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.
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.