How are Mullards supposed to sound?

Why are you surprised? As an Audiogon seller I regularly ask potential buyers if they ever bought gear in a Brick & Mortar salon. If they they admit that they have, I tell them that I don't waste my time with high-ballers and hang up.

Unsound,

LOL

Attaguy, Unsound! Thank goodness there are ethical sellers like you left in this hobby. It both serves as an example, as well as provides hope for the rest of us.

By the way, Mullard (the real ones - from the past) small signal tubes like 12AU7 and 12AX7 should sound warm, rich, full-bodied, and easy to listen to overall. The EL34 should sound very well balanced from top to bottom, with a combination of great bass, midrange clarity/sunny disposition, and a nice top end. Never biting or glary, but definitely not veiled, muddy, or rich, either. EXCELLENT EL34.

George Carlin cried for the blue food. I'm crying for the blue font.

I suspect that Kevin has dealt with many people who like to get his advice or a demo unit and then buy elsewhere. I'd guess he's gotten very good at detecting these people in a brief conversation. If he's wrong some of the time, that's just the price he pays for not having to spend the whole day on the phone with people who just want to chat. If he passes you off to someone else it's probably someone he thinks is perfectly capable of helping you.

I'm not implying anything about anyone on this thread. You may have had every intention of buying from Upscale.

Running a business is incredibly time consuming, especially a business like high-end audio. I'm sure Kevin could put in 16 hours a day and still have plenty left to do if he didn't keep his attention focused on just the tasks that require his personal attention. Or he may be a terrible guy. I don't know him personally.