Do new NOS tubes need break-in/running-in?


I have bought a few Mullard ECC88 NOS tubes and to my lousy ears, found no sonic differences between these and my current Amperex ECC88. Quads were used in my ARC LS-16 preamp.

If there is such a thing as break-in for tubes, will NOS tubes sound any different and/or better after break-in? If break-in is required for NOS tubes, what is the rough estimate for break-in period?

I have a strong feeling that I won't be able to get significant sound improvements/differences after prolonged listening hours. Maybe my preamp is not too susceptible to different tubes?

Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated.
ryder
yes, 5 to six hours...before doing a post like this in future suggest you check the archives...it's been beaten to death (as have many generic topics)
Larry
I not sure Mullards are really any better than Amperex. It would depend on specific models. The tubes would need a moderate amount of run-in time say 10-30 hours. Yes, some designs are not sensitive to tube rolling. I'm not sure if your Audio Research is one of those designs.

BTW, you setup and house looks fantastic.
Thanks for the responses. Usually I check the archives before posting but this time I'm little impatient I guess.

I've owned Sonic Frontiers Line 1 and find it to be not sensitive to tube rolling at all. I will try to run-in the tubes longer and hopefully the ARC will not exhibit this similiar trait. Well Onhwy61, your system looks great too.