Mullard Reissue vs NOS Mullard 12AX7

HypnoToad

Ms Puss Puss
Subscriber
I while back I bought some Mullard reissue 12AX7's for my ProJect Tube Box II.

I like the sound and found them to have a good bottom end, smooth mids and rolled of a little in the top end.

Compared to my Philips/Amperex they are completely different sounding, the Philips has a little less bottom end an extended top end with a tendency to be forward in the mid range. A very nice detailed tube.

I have read a lot of posts saying the Mullard reissues are rubbish.

I wished I had original Mullard's to compare.

Then I bought the Jolida 801A in my avatar and lo and behold it had a genuine made in Great Britain, Mullard 12AX7 fitted in it.

Hmm what if I swap out one of my Mullard reissue's and see how it sounds.

I did just that and played a well known album then swapped back to the true blue Mullard to see what the difference would be.

What I found was there was very little, I mean very very little.

The Mullard reissue had a little more bottom end just a touch and a little more top end, just a smidgen and the same mid range. Sound stage and depth was to my old ears identical.

To me they are very close indeed, even though on examination the reissues don't have the holes in the plates that the original has.

So in my comparison test there is not much in it, I doubt I would favor one over the other.

I wish I had another original to compare them in my Tube Box II but it takes two tubes not one like my Jolida. Maybe there would be a bigger difference that way.

But to me for the money they are good value, as to their life, only time will tell.
 
Don't have much to say on the Mullards, Hypno. But I have to say your system has come a real long way in a relatively short time. Wasn't it not too long ago you were running a thrift store TT through a set of old Boston Acoustics?

I get vicarious happiness seeing how much you've upgraded in a year or two. (If my memory serves me well)

BTW, I actually did try a pair of Mullard reissues in my Jolida JD9 phono stage and found them quite boring and unengaging compared to the stock Electro-Harmonix it came with. I know.....go figure.
 
Don't have much to say on the Mullards, Hypno. But I have to say your system has come a real long way in a relatively short time. Wasn't it not too long ago you were running a thrift store TT through a set of old Boston Acoustics?

I get vicarious happiness seeing how much you've upgraded in a year or two. (If my memory serves me well)

BTW, I actually did try a pair of Mullard reissues in my Jolida JD9 phono stage and found them quite boring and unengaging compared to the stock Electro-Harmonix it came with. I know.....go figure.

Originally I had SL1200 Mk2/Denon DL-110 into Cambridge Audio 540p to a JVC 7.1 receiver and some Advent/1's that's what got me going.

Yes I have come a long way and often wonder where it will all end, but I would do it all over again in a heart beat. Thanks to Craigslist, Audiogon and other AK members, it hasn't cost me a fortune either.

I think all Mullards are laid back, my Philips are more detailed and zippy for sure. I was trying it out because of all the bad things I had read about the reissues compared to the originals.
 
I recently bought a preamp that someone had put Mullard reissues in. They were less than a year old and one has failed already. I thought they sounded pretty good and I agree with your description, that they are rolled off. I also had a set of Amperex tubes and subbed them as well as a set of RCA black plates, and Telefunken smooth plates. The big difference between the reissue Mullards and all the rest was the lack of depth and inner detail with the Mullards. I have yet to hear a real Mullard 12AX7, so I can't compare.
 
I have both the EL34 Mullard Reissues and the original Mullard EL34 xF2 from Great Britain. Very little difference IMO.
 
What kind of vintage Mullard did you end up with?

There are many different styles of vintage Mullard 12ax7. The run of the mill short-plates, while fine tubes, are not even close to the sonics of an old long plate, square getter Mullard from the early 50's.

The sonic variance between Mullard 12AX7 of different construction is as great as the variance between two entirely different make/brands of tube.

The vintage Mullards with long plates are my (and many others) favorite 12AX7. Unfortunately, the price of the vintage long plates is astronomical and still rising. I've not heard the new Mullards ( I dont even like calling them Mullards since they have absolutely NOTHING to do with the old Blackburn Mullards, just marketing gimmickry and that irritates me) but if they could replicate the old longplate sonics, they could put the other current makes out of business.
 
What kind of vintage Mullard did you end up with?

There are many different styles of vintage Mullard 12ax7. The run of the mill short-plates, while fine tubes, are not even close to the sonics of an old long plate, square getter Mullard from the early 50's.

The sonic variance between Mullard 12AX7 of different construction is as great as the variance between two entirely different make/brands of tube.

The vintage Mullards with long plates are my (and many others) favorite 12AX7. Unfortunately, the price of the vintage long plates is astronomical and still rising. I've not heard the new Mullards ( I dont even like calling them Mullards since they have absolutely NOTHING to do with the old Blackburn Mullards, just marketing gimmickry and that irritates me) but if they could replicate the old longplate sonics, they could put the other current makes out of business.

Both tubes I used had the same length plates, so to compare it to a long plate would be like comparing a NOS Mullard short plate to a NOS Mullard long plate, or a Ford Focus to a Ford Mustang.

Apples and oranges, but if like you said they could make a tube that sounds better than this one it would be sure fire winner.

The reissues at present represent an alternative to the original Mullard short plates at a fraction of the crazy prices they sell for on ebay. The only issue is the life.
 
Can't argue with what's already been said.
About the only real Mullards I have tried in my CAL DAC, were a platinum graded pair of CV4004 from Upscale Audio which were loaned to me. They didn't work out well in my application, too laid back, but they could work well in another.

As for the Sovtek/New Sensor Mullard Re-Issue, I have 3 pairs laying around here. I noted they had a slightly darker sound than other 12AX7's I have tried, and for a lower cost 12AX7, I actually preferred the older Groove Tubes 12AX7M Mullard (Upscale platinum Graded) re-issue over them a bit more.

I believe the older GT Mullard was chinese-shuguang manufactured, and it seems as of late they are harder to find than many vintage NOS tubes. At one point, everyone, and their brother carried them, places like Guitar Center-Musicians Friend, etc. There were a lot of inconsistencies, and even recalls I understand with this Tube. Evidently at one time, Kevin at Upscale got the best of the best, and they are/were great tubes for the money spent.

I wouldn't say the New Sensor Mullards are garbage by no means. They are making good quality tubes, at inexpensive prices.

There are many other very good vintage 12AX7 types, from the likes of Raytheon, GE, RCA, Sylvania. Since you only need one, tube rolling shouldn't be too cost prohibitive.

Sticking with good vendors, such as Kevin at Upscale, Jim Mcshane, Brent Jesse, etc, you will get what you pay for, rather than risking the gamble with unknown ebay sellers. While I'm sure there are a few good sellers there, you won't be getting duped with garbage with the sellers I mention above, they'll stand behind what they sell you. Mark
 
For someone with $15 to spend, one can do worse than the New Sensor reissues. They're not bad sounding. They're certainly not rubbish. Among them, I like the Tung Sol version the best. It's got the pop that the Russian bottles are capable of, and makes no pretense to high refinement. Some folks report durability issues with a few '09 examples, but generally speaking, they are well-made. Certainly not like the last EIs that were driving vendors crazy.

But the comparison with a square getter long plate, or even with a Japanese "Mullard", ends at the label.

FWIW, I've got all Mullard versions. The long plates, particularly those made pre-59, can be magical, with extreme presence in the crucial midrange into the mid bass, but often require pairing with some complimentary tubes providing extension and good "chime" (Amperex or TFK) to avoid getting too heavy.

The later short plate is a very good tube, but not quite as competitive against the top "lush" sounding US tubes (RCA, Sylvania BP and Raytheon BP). Interstingly, I consider the short plate a more balanced tube than the longplate, but doesn't dominate the field in any one area like the latter did (i.e., the magic midrange). A good all-rounder, as our UK friends would say.

The even later Japanese made one (on Mullard tooling) is also a very good tube. Good sounding and tough as nails, built with Japanese obsessiveness. Sound a little closer to an Amperex (perhaps due to a harder vacuum). A great driver tube, IMO. Some folks love the military box plate version, but I think it a little over hyped.

Don't overlook US made bottles. There are a rare handful that in the right system can out voice a Mullard longplate, and are still affordable. But I won't name names.
 
You might be able to also use the 5751 Tube in your application, and if so, this tube should be considered as well. Upscale shows the 50's RCA 5751 TMBP starting at $50 each.

I have a matched, platinum graded pair of these here, they are on ice, and were the very best tube I personally ever stuck in my CAL DAC. I think I paid $80 each for this platinum graded, and matched pair at the time. I believe David (Mr Lin) is also using these same Tubes in a piece of Jolida Gear (CD Player?) and he's told me he's extremely happy with them.

Once you install such a tube, I doubt you'll be wanting to take it back out, they are superb sounding tubes. Mark
 
If you start looking at 5751s, you should also try to hunt down a Raytheon windmill getter no later than '66. I consider this one the best in breed (better than the Sylvania).

I do recall early Jolidas not tolerating 5751s all that well, and as stated, subbing one is very circuit dependent.

Don't overlook used/test strong examples. You'll have more to choose from and at much lower prices. These small signal types have very long lives in most equipment, and NOS is not as important as with an output. NOS sampling can get very expensive in a hurry.
 
It's fun to be able to swap something out that can change the sound of your system.

If you have a system that is a bit heavy in the bottom end the Bugle Boys can give you more top end and less bass.

The Mullards are pretty much the opposite.
 
What kind of vintage Mullard did you end up with?

There are many different styles of vintage Mullard 12ax7. The run of the mill short-plates, while fine tubes, are not even close to the sonics of an old long plate, square getter Mullard from the early 50's.

The sonic variance between Mullard 12AX7 of different construction is as great as the variance between two entirely different make/brands of tube.

The vintage Mullards with long plates are my (and many others) favorite 12AX7. Unfortunately, the price of the vintage long plates is astronomical and still rising. I've not heard the new Mullards ( I dont even like calling them Mullards since they have absolutely NOTHING to do with the old Blackburn Mullards, just marketing gimmickry and that irritates me) but if they could replicate the old longplate sonics, they could put the other current makes out of business.

Try the TJ Full Music 12AX7 from Grant Fidelity. I've only read about the sonics of the '50s Mullards though I've got bunches of the later short plate version that are very good in my guitar amps. From what I've read, the TJs might compare favorably with the '50s Mullards. I know they were head and shoulders the best sounding tubes I've ever tried in my guitar amps and they get great reviews in hi-fi preamps.
 
Yeah, what they said.

If its not a dual post, halo Mullard then its just another tube. A good tube yes, but nothing to talk about.
Unfortunately all Mullards are expensive due to the "legend" of a few exemplary models. They're all good tubes for sure but good tubes is all they are.
Not worth the $100 a pair the good testing short plate versions are getting IMO.


..
 
Regarding the 5751 idea

I know some people regard the 5751 as the same as the 12AX7 with lower µ.

However, if you look at the plate curves, these are not the same, and would generally require a different value for the anode resistor.

I might pop a 5751 in a guitar amp, but not in a hi-fi circuit that wasn't designed for it.

BuzzK
 
In classic integrated amps, receivers and preamps, there is feedback employed as a distortion cancelling practice. In these amps, you will find less difference between tubes, because the negative feedback will correct distortions. Later NO FEEDBACK esoteric or DIY preamps may show more difference in sonics between tubes.
 
Back
Top Bottom