How are Mullards supposed to sound?

The cost of the NOS Mullards, if you can locate a quad, will set you back significant dollars these days, though possibly worth the investment. In modern production EL34 tubes my expermentation has repeatedly led me back to the SED "Winged C" EL34 tubes. A matched quad will set you back a little more than the reissue Mullards but are reveiwed to be closer to the original (NOS) Mullards than other tubes presently produced. I have tried the new production Mullard Svetlana, Tung-Sol, Gold Lion KT-77, and JJ and in the context of my system the SED tubes have sounded the best. There is also the option of the new Treasure 6CA7 (EL34 equivalent) that you could search the threads about as an additional option that I have no direct experience with.

Drrsutliff's post raises a question. It is logical to assume you are referring to the Power tubes as these usually wear out first. Are you referring to power tubes or the 12AX and 12AU's? Personally I select power tubes first and then fine tube the amp/speaker combo by selecting appropriate matching tubes.

FWIW I use SED EL34's recommended by Drrsutliff and I use EI 12AX7E's and JJ 12AU7's. For me it is the best combo for a warm yet fairly clean sound. A nice compromise using new production or with the EI's recent production. If I wanted to brighten it up a bit I'd try Tesla E34L's (now out of production) or their successors the JJ E34L's. Caveat - they may not be as rugged as the SED's. If you want something more linear with less mid-range warmth typical of EL34's but with better bass and highs you could always consider SED 6L6GC's. Depending on what I'm using for sources I've like these as well as the EL34's.

Hope that helps a bit.

Quack, quack, oh, you said Mullards, never mind.

The easiest and cheapest way to solve your problem would be to contact Jim McShane or Kevin Deal. They are tube dealers who are known for their knowledge and integrity. Kevin Deal sells the Prima Luna amps and has access to more NOS tubes (I think).

Either one will discuss with you what kind of sound you would like to hear from your amp and will suggest tubes that should get you there.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Just to clarify...I changed all the tubes to Mullards.

The El-34's and 12AX-7's are the new Svetlana Mullard reissues and the 12AT7s are NOS.

I suspect (though I could be wrong) that it's the NOS tubes that are not to my liking, so I think I will replace them with the Electro-Harmonix.

As for Kevin Deal...I bought the amp from him but since then he has seemed impatient on the phone and unwilling to provide advice. He always seems to either rush me off the phone or fob me off on an underling. So...I have given up on asking for his advice and have decided to experiement on my own. It's starting to cost a lot of money.