One thought on “Mullard 12au7/ECC82 Reissue Russia”
This review has been a long time coming, though I admit I kept pushing it off for another day. Dealing with the Mullard 12AU7/ECC82 Reissue is a bit of a nostalgia trip, even if the reality is firmly rooted in modern manufacturing.
It is crucial to understand that Mullard today is a brand owned by New Sensor Corporation. These tubes are manufactured in the Reflector plant in Saratov, Russia, which is a far cry from the original legendary plants in Blackburn and Mitcham, United Kingdom. The relationship between New Sensor and the Reflector plant began in the late 1990s when Mike Matthews (founder of Electro-Harmonix) began purchasing and eventually took control of the facility. The Saratov plant was once a massive Soviet-era industrial hub for vacuum tube production, and under New Sensor’s stewardship, it has become the primary source for modern reissues of classic brands like Tung-Sol, Genalex Gold Lion, and Mullard.
In terms of performance, this reissue isn’t “bad”—for the price, it’s actually quite decent—but it does suffer from common modern production limitations. While it attempts to mimic the classic “British sound” with a rolled-off top end, it lacks the expansive soundstage and effortless musicality that true NOS (New Old Stock) tubes provide. However, it isn’t without its merits; the noise floor is impressive, measuring at a very quiet -87dB. This makes it a reliable, worthy upgrade over generic stock tubes, specifically those from various Chinese factories or standard Electro-Harmonix units.
Final Verdict: A solid, budget-friendly workhorse for those wanting a warmer tone without the astronomical price tag of vintage British glass, even if it doesn’t quite capture the “magic” of the original Blackburn factory.
This review has been a long time coming, though I admit I kept pushing it off for another day. Dealing with the Mullard 12AU7/ECC82 Reissue is a bit of a nostalgia trip, even if the reality is firmly rooted in modern manufacturing.
It is crucial to understand that Mullard today is a brand owned by New Sensor Corporation. These tubes are manufactured in the Reflector plant in Saratov, Russia, which is a far cry from the original legendary plants in Blackburn and Mitcham, United Kingdom. The relationship between New Sensor and the Reflector plant began in the late 1990s when Mike Matthews (founder of Electro-Harmonix) began purchasing and eventually took control of the facility. The Saratov plant was once a massive Soviet-era industrial hub for vacuum tube production, and under New Sensor’s stewardship, it has become the primary source for modern reissues of classic brands like Tung-Sol, Genalex Gold Lion, and Mullard.
In terms of performance, this reissue isn’t “bad”—for the price, it’s actually quite decent—but it does suffer from common modern production limitations. While it attempts to mimic the classic “British sound” with a rolled-off top end, it lacks the expansive soundstage and effortless musicality that true NOS (New Old Stock) tubes provide. However, it isn’t without its merits; the noise floor is impressive, measuring at a very quiet -87dB. This makes it a reliable, worthy upgrade over generic stock tubes, specifically those from various Chinese factories or standard Electro-Harmonix units.
Final Verdict: A solid, budget-friendly workhorse for those wanting a warmer tone without the astronomical price tag of vintage British glass, even if it doesn’t quite capture the “magic” of the original Blackburn factory.