Tube Shootout Telefunken vs. Mullard vs. Tung Sol (Vinyl Tonic)

Short version of this video with A/B playback is here • Tube Shootout (Short V...
0:31 Telefunken Ribbed Long Plate (German 1960s)
1:08 Mullard Gray I63 Short Plate Halo Getter (British 1960s)
1:30 Tung-Sol Stock Tube (Russian New)
Example 2:
2:20 Mullard Gray I63 Short Plate Halo Getter (British 1960s)
3:19 Tung-Sol Stock Tube (Russian New)
4:20 Telefunken Ribbed Long Plate (German 1960s)
Example 3:
5:07 Tung-Sol Stock Tube (Russian New)
6:02 Telefunken Ribbed Long Plate (German 1960s)
7:02 Mullard Gray I63 Short Plate Halo Getter (British 1960s)
Short version of this video with A/B playback is here • Tube Shootout (Short V...
This video is a tube shoo-tout using the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 with three sets of tubes. You can see the whole gear list below. I recorded three songs through my phono set up with no additional processing. All tracks were then lined up and I was able to swap between them to let you hear the differences between tubes. Click thew links above to jump to each tube easily.
All tubes are 12AX7 / ECC83 type. All have been burned in and tested in good condition.
Turntable: Rega Planar 6
Cartridge: Ortofon MC-3 Turbo
Phono Stage: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Various see above
SPL Volume 2
Interface: UAD Apollo Twin - Recorded 24 bit / 48K
Output: 1080/30p with Apple Lossless Audio 16 bit / 44.1K
No additional audio processing
Vinyl Links:
Song 1: www.discogs.com/Burning-Spear...
Song 2: www.discogs.com/Darren-Korb-T...
Song 3: www.discogs.com/Junior-Wells-...

[@amritjanardhanan]

The telefunkens brought some life to the music the others didn't have.

[@robertoviarengo4046]

Watta great selection!!!starting with Burning Spear!!!

[@jeremymmoraw]

Mullard is a winner for me, great mid-tone representation, fully balanced not overly powered on low end like tele and not overly sweet like tung.

[@iamthat7266]

Stock tube voice is excellent.

[@scottdunn2178]

I've got a couple of 1960's smooth-plate Telefunkens I run in my Marshall... wouldn't trade them for anything.

[@Nephilim-81]

I like the telefunken bass response. Good punch.

[@monkeypunker]

Nicely executed, great comparison. I play a guitar and can only confirm that the Mullards are amazing for guitar amps. Smooth sound and nice overdrive. For hi-fi though, those Telefunkens can really sing, just a bit rolled off at the bass. May be a problem if your chain (from preamp to speakers) can not compensate for it.

[@italrecordsportal]

Thanks for this

[@robpayne9500]

Mullard sounds beautiful, the tele is so crisp and detailed but missing a little in the mids where the mullard excel. The tungsol sounds like it pushes the upper mids making it kinda flat. Cool shootout though.

[@darrkstarcustoms2972]

the problem with this test is when playing the record the switching of the tubes seems to be done thru out the song, the singers voice raises and lowers and the instruments tones and voices tones change thru out the song, so it becomes harder to tell which tubes are being used at a given point. I believe the correct way to test tubes is for each tube to have a limited time of play of the same portion of song. For example, start the track from the begining for each tube and play for about 30 seconds to a minute, repeat for each tube, i think that is the best way, because not everyones brain process information at the same speed and or has the capacity to remember what they just heard, i think the longer the wait between the tubes something gets lost and the harder it becomes to come to a conclusion which sounds better or different. For some of us, the shorter the time of the test the easier it may be to tell the difference, if any.

[@sonnybrasco9735]

Nice comparison man. Mullard imo has a kinda vintage sound, the tung sol has a solid sound and gave a sparkle in the upper range, and the Tele gave this pleasant crunch and mid range boost or grit. Thank you for this

[@CruzGonzalez2594]

Tung-Sol is the big winner for me!

[@texasfreedomlover4730]

I don’t see a way for me to reply directly to you, I like a wide variety of brands of vintage tubes, sometimes you have to find the right place in a specific piece of gear to hear what you best like about it.

[@tubeaudio5330]

For what i know. a tube cannot representa brand fully. Example ECC 83 on Telefunken , there are three type of tube rip and smooth plate and a special tube RCC 803s, they are different.

[@el34glo59]

I'll break down what I know after extensive testing and OCD taking over. And this is regardless of circuit.

[@Gez492]

Agree with you, the Tung sol and and Telefunken were more similar than they were different from each other. The greatest difference was with the Mullard. They seemed to offer a better overall balance, lacking the tendency to be sharp or display an over emphasis in the upper mid/treble. The Telefunkens especially were very strident and at first seemed to have more gain but it was already a feeling of someone messing with the tone controls. Where the Mullard is just more refined across the tonal picture and for me is the clear winner. Its the combination I would listen too over longer periods. I am referring of course to music reproduction not instrument amplification which what I use tubes like these for.

[@LuisGarcia-gh1mt]

Telefunken 100% Tung-Sol 65% Mullard 75%

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

hi, great choices. i like the i63 to add low mids and take the sharpness away they are the best for bass without losing clarity. compared to that ,the i61(1959-1964) has more air and sparkle and less low mids , it's my weapon of choice for any audio preamp or guitar amp,there is also an i62 but it's very rare, made only at 1964 with yellow print.

[@jkf9167]

Test #1 1) Telefunken sounds best simply because it has the most and deepest bass. 2) Mullard has the best clarity and separation, but in Reggae the bass usually wins. 3) Tung-Sol sounds good too.

[@fisch1139]

Telefunken for the win