[HOWIE13]

  Brent Jesse also has a 'where it was made and when' that should give you an idea. I've seen tubes marked 'Made in Gr. Britain' with Philips Holland production designation on the etching found on the bottom of many tubes. It could be Mullard, but that's half the fun of tubes................figuring out who REALLY made them!
 
http://www.audiotubes.com/mullcode.htm

I sometimes wish I had been born in the nineteen twenties and could have witnessed the evolution of all these tubes. But then I wouldn't have had the opportunity to enjoy present day Hi-Fi equipment.

 

[a44100Hz]

Edit: wrong thread. But I have a new tube to try tonight...

 

[Oskari]

  That would maybe explain the excellent sound-and higher price. I'm going to try and source  a cheaper priced one, if I can.

 
Philips "Heerlens" are very popular as well. (Btw, Mullard was a Philips subsidiary.)

 

[HOWIE13]

   
Philips "Heerlens" are very popular as well. (Btw, Mullard was a Philips subsidiary.)

 I read they sometimes interchanged their labels. Mullard are often characterised as being mellow but I've usually found them sweetly detailed and not particularly overly warm -but that's maybe because of the amps/cans I've used them with.

 

[Oskari]

Yes, rebranding was common in this business. In general, labels cannot be trusted. 

 

[nwavesailor]

  Yes, rebranding was common in this business. In general, labels cannot be trusted. 

I agree, but the glass etching (if marked) denotes where it was built, not the name or branding on the tube..........brands can say brand X and it is really brand Y.

 

[Oskari]

I agree, but the glass etching (if marked) denotes where it was built, not the name or branding on the tube..........brands can say brand X and it is really brand Y.

True.

 

[a44100Hz]

I don't know why but music is sounding SO good to me tonight. I just popped a Brimar ECC88 tube into the Vali 2 and it's so inviting! Musical and detailed. I feel like I'm drunk on sound tonight though, I'll try swapping out another tube and see if everything sounds good or if this tube is especially great with my 400i.

 

[Designer79]

  Hope you enjoy them.

 
Tesla's arrived ... and man, it does sound great! It's probably the steal of the century for a E88CC tube, so anybody who can get one for 25 bucks should definitely not hesitate. Like @HOWIE13 mentioned, it's instrumental reproduction is accurate and with lots of timbre, cellos, pianos, accoustic guitars, and female voices will benefit greatly. More, it makes the sound overall more present, drumkits just got a new level of authority over my stock tube, very articulated and with more thud. I wouldn't say it extends the bass range, but on the other hand that also means no boominess nor muddiness, it's a very precise tube. It just lends the bass more punch. The midrange is definitely more pronounced. I agree it's absolutely fantastic and suits a wide range of genres like vocalists, indie pop, ensemble jazz, progressive rock, even the cool Brits (Arctic Monkeys). I still got to listen in on some of my downtempo EDM ...  I have the feeling it narrows the soundstage a bit but that might just be the sideeffect of the Tesla presenting the midrange so well. It's like you get seated almost face to face with the singer in the central sound stage. Also, this is just a short first impression, I'd like to report back with a more in depth review after some good hours in. But for anyone owning Beyerdynamic cans I can already report this tube is a revelation! It articulates everything even better, and I am under the impression that the T90's "infamous" treble'ish' behaviour is mellowed out a lot. A very enjoyable experience!
 
Impressions:
 

 

 
The tube is a goldpinned NOS Tesla E88CC with the factory code "32". Ring-style getter looks nice ...
 
Cheers fellow Head-Fi'ers, enjoy your gear!

 

[jaywillin]

those teslas do sound good, i loved mine, and compared very well to some high dollar telefunkens i had at the time
now,  let's hope everyone won't start buying them, and drive the price up

 

[HOWIE13]

  those teslas do sound good, i loved mine, and compared very well to some high dollar telefunkens i had at the time
now,  let's hope everyone won't start buying them, and drive the price up

Another very good value tube with similar sound characteristics to the Teslas is the Tungsram E88CC, made in Hungary. Maybe just marginally warmer in tone, very nice I find with vocals, but doesn't quite reproduce instrumental timbre like the Teslas do.

 

[nwavesailor]

   
Tesla's arrived ... and man, it does sound great! It's probably the steal of the century for a E88CC tube, so anybody who can get one for 25 bucks should definitely not hesitate. Like @HOWIE13 mentioned, it's instrumental reproduction is accurate and with lots of timbre, cellos, pianos, accoustic guitars, and female voices will benefit greatly. More, it makes the sound overall more present, drumkits just got a new level of authority over my stock tube, very articulated and with more thud. I wouldn't say it extends the bass range, but on the other hand that also means no boominess nor muddiness, it's a very precise tube. It just lends the bass more punch. The midrange is definitely more pronounced. I agree it's absolutely fantastic and suits a wide range of genres like vocalists, indie pop, ensemble jazz, progressive rock, even the cool Brits (Arctic Monkeys). I still got to listen in on some of my downtempo EDM ...  I have the feeling it narrows the soundstage a bit but that might just be the sideeffect of the Tesla presenting the midrange so well. It's like you get seated almost face to face with the singer in the central sound stage. Also, this is just a short first impression, I'd like to report back with a more in depth review after some good hours in. But for anyone owning Beyerdynamic cans I can already report this tube is a revelation! It articulates everything even better, and I am under the impression that the T90's "infamous" treble'ish' behaviour is mellowed out a lot. A very enjoyable experience!
 
Impressions:
 

 

 
The tube is a goldpinned NOS Tesla E88CC with the factory code "32". Ring-style getter looks nice ...
 
Cheers fellow Head-Fi'ers, enjoy your gear!

If I may ask, where did you snag a '32' Tesla for $25? As per Howie 13 and some others, I was looking at the Tesla and Tungsram E88C's
 
Was it from here:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E88CC-6922-Tesla-NOS-TUBE-LOT-OF-1Pcs-/231758474328
 
Thanks!

 

[Designer79]

If I may ask, where did you snag a '32' Tesla for $25? As per Howie 13 and some others, I was looking at the Tesla and Tungsram E88C's

Was it from here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/E88CC-6922-Tesla-NOS-TUBE-LOT-OF-1Pcs-/231758474328

Thanks!

It was a German Ebayer, Sold the Tesla as a "last one in stock" for 20 Euros (around 25$). Guess I got lucky ... But there seem to be quite a lot of German eBay shops still having E88CC Teslas in stock. Most are 32's with yellow printing though. It's maybe an advantage living in Europe to get your hands on all the German, Dutch, British and Eastern European NOS goodness. Shipping is definitely cheaper ...

 

[Designer79]

 
If I may ask, where did you snag a '32' Tesla for $25? As per Howie 13 and some others, I was looking at the Tesla and Tungsram E88C's
 
Was it from here:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E88CC-6922-Tesla-NOS-TUBE-LOT-OF-1Pcs-/231758474328
 
Thanks!

 
For 13$ apiece I wouldn't hesitate one second. They are not the goldpinned ones though, but that shouldn't make any difference in terms of their sound quality or characteristics! E88CC/6922 tubes are a noticeable step up from the ECC88/6DJ8 ones. You'll enjoy them very much!

 

[jaywillin]

look for "crossed sword" teslas, highly recommended