025 at 02:12am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete There is discussion of what a military tube really is so I'll add my understanding. Military tubes generally have a military designation like vt-231 and often have JAN (joint army navy) on the box or even on the base. They were made for a military contract and are generally the same design. For my amp, the VT-62 is the 801A. So I don't give military tubes more respect unless they come with a reputation. The 6SN7 tubes have been studied to death and many of the military tubes are considered great but not because they have a military designator, because people think they sound better. Jerry