The Mullard Long Plate ECC82/12AU7 is the latest tube to roll (no
pun intended) into my line stage. This tube affects mostly the CD
input of my line so I expect only the CD section to change, from the
present Tele smooth plate ECC82 that I'm using lately.
I had tried a Mullard CV4003 before, and the sound was less liquid
and drier than the Tele smooth plate. I toy around with the Tele ribbed
and smooth plates, with the smooth plate giving a more 'up front' character while the ribbed, in my system, is more laid back and relaxed.
And now the Long Plate Mullard. I was suprised to find out that tonally
it did not sound too far different from the Telefunken tube. But, it is a lot
lot more lush sounding, especially in male and female voices. Soundstage, bass extension, and highs are pretty much the same for the
two tubes, but definitely, the overall musically caused by this sense of
added lushness makes my CD listening a lot more pleasurable especially
on badly recorded CDs. Despite adding lushness, there is no veiling
effect unlike other brands. Amazingly, it adds on to my musical enjoyment
with little or almost nothing to give up in sonic attributes.