I see. Before 60s Sylvania were good, I’ll keep it in mind, thank you. Kevin didn’t specify, by the way, he just said Sylvania and Brimar. Brimar lacks Mullard’s sophistication and has a recessed midrange, both are no-no to me. No, I’ll get XF2, believe you me. I made a mistake after I bought the amp by getting SEDs instead of seeking out Mullards. I’ll correct this mistake. I should’ve listened to Kevin about that and had more patience. |
Sure, that’s a fine strategy - stick to seeking what you really want. But I’ll say that even XF3 and XF4 Mullards were much much better than SEDs, to me. I didn’t really like SEDs; they came off as a 1-trick pony for lots of warmth, lacking the articulation and 3D holography of British Mullards. That seems to be a common pattern with modern tubes, or Solid State components that try too hard to emulate the vintage "warmth". You could get some nice XF3 / 4 to use in the meantime, and then they become great spares when you get those XF2’s :) This is how I ended up with tons of tubes lol... |
Reducing heat by venting the component or cabinet can extend tube longevity. Suggest that you visit; https://acifinity.com for a wide selection of component/enclosure heat extraction units. I have one of their units placed directly on top of a Prima Luna EVO 400 integrated amp. It's like they are made for each other. It drops the temp around the tubes by about 12/15 degrees. Btw since these are extraction units rather blowing cool air onto the tubes there is never a risk of thermal shock damage to the hot tube. Enjoy the music.. |
