NOS Mullard EL34's are supposed to be the ultimate, but they are very difficult to find and very expensive. As an aside, Mullard EL34 re-issues where the worst tubes I ever purchased... clear as mud, soft... just awful sounding.
Siemens EL 34
I came across Siemens EL 34 tubes for sale at RAM tubes.
My understanding is that these are 1970's tubes manufactured at the old Telefunkin factory.
I have heard conflicting reports of the sonic character of this era Telefunkin tube. On one extreme warm and large sound stage. On the other end, thin and a bit bright.
Has anyone heard that era Siemens/ Telefunkin EL 34?
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Yes, I have a set of Amperex/Mullard EL34. They are very nice indeed. If you are interested in finding some, you should contact Early at HiFiTown; he often has nearly NOS tubes including EL 34. He is an encyclopedia of vintage tube knowledge ! His email [email protected]. Only thing to keep in mind; he sometimes takes a little while to fill the order. |
So I have two quads of Mullards; one is amperex and the other true Mullards. My only point of comparison was the Groove Tube EL 34 . the Mullards are much richer sounding. I remember when I first used the Amperex Mullards, my son commented that it sounded like the musicians were in the room with us.
My 6L6 quads are NOS GE and RCA. I actually like the GE better. Both are better than the stock Sovtek the amp came with. I like the 6L6 better than EL 34 in my amp ( Leben 600). The bass is much tighter with the 6L6 and the sound stage a bit larger.
I also have 5881 RCA/ Tungsol. They are wonderful. Lastly I am embarrassed to admit I have two sets of Russian NOS 6n3cE which are very musical in the Leben cs600. Clearly this is an illness; the search for the "perfect" tube. I have more tube life than biological life left. I calculate that I should have over 40 years of tube-life ( assuming a conservative 5000 hours per quad ). That should last me into my early 100's. Hopefully my hearing will last that long as well.
Hope this helps
Mike |
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