Soundstage, layering and tube differences


Within tube types, say el34’s, can anyone explain why one brand of tube like SED C’s have deep layered soundstaging and another, such as the Mullard reissue el34’s ,are more 2D? I just replaced my 10 year old SED’s with the Mullards ( which still need burn-in), but they are not nearly as 3D in my amps and are reported to be such.
Do some tubes resolve the actual recorded room acoustics better or is it a matter of harmonic distortion giving the illusion of soundstaging and 3 dimensionality??
jim94025

Showing 2 responses by noromance

Tubes need zero burn-in...zero.
Whether they need it or not, there is always an exception to the rule.
My new Psvane 6SN7 Globes absolutely needed at least 20 hours to go from bright and scratchy to trasparent and holophonic. Further my 4 pairs of new  Shuguang Black 12AX7LS were unremarkable until they opened up after 10-20 hours. 
Welcome to tube rolling! Yes, this is normal and indicative of differing tube quality and methods of construction. +1 for 6L6GTB can be sweeter and clearer than EL34. If you have some coin, tbere are some GEC KT66 available.
https://www.tubedepot.com/products/kt66-gec
BTW how did your termite tenting work out?