EF86 Tubes/Valves

[Guest]

because of a cock up on ebay somebody is offering me a free EF86 (my choice - I wouldn't mind having a go at a G7 soon

He is offering me one of the following...

" I have some very nice used ones which may be new as thay are sold as used if the print is marked or not original boxed.
I have some mullard and GEC, long mesh, short mesh and solid screens.
Also Brimar and Russian"

Which one guys??

 

[Gus]

buy a bunch and find out yourself

 

[Guest]

[quote author="Gus"]buy a bunch and find out yourself[/quote]
I have to choose one of those above - and they are totally free

 

[Rob Flinn]

You don`t say if they`ve been tested. If they`re sold as is, which sounds like the case, any one of them could be good or completely knackered.

 

[mcs]

The GEC is quite rare (isn't it the Z-something type?). The Mullard is just another Philips tube - they are great though. The GECs are probably more valuable, if they are the Z-somethings I think - I think they are good, but I have never seen one.

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen

 

[Gus]

As others have noted the type of 86 used in circuits like the G7 does not matter that much except for microphonics. I have heard good sounding cheap WING Cs tubes. Tesla, tungstram etc can all sound good. I need to break open a bunch of ef86s to understand this better. In microphone type triode connected circuits like the G7 noise and microphonics count the most this can be more of a tube to tube thing even with the same brand.

I have not used a ef86 in a Pentode circuit maybe that connection makes a difference.

That why the get a bunch to try post. There must be something about the constructio of ef86s when used in triode mode.