I have settled in on the old stock Mullard EL34 XF2 with the single O getter. The XF1 version,I have not heard, is too expensive and hard to find anyway. The XF2 OO getter is the early version of the XF2’s and said to be the better of the two versions but to me and my system I really can’t hear a difference. With patience and luck I was able to acquire 2 quads of lightly used new testing tubes for $80-100 per tube. They have been the best sounding EL34’s that I have heard but they keep getting pricier. Good luck!
Mullard EL34 that sounds best
Will need a matched quad of EL34 for the VAC Avatar SE integrated at some point. Currently using Svetlana SEDs but I guess Mullard should be better.
What particular Mullard would you recommend and why ?
I use Mullard 12AX7 longplates in preamp and RCA blackplates as driver tubes.
Showing 4 responses by tksteingraber
@inna my Mullards were not matched Quads. I was able to buy matched pairs to make one quad. Another quad I purchased was sold from the demise of an amp. They tested very close but one of the tubes was a Matsushita not Mullard. (Matsushitas look very similar and were made at a factory in Japan using Mullard tooling. They sound good not great to me). I was able to find a single Mullard with the same codes and test values. Took a little bit of buying and selling to get the quads together. |
@inna How are those old stock Mullard EL34 xf2’s sound in your VAC? Better than your SED’s? |