[AlexRoma]

Quote:

IMO the Sovtexk 6H30 works best in little dot amps. I would buy them from a reputable dealer also

 
Me to, if the was a way getting these below 50$ for a pair... 
 
Impulsive, if you seriosly do not hear a clear difference from switching from 5$ GE's to 50$ Mullards, I do seriously advice you not bothering with Power Tubes at all... Not worth the effort, especially if the tubes cost over 50$.. A smart guy noticed previously, "there is no much sense buying <100$ tubes for an 200$ amp, if only there's a love till the grave in between". 

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Quote:

IMO the Sovtexk 6H30 works best in little dot amps. I would buy them from a reputable dealer also

 
Me to, if the was a way getting these below 50$ for a pair... 
 
Impulsive, if you seriosly do not hear a clear difference from switching from 5$ GE's to 50$ Mullards, I do seriously advice you not bothering with Power Tubes at all... Not worth the effort, especially if the tubes cost over 50$.. A smart guy noticed previously, "there is no much sense buying <100$ tubes for an 200$ amp, if only there's a love till the grave in between". 

Try Jim Mcshane at JMcShane at prodigy.net His website is on audio asylum front home page
 

 

[Impulsive]

Quote:

 
Impulsive, if you seriosly do not hear a clear difference from switching from 5$ GE's to 50$ Mullards, I do seriously advice you not bothering with Power Tubes at all... Not worth the effort, especially if the tubes cost over 50$.. A smart guy noticed previously, "there is no much sense buying <100$ tubes for an 200$ amp, if only there's a love till the grave in between". 

those Mullards wasn't really expensive
http://cgi.ebay.com/EF91-SPECIAL-CV5377-MULLARD-MATCHED-PAIR-NOS-/260735396781?pt=UK_Consumer_VintageAudio_RL&hash=item3cb50a6bad
But after 2 hour of listening, i can say these mullards have the most beautiful vocals i ever heard.
Especially Bono's voice in some songs was outstanding, total difference. And a bit bigger soundstage i think. Also a bit sibilance, but only tiny bit, but i guess that's gonna change with time.
To be exact about vocals, lower frequencies of vocals are the most noticeable change.
Let me investigate more, what changed.

 

[AlexRoma]

Thanks Impulsive for your initial impressions. I am not in hurry.
 
I do already own EF95 M8100's, so, I could wait another mouth at least for your final impression.. I would appreciate a lot if you (or anyone else) could have made a proper A-B comparison on all available Mullard tubes (EF95, EF92 and EF91). After I had bought another headphone in my house (DT880s), I'm totally broke, so, it's not the case I could afford a tube collection just for having fun... I need warm, lush tubs, well extended, dark and warm.
 
Nice price on that tube.. Last time I was looking for tube upgrade, all the offerings I could find of Mullard EF91 and EF92 were above 40$ price tag.

 

[Impulsive]

I do not have Mullards M8100 EF95 at home yet.
 
bought from here, they are still on the way.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-NOS-MULLARD-CV4010-VALVE-EF95-M8100-6AK5-5654-Tubes-/290546585784?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43a5ed10b8
 
I sure will do the comparison, if i will be able to hear the difference because i already noticed i cant hear almost any differences, where another people hear really mad differences.
Probably not so sensitive hearing i have, maybe working with loud home equip like chainsaw, brush cutter, electric saw etc, etc affected this.
 

 

[mordy]

Hello Britt2001b,
 
I think I figured out the difference between "large shield" and "small shield" Mullard tubes. IMHO it refers to some kind of trademark shield on the  print on the tube. One shield is bigger than the other as seen in these ads, which may indicate different production runs or factories.
 
Here are some pictures of large shield and small shield:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-Mullard-M8083-Large-Shield-Matched-Little-Dot-Amp-/290582173395?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43a80c16d3
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-Mullard-M8083-Small-Shield-Matched-Little-Dot-Amp-/290582173145?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43a80c15d9
 
These items are from a new(?) seller on E-Bay with 0 feedback and high prices. Almost all items for sale are geared for Little Dot MkIII. But it is fun to go window shopping....

 

[mordy]

Dear Brit 2001b,
 
Just received a pair of Mullard EF92 tubes which should be the equivalent of CV4015 and M8161. So far these are the most expensive tubes I bought at $7.60 each including shipping. Found them on E-Bay from a British source. As far as I can tell these are the real thing with large shields and manufactured in the Mitcham factory, probably 1964 or 1974.
Changed the tiny jumpers with a small needle nose pliers breaking out in a cold sweat that I should not drop the tiny jumpers inside. However, it went well. The sound so far is different then the EF95/CV850 Mullards, maybe darker. In any event I going to give them at least 50 hours of break in before I form a real opinion.
So far they don't seem to run so hot; we'll see. In the past I tried a pair of Mullard Blue Glass EF91 that made the amp burning hot. That sound was impressive at first but ultimately too harsh and grating and I sold the tubes.
 
Cheers,

 

[britt2001b]

Hi Mordy,
 
I apparently purchased the "small shield" version of this tube but I have no complaints so far after about 40 hours of break in. Here is a link to my purchase:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/CV4015-M8161-EF92-9D6-MULLARD-QDD-TUBE-VALVE-NOS-E-PAIR-/390210592843?pt=UK_Consumer_VintageAudio_RL&hash=item5ada5d204b
 
The date code states "81-23". Does this indicate they were manufactured in 1981?
 
The sound greatly improved around 25 hrs and pretty much of remained the same since. Keep us posted with the "large shields". 
 
I've been watching the available tubes on ebay for several weeks now. It's funny that I have never seen the term "large shield" and "small shield" in the descriptions until now. Do you think the sellers are reading the forums? Not that there is anything wrong with it. It's interesting how comments can shape the marketing strategies if it is true.
 
 

 

[mordy]

Hi Britt2001b,
 
The date code 81-23 would normally mean the 23rd week 1981, but apparently there were many anomalies in date codes to keep people in the dark as to when the tubes were manufactured. One post mentioned a reason for this: At one point in time new, fresh tubes were considered better than old tubes, and by confusing the dating people would by old tubes as well.
Today, I get the impression from sellers on E-Bay that old tubes are better. There is no doubt in my mind that once tubes became less used and thus less popular in the 80's the quality and quality control went down. It seems to be the case as well with Russian tubes made after the fall of Communism in the early 90's. There was no need for strict quality control for military and space applications. However, the proof is in the pudding. If a 1975 tube sounds better than a 1945 tube, than the 1975 tube is better.
There is also no doubt that some sellers follow the threads on Head-Fi and price their offerings accordingly. However, with patience you can still pick up bargains.
Re the EF92s I will try to report later. After running six hours they seem to run hotter than the E95s, and they sound different than the E95 tubes, but it is too early to say anything definitive.
 
Cheers,

 

[-su]

I got a great offer on NOS matched pair Mullard CV850, is it really worth to buy and an upgrade from the stock?
What is the difference between this tube and CV4010 or M8100?
 
TIA

 

[mordy]

For most people, upgrading to Mullard tubes over the stock GE tubes will be a big improvement. The GEs are not bad with a nice mid range, but the Mullard tubes will get you more bottom and top end and a sweet, warm mid range.
 
Don't know what the offer is, but EF95/CV850 is equivalent to CV4010/M8100. If you have the CV4010/M8100 I don't know know what the advantage of the EF95/CV850 is. The CV850 is more rare I think. They were made in at least two different Mullard factories; the two variants I have sound the same. Would not worry about matching tubes - I think it is just a marketing gimmick to make you pay more.
 
If you want to pay $45/tube (including shipping) you could buy here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-CV850-6AK5W-5654-EF95-MULLARD-Tube-Rohre-Valvola-NOS-/260739792150?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3cb54d7d16
 
If you have more patience, you can check E-Bay and wait for the same type tubes for less than $10/pair (incl shipping) which is what I paid a couple of months ago from the East Bloc. (OK - I got 9 Mullard and one Tung Sol tube, and no original boxes. Sold as used as well)
 
 

Ten EF95 CV850 M8100 Mullard valves 6AK5 tubes 1 $24.50 USD $24.50 USD
Shipping & Handling (includes any seller handling fees):	$10.00 USD
Shipping Insurance :	--
Total:	$34.50 USD

 

 

[Impulsive]

this is where i bought matched pair of Mullards EF95 for 20 USD
Still on the way.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-NOS-MULLARD-CV4010-VALVE-EF95-M8100-6AK5-5654-Tubes-/290546585784?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43a5ed10b8

 

[-su]

Hi mordy, thanks for your reply...

I have just closed the deal, it's a local seller here (South East Asia) so I don't have to worry about shipping and custom.
Anyway, according to your info, I think this might be a good deal also, I got them for $25/pair inc shipping.
 
 
edited:
Being idle for whole day ( what a lame weekend! ),
I've search around the web for some local sellers.
Well, ended up finding a seller with NOS telefunken 6ak5 on stock (http://public.fotki.com/andysund/preamp-tube/telefunken-6ak5.html).
What do you guys think about this tube?
Anyone here ever use this tube on LD MKIII? Impression or verdict please

 

[mordy]

Hi -SU,
 
I would say that the price you got is pretty good if the tubes are new and in original boxes.
 
Regarding the Telefunken tubes I have not heard them. Based on reading posts they are said to be very neutral and solid state like in the sound (perfect to the point of boring). Another post mentioned a different tube made by Telefunken that could last much longer than other makes.
 
What is the price of the Telefunken tubes with shipping to the US from your local seller?
 
As with all set-ups, the sound you get may be different than somebody else with different equipment. To me, this is what makes tube rolling so much fun - you never know how it will turn out until you try.
 
 

 

[-su]

mordy,
 
yes i agree with you about how fun and mysterious tube rolling is
Since I build a cmoy back in 2009, opamp rolling (and now also tube rolling) has become so exciting...
 
The CV850 I mentioned before is listed as brand new old stock but without original box.
 
Anyway,
I already got a reply from the telefunken seller, not quite good, since he would like to sell the telefunken at around $75/pair and Mullard CV4010 at $70/ pair, both exclude shipping fee.
But if you are interested, you can sent query to andy_sund@yahoo.co.uk.
Just FYI, this seller has not listed as a reputable/recommended/verified seller here (Indonesia).