12au7 tube?

The OS (used) Mullards I got from Andy Vintage Tube Services are fantastic, and not woolly. If you buy slightly used from Andy you can get great vintage tubes for much less than your budget. Recently I bought a quad of Rays tubes, the EL 34. They are the best new tubes I’ve heard in a long time. Their 12 AU7 might be worth trying too

I've had really good luck with the new-production Apos Ray 12AU7s. They come with a warranty and sound very good compared to the leading NOS 12AU7s I have in my stash...

There are so many variations in NOS Mullard tubes (different factories, different styles, a whole range of dates of production), that it's impossible to generalize about them.  I wasn't impressed with the pair that I got, but that doesn't mean that some other pair might sound fabulous.

That's one positive vote for the Apos Ray.  I'm feeling tempted.

You Can't beat Andy @ Vintage tube services.

marco,

The 3 types you mention above are all Philips Europe companies. Made in Holland, Belgium and France respectively. Each has a unique acid etched code which begins the second set of each code. For Philips/Amperex is was a delta or triangle on its side, Mazda a L and LA Radiotechnique a plus sign directly over a slash or minus sign. All have many internal similarities and all have the 4 seams coming out from the nipple on the tube tops. There is much online about these codes and is the only true way to identify a Philips Europe tube and I have never known these codes to be faked. Many of the Holland made tubes will be branded Philips as well as Amperex.