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This is a very hard to find matched pair of Mullard XF2 Dual-Getter EL34's, widely considered to be the best EL34 tubes ever made. One was made by Mullard for Sylvania, and the other was made by and branded as Mullard (although most of the logo is worn off). The factory code is faint on the Mullard tube, but reads XF2 and B3??, meaning it was made a the Mullard factory in Blackburn, England, 1963. The Sylvania-branded tube is marked XF2 and B5L2, meaning Blackburn, England 1965. Both will come in very nice reproduction Mullard boxes.
The tubes were tested on a Hickok 800 tube tester, where new EL34's generally test above 4700, and under 3000 would be considered low. The Sylvania-branded one tested at 5000 and the Mullard at 5300. They both test at ANOS levels, but do show obvious signs of use, particularly the Mullard. Please review the pictures.
I paired and listened to the tubes in a Dynait MK IV amplifier, and they sound fantastic. There was no sign of noise or microphonics, hum, or any other issues. Using my dual bias tester, I set the Sylvania to 39 mA, and the Mullard read 33. This showed that they pull similar enough plate current to be considered a matched pair, and of course the amp had no trouble using them together.
Although the readings from the tube tester are high for EL34's and indicate they should have plenty of life, they have been used and I would not expect them to last as long as a new old stock or lightly used set. Of course, have been priced accordingly. I originally bought them for my private collection, but I am realizing that I bought too many EL34's for the two EL34 amps that I own. These are a great opportunity for someone else to be able to try the best EL34 at a reasonable price.
Please reach out if you have any questions. Thank you.
