They are used, yeah. They seemed to be matched well enough.
Maybe not, though? Here’s the listing. It was this or paying $200 for an advertised “matched pair”.
STRONG Pair Mullard 12AU7 ECC82 Preamp Hammond Vacuum Tubes | eBay
Feedback for a similar pair was positive as well.
I found out the sovtek 6c45 are the tubes originally included with the WA7. Curious to try them out as well. I do really like the sound of the RCAs though.
I think they are just sourcing any non-Russian tubes they can. Mine stock pair was a pair of Westinghouse 12AU7.
ah, makes sense
Unless you have a way to bias the amp always get matched sets.
Currently listening to the used Mullards I picked up with the ZMF Atriums. They are just beginning to settle in, but the mid forward presentation with them is very nice. Soft, but rich, saturated bass. A little loose, but enjoyable and a nice relaxing listen. Had a pretty oh wow moment listening to Honey by Kehlani, which is just acoustic guitar with vocals. The separation of the guitar from the vocals is very nice. The timbre and body from the guitar is really swoon inducing. Similar experience with some other vocal heavy tracks.
Might be the used nature of the tubes but for the first 10-20 mins I had to crank the knob to about 3 o clock to get to good listening levels. A couple hours later the gain is good and back down to the normal 11-12 position. The Orange Globes I had in prior took a little over a day to fully settle in, but after that they sounded pretty fantastic, warm-neutral, punchy, and dynamic (similar to a really nice Class-A amp sound). So I’m looking forward to continue listening to these and seeing where they settle.
I also have electro harmonics sold by woo audio and a used pair of rca clear tops I ordered from tube depot on the way as well.
Oh… also picked up a bifrost 2/64 to pair with the amp as well.
One more note: the mullards make voice interlegibility pre-amping the RB42s noticeably better than usual.
Every so often our money ends up going to Schiit!
Congrats on your new piece of Schiit, and Happy Listening!
