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NOS Tubes make a Huge difference

I got some NOS tubes for the first time today. Nothing extra fancy, some Mullard ECC82 for the pre section of my VTL IT85, and a pair of Telefunken ECC81 (left the other pair of JAN 12AT7s that came with the amp in there).

MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! God, I mean, HUGE difference! totally obvious and significant. I am SO PSYCHED by this new find in audio. NOS TUBES are the BOMB!

OK, so trying to describe the changes...

--bass is much tighter, and better integrated
--better presentation of background instruments, voices
--much better definition
--more liquid/smooth/clear.. hard to describe

there is definitely a greater sense of clarity and purity. i'm totally impressed, and this may lead me to try some other NOS tubes. I definitely am going to replace the other 12AT7s (but not the EL34s, since I'll be getting a VAC 70/70 soon, and will only be using the VTL as a pre).
128x128dennis_the_menace
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Maybe true for miniatures and especially for 12AX7, 12AU7, 6922, and 6SN7s, but not true for output tubes.
kana813
956 posts
 
Tbg- you're saying there no diffence going from a 6550 to
a KT-90 or a Svetlana EL-34 to a Mullard EL-34?
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
My experience has been the same as yours menace. NOS tubes are great and great fun. However, my experience with Mullard ATX tubes hasn't been great. The matched pair I bought are sitting in their boxes. They were smooth, but veiled, even muddy. This may not be apparent in some systems.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
No I was not saying tubes don't make a difference at the output level. I meant to say that NOS were less important there, but I must admit I have experience only with 45s, 2A3s, and 300Bs. For all of these directly heated triodes, new production tubes are superior to all NOS tubes, including the old WE 300Bs and the Cunningham globe 45s, and single plate 2A3s. I should add YMMV.
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace OP
467 posts
 
RE: EL34 output tubes, I did get a matched quad of Electro Harmonix EL34s to swap out, and compare to the Svetlana's that came from VTL...

The EH EL34s sounded more detailed, but also constricted and kind of sterile. I just didn't have the same expansion of sound that I get with the Svetlana's. The Svet's may be less detailed, but when I have them in, that's not what I'm thinking... I'm thinking, "Woah, that's nice!"
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