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RE: New Sensor Mullard 12AX7/CV4004 short plate

Posted by TubeAcolyte (D) on April 27, 2014 at 08:05:56

In Reply to: RE: New Sensor Mullard 12AX7/CV4004 short plate posted by SETdude on April 27, 2014 at 07:26:25:

It's funny, I had JUST stumbled onto that site! I saw your post and immediately started Googling about to find info.

Does anyone else get the feeling this may be indicative of a shuffle of tooling/production-expertise with newer/better materials? The tubes have changed, but there's design similarities that I feel can be traced to the Svetlana products, specifically the 12AX7, 6L6GC, and KT88. Especially thinking on the KT88, I haven't seen one of those for sale in a LONG time. Aren't KT88 designs particularly difficult? Wouldn't you WANT to pull the plug on the design as early as possible if you wanted to REALLY revamp the tube?

Looking at these new products, that CV4004 looks like a 12AX7 by Svetlana, but with a very healthy amount of getter (and by the sounds of it better materials). The 6L6GC looks like a Svetlana 6L6GC stuck into a smaller bottle with different getter ring positions and different plate finish. On that note, I look at that old Svet 6L6, then the new Tung Sol 7581 and 6L6GC-STR... And then back at the new Mullard... I can't help but think about what they're doing there... And last, the KT88 looks like a beefed up Svetlana KT88! They kept the fins (yay fins!) and added a thicker mica, a ton more getter, and (again) probably better materials.

And looking back at New Sensor's Svetlana tubes, they've essentially been forgotten by the looks of it. I mean, look at the TubeStore; they carry "five" different Svetlana-branded tubes. Five! THAT'S IT! For comparison's sake, their products count at 9 for Mullard, 20 Tung Sol, and 37 Electro-Harmonix. If I could take a wild stabiddy-stab at this, New Sensor might have switched tooling and working hands over to these newer "Mullard" designs. And it makes good business sense. Svetlana products (essentially those five lol) are not all THAT great - they tend to be mediocre, *mostly* reliable, and generally used to soften an amp's high-end (from my experience and reading). The brand name itself doesn't sell well, either.

Make a better tube, slap a better brand on it, and expand a line-up that (at least by name) deserves some new tubes.
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May your tubes be lively, warm, and long-lasting. Holy be thy heater.

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