Do NOS Mullard EL34 tubes last much longer than NOS SED (Svetlana) EL34 ?


Well, Mullards are $450 each and SED are $120 each. I need four of them for VAC Avatar SE. For now I got a set of SEDs but for the next set..? Bloody expensive. I really like Mullard long plates 12AX7 for line amp.

Maybe it's not worth it, anyway, maybe I wouldn't hear much of a difference.

inna

 I doubt that original made-in-Britain Mullards will last any longer. Don't forget that the so-called NOS Mullards are actually present-day production from Russia.

I find that true NOS tubes often test far stronger than their reissued counterparts. Certainly not a rule of thumb by any means, but I see it on a daily basis. As an example, just this morning I was courtesy testing a client's brand new, never before opened, straight from the factory Russian made Genalex Gold Lion KT88s to ensure they were properly matched and they each tested at 57- 58 on my TV-7 tester, where 44 is the threshold for good.

By way of comparison, I have a number of different quads of NOS GEC and NOS Genalex/GEC KT88s with production dates spanning across multiple decades and they consistently test in the mid-to-high 70s, with one quad in the mid 80s. I don't see that at all with the reissues...don't see them reaching much past the mid-60s even.

It can be a much different story when you get into the smaller tubes (e.g. 12AX7), where in my experience the Chinese tubes often test freakishly high. 

NOS Mullard tubes are relatively easy to identify / authenticate. A simple google search will give you a reasonably well informed primer.

http://www.audiotubes.com/el34.htm

 

You might consider a quad of the 70's Chinese EL34's listed @ the bottom of the page for $160.

Mullard XF2's look to be around $800/quad.

 

DeKay

jetter, thank you.

I am talking about Mullards XF1 from Tube Depot. They got used for $300 each too.

So, you are not saying they would last significantly longer.

I am almost certain that they would sound better than SEDs and that's my potential problem. I listen for about 2-3 hours almost every day.

I did buy those 12AX7 Mullards from Audio Tubes, Bret was nice to talk to but he has different taste.

I have  also had gold Lion KT88 tubes that tested higher than "new" and have many many hours and are still strong. They test almost new still and still are tightly matched. That’s one reason I buy matched tubes from trusted sources

They are my back ups now but still sound good. I can’t even imagine how many hours are on them. A lot