organ Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 There haven't been much discussion on this tube so I thought I'd share my experience. First I want to clear something up. These are NOT re-labeled EH or Svetlana. Plate construction is almost identical but their sound is totally different. I've known about them since they were first introduced but didn't buy until a month ago because I was afraid they were relabeled EH which is what a lot of people were saying without even giving them a try. I have tried EH and Svetlana. The Mullard sound completely different than these two. The new Mullards sound very sweet in my ST-70 (triode strapped) and RF-35. They're the smoothest sounding EL34 tube I've heard (new production). Actually, some people might find them too smooth. They're smoother than EH with a much more polite mid-range. Bass extension is very good. Actually, smooth and warm is the best way to describe the sound of these tubes. They have this incredible ability of smoothing out sibilance or putting it far into the background for more serious cases that you can easily ignore it. They have the smoothness of SED with better HF extension. BUT, there is a price to pay for all that smoothness. The mids is less 'vibrant' and less full than SED. There's also a slight loss of detail in the mids. The HF extension is very good (more than SED) but it's so smooth that some minute detail are washed out. Even though they have their down side, they're incredibly musical and fun to listen. Definitely the most 'romantic' and 'dreamy' sound I've heard in my rig. They sound so good on soft vocals. I don't stick with the same tube all the time. I like to switch every few weeks. Currently rotating SED, EH 6CA7 and Mullard. So if you use EL34, give the new Mullard a try. Maurice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 It's strange looking at a tube with the Mullard label, and it says made in Russia below it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 Yeah, I noticed that. We also have Tung Sol from Russia too:). I've never heard NOS power tubes. Real Mullard is too much $ for me:(. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 How would you rate them compared to the EH 6CA7? So far the EH 6CA7s have sounded best in my Cayin TA 30. Where did you get yours and how much? I would like to try some other 6CA7 tubes so need to do some research on the net. Anyone have any suggestions for 6CA7 tubes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I haven't tried the EH 6CA7, but the Ei's. In comparison the the VA EL34 they are less 'creamy' and a tad more analytical (cleaner) in my 8B. But of course this might be quite different in another amp/preamp combo. One can certainly read a lot about the 'sound' of different tube brands (which I do as well) but in the end one doesn't really know until one has tried them in one's own setup (IMO). BTW: source for the Ei's was an ebay seller in HK (sorry, forgot his name) but Upscale Audio seems to have them as well - not sure about Jim McShane. Good luck hunting. Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding, while I am sure there are some differences in tube construction details these "Mullard" tubes are, in fact manufactured by New Sensor; The US company that bought Russia´s Xpo-Pul factory (also known as Reflektor) in Saratov, Russia. New Sensor bought the rights to use the Mullard (and Tungsol as well IIRC) a couple of years ago and produces these as well as the EH and Sovtek and Svetlana tubes. I have been told they are a nice smooth sounding tube. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Wow, Maurice, You should be writing the wine review for the Sunday Paper! DRBILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 jbsl, I enjoy both the EH 6CA7 and the new Mullard. I can't say I like one more than the other, but one thing is for certain, their sound is the complete opposite to eachother. I've been listening to my Mullards more than EH, even though I've had EH for a longer period of time. The Mullard is awesome when you just want to kick back and relax late at night. Dubai is correct in describing the 6CA7 sound. The EH is more analytical while the Mullard is probably the 'cremiest' sounding tube I've heard in my ST-70. Mullard is more laid back, warmer and is super smooth from top to bottom. The 6CA7 is more accurate and hyper detailed. The only other company I know of that's selling 6CA7 is Ei and Groove Tubes (remake of the GE 6CA7). The Ei seems to be sold out when I checked thetubestore.com and tubedepot.com and the GT is very expensive. Hope this helps. Sunnysal, Thanks for clearing that up. To this point, I'm still not sure if it's an entirely new design or they tried to replicate the XF-2 Mullard sound/curves which New Sensor claimed they did. DrBill, LoL, I find it funny how wine reviewers use the same words as audio nuts to describe what they taste/hear. The BEST power tube I've heard in my Dynaco is the JJ KT77. The reason I'm not using them is because JJ seems to have some serious QC issues. I've gone through 2 quads and both quads wouldn't hold a steady bias. The first quad had a red plate on one tube within the first week. There has been discussions about this on audioasylum.com. It got too out of control that Jim McShane decided to stop selling JJ E34L and KT77. I'll be getting another quad as soon as the bugs are fixed. Maurice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 May have to give these Mullard re issue a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Cool. I'm sure you'll have a blast. They might sound slightly dull on normal speakers, but are wonderful with horns. Please let me know what you think of them if you decide to buy. Just to see if we get the same results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Where did you get yours and how much? Oops, missed your question here. I got mine from www.thetubestore.com for 37.95/pr. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Yeah I was looking at the Tubestore also. My order them when I get home for this weekend. I am curious cause all the EL 34s I have tried have sounded harsh on my system, Cayin TA 30. When I got the EH 6CA7s they were not harsh but sounded smoother and detailed. I'll let you know once I try them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awsjr Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 with your Cayin TA30 you may want to try some Mullard El-37s if you can.....I have used Mullard El-34s xf1's , GEC kt-66's and others ..the El-37 sounds best to me with mine -Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Hey there awsjr we missed ya at the party! We need to get together some weekend! Never heard of the ei 37. What type of tube is it? My Cayin can take el 34, kt 88, 6550, kt 90s so if it is a version of one of those it should be able to use it. I'm off this Sat(for the moment this is always subject to change working for Dell) if you want to meet for lunch and come over let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I ordered a quad of the Mullard el 34s which should be here Wed or Thur. May need to try some EI el 34s and 12ax7 also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Don´t think one could use the EL37 in a dynaco...it looks more like a 6L6 than an EK34...that cayin amp must be wired pretty wierd to take such different tubes, kinda cool. tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I have only tried Tung Sol 6550s and did not like the sound so while the Cayin can use the other tubes I think EL 34s seem to sound best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Well got the quad of Mullard EL 34s and first impressions are very favorable! Very nice midrange with these tubes! I was using EH 6CA7s which to me sounded better than the other EL 34s I've tried. Better bass, smoother midrange and great detail. The Mullards midrange is a bit smoother with good bass and not quite the detail of the 6CA7s but not dull sounding. In a week or two I'll switch out the 12AX7s and see what I get. For the price Sovetek's 12AX7 LPS is very nice sounding. The Tung Sol 12AX7s have better detail but the Soveteks I like better. The 3rd tube from the left is a EH 6CA7 and the rest are Mullards. Both tubes I would recomend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awsjr Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 the little Cayin has alot of options....I am running it in SET mode now and actually like that better.....the bias is just higher.... http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/TA30ADJUSTMENTS.html EL37s, 10M 12ax7s and 7316 12au7s tubes for now.... Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Did not know you had a Cayin also. I really like this amp. What preamp are you using? Who makes the EL 37 and how much? I use my cayin in my home theater also so I need the 4 tubes for the extra bass cause I rarely use my sub. What other tubes have you tried? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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