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What makes Telefunken tubes sound better?

I've reached the point in sampling 12AU7 tubes below $100 per tube where I'm having to buy tube crates to keep the pairs I've sampled. I've tried NOS and new, but out of all I end up back with Telefunkens as having the least distortion and fastest transient response. Yet the Telefunken internals are not the best materials/quality; NOS Mullard CV4003 or the new Gold Lions have higher build quality for materials and precision.

Are there links somewhere that talk to what is different for the internal design/construction of a Telefunken tube? I'd like to support newer tube manufacturers based on educated consumerism, and hope that we can get someone to replace Telefunken at an affordable cost before NOS stock is no longer an option.
davide256
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,622 posts
 
Schubert, Germany is a prosperous and free country due to American generosity and ideals of trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

Germany has no such generosity or ideals but only thinks of enriching itself while America provides its security.

America could have let Stalin have Germany and you would be working in a labor camp, you would not have money to spend on audio gear and there would be no German culture. As a matter of fact, you would probably have been worked to death by now. How about those facts?

Your Telefunken tubes are good though.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,280 posts
 
(WW2) would not have occurred without Calvin Coolidge's decision to keep bleeding Germany to death
This is a very feeble attempt to absolve Germany as the sole cause of the European theater of WW2. WW2 would not have happened in Europe if not for the German expansionist, militaristic foreign policy. BTW, the half of deaths in the war occurred in the Asian/Pacific theater.

Mullard, Mazda, Amperex and RCA all made outstanding tubes. Preferences of one brand over another depends on individual tastes and the exact circuitry utilized.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,631 posts
 
TOmcy6 speaks the truth I suspect.

Of course, protecting Germany was/is in teh US's best interest, so its not like we did it out of the goodness of our hearts.
bojack
669 posts
 
OK, let's cut the politics, shall we? People are here to learn about tubes.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,631 posts
 
But the politics help to answer the question. I think.
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