“I bought a PrimaLuna Prologue four power amplifier about 3 years ago from Upscale and have never been disappointed. Fast forward to December 2014, I am giving the world of "Tube rolling" a whirl! Being a satisfied customer, I called and asked the charasmtic Upscale Audio owner, Kevin for his advice on choosing another tube MFG that would suit my newly sought-after "acoustic narvana". Now, kevin being the objective straight shooter he is, recommended that I read the tube reviews online at his website first. Ok, I accepted that and put the weight back on my pondering mind's sholders. Well, after absorbing tube reviews at the Upscale Audio website, I shook off my 30 minute "acoustic mind meld", and decided upon buying a set of re-released Mullard EL34's. The tubes arrived 4 days later, wrapped perfectly and unbroken. Another day went by, before I could actually, start the "rolling process". I started and finished my listening process by employing the age old A/B comparson technic. I chose 2 CD favorites to discern the sonic signature of the 3 brands of tubes I now own. The first adition, was with the original Prima Luna tubes, second was the Mullards and lastly, I compared my Gold Lion KT77's. So, my personal likes and sonic ranking ended up in this order. #1 Mullards, for warmth, exacting sound stage,tight bass and no glaring exaggerations across the spectrum, sounding very evenly balanced. The #2: Gold Lion KT77's, for semi-linear warmth, like the Mullards, but not the flat balance at the mid to upper end, the Mullard has. Still, it had a similar detail and tight bass.The #3 : Prima Luna EL34, great overall tube and it had the highest gain. The Soundstage is more forward and very raw, with a concert or live performance sound.The bass was not as tight as either of the other 1&2 rankings. For now l would highly recommend the Mullard EL34'S as replacements and buy them fromantic Upscale Audio! :-)”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“My situation required 12 matching EL-34 tubes. After investigating options I settled on the 'new' Mullard EL-34. Skeptical or cynical about tubes bearing a respected name from the past? I was a little bit but there was no need to worry. Maybe it's a reflection of the sorry state of my previous Ruby tubes, but firing up the Mullards for the first time brought back the power and detail I wasn't aware I had lost over many years. And this is without an extended burn in period. It's worth mentioning the quality of the transaction. Upscale provided 12 matched tubes. That's an impressive service by itself, but there's more to my story. In the process of installing my 12-pack, I dropped one! I ordered another tube from Upscale and they took the time to match it with the parameters of the previous set. Nice! Back to the Mullards. This has been a positive upgrade to my system and I'm quite satisfied I selected them. For a 12-pack the cost per tube can be a big factor and the tension between price/performance is high. These tubes are a good solution. Based on their performance I would also consider them in smaller configurations.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Joon Song From New York

Unverified Reviewer

“I am suprisingly pleased to hear sound from modern production EL34 by Mullard. EL34 sounds delicate and musical than other triod or beam projection tubes. Myself have spent enormous time and fortune to enjoy best of music and sound. As per experience from modern production tubes that have been stocked in most of tube audio system, I have to confess negative opinon for modern production tubes so far. So, I have huge collection of NOS tubes for my tube system since left from Mark Levinson and Cello gears. But, this tube is out of expectation. I have strong support for tube audio system. That is why my current system is all tube. It sounds more realistic and musical. Today, even Mark Levinson owns tube audio company. The best of reissue EL34 is characteristic warm mid range with clear top and tight base, which is the first experience from new production power tubes. It took more than 12 hours in amplifier to sound right after arrival. I appreciate effort of Upscale audio to provide quality product.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 11 years ago

“A year ago I stumbled upon a Dynaco ST-70 at an estate sale and decided to snag it for resale. I ops checked it a few weeks later (after a few minor repairs) and I was just taken with the amazing sound these things can make. And just like that it was my daily driver. I soon learned that a major part of that amazing sound was owing to the closely matched (determined by grid shift)vintage Mullard EL34 xf2 quad it used. Not wanting to burn out a reference set of power tubes I soon found myself on a tube rolling mission. The hands down winner was the New Sensor Mullard Reissue EL34. No doubt about it. Lows, mids and highs are just as good and the detail is simply superb. I will be back for another set.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 11 years ago

“After careful consideration, I purchased the Mullard EL34 re-issue, cryo treated, for my Music Reference RM9 MKII power amplifier. After a short 6 hour burn in, I decided it was time for critical listening. After 25 hours of additional play time, I'm convinced that this is the correct tube for my amplifier. The sound is beatifully balanced. Bass is powerful and tight. Midrange is warm, clear and a bit forward. Treble is clean and extended, although, in my system, it may be a tiny bit more laid back than I'm accustomed to with 6550's.. but I've learned that I can change the treble perspective by swapping type 2 and type 3 preamp tubes... I haven't yet decided which to lock in. Overall, for my system, my taste in music and my ears, the EL34 is the best choice in a power tube and the Mullard re-issue is my first choice. I'll likely order a spare set. Thank you Kevin, and staff, for your help!”

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Posted 12 years ago

“Kevin suggested these for my Quicksilver Mid Monos and they have not disappointed. In fact, I am quite surprised at how good they are. They have a confident, powerful sound, with balanced response top to bottom. I don't think they have any particular sonic signature - they just let the music through. Highly recommended...”

Helpful Report

Posted 12 years ago

“These are excellent tubes. Made well, with good quality material. This generation of power tubes being produced by the American co. New Sensor at the Reflector plant in Saratov Russia, are nearly as good, or even AS good, as the last years of production of Sylvania and Phillips branded tubes made in the US the 80's. They seem to be moving toward picking up the mantle of the old technology rather than just cranking out old Russian millitary types, which can only be a good thing. This Mullard reissue is powerful and has great balance. Low end response is not flabby. Midrange is Forward like most of the Phillips varieties.Nice heavy glass and the support posts are thick, and the getter is a normal "o" type, not one of those weird ,Russian, upside down flying saucers, which look to me like noise problems waiting to happen.The New sensor "Mullard" - EL34 and "Tungsol" - 5881 are without question the best sounding modern production output tubes, if you have something in the 50-100 watt range.”

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Posted 12 years ago

“This tube works great in combination with the Telefunken ECC801S I recently installed.in my AudioPrism Debut Mk. 1. Amazing detail & 3D presentation while sounding warm and more powerful than the Winged C SED''s in this same combination. They do sound great, and they rock!. The SED''s had a more delicate sound and seemed to have a slightly recessed midrange, and seemed to lack he detail of the Mullards.”

Helpful Report

Posted 12 years ago

Mullard EL34 No Cryo Reviews