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I own both the Raytheon & RCA black plate 12AX7’s and both (IMHO) are better than any new production 12AX7 tubes. For what it’s worth the RCA’s black plates are my favorite 12AX7’s. The RCA’s are on the mellow side but plenty of detail. I also own Mallards and Telefunken and to my ears the RCA’s are somewhere in the middle. Another great low distortion tube especially in the phono section is the RFT 12AX7.