Originally Posted by
Jazid
"The thing is I do not know what valve or make is better than another"
It's a subjective call. As a man who liked to measure stuff I think that from the thousands of valves I have measured uniquely only Telefunken seem highly reliable. I am not saying other manufacturers valves aren't reliable, or that there are no Telefunken clunkers, I am saying that I have measured many hundreds of each of most makes and I've never had a duff Telefunken valve. I have had worn out or weak Tele valves but that's fair wear and tear, I've not had gassy ones, ones with insulation and leakage problems, or anode/cathode poisoning, or other manufacturing defects, never.
Mullards are also mostly decent, as are Western Electric (only tested dozens of W. E. though).
Valve character is circuit dependent, only trust the opinion of those who have rolled properly tested valves in the same amp you are interested in. Otherwise it will be blind chance and that's quite aside from personal preference. One man's meat and all that...
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The problem with Telefunkens can be the price, and the fake versions. Hence the advice to buy from reputable dealers.
Kevin
Too busy enjoying the music....
European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..