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Mullard XF1s vs EH 6CA7s

Posted by Michael Samra (D) on September 4, 2016 at 23:46:08

Being it's a long weekend,I've been working on stuff and listening to different tubes in my Eico HF-87 with my I-pad plugged directly in thru my CAL tube DAC streaming JAZZ RADIO .COM. I listened to my XF1s for three hours straight and it was quite enjoyable.Really nice mids and lower highs and reasonably good upper bass.

Now, I don't recommend doing this next step but I was very gentle when I did it..I took out each XF1 while it was playing and I put in an EH 6CA7..I had a thick glove on and did one tube at a time and I would let each tube warm up before I pulled the next one so I didn't get a loud pop thru the speakers.The sound was pretty consistent until I put the last EH 6CA7 in and about 30 seconds later,more presence came in as well as the bottom octaves of the percussion section and it just got better as the tubes warmed up..To be fair,my XF1s are two matched pairs and they are not new old stock anymore but, they test very strong.We are talking 90% on both the TT-1 and the 739C. The EHs are new quad I have had in stock for seven years with about 250 hours on them. I cannot say enough about how great these tubes are..This is in two different amps now and if you recall the other was the Scott 272.You want to get these in the higher testing GM,(8300 to 9000) for audio because it makes all the difference in the world.
I'm not going to say these are as good as the Genelex KT77s but I can tell you that they beat the snot out of my XF1s.
I never cared much for the EL34 for overall response but the EH 6CA7s should satisfy even the most adamant vintage Mullard EL34 tubeophile.I'm just amazed at the full bodied sound with definition from top to bottom.This is on the NewForm Research 645 ribbon speakers.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

Edits: 09/04/16

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