AUDIO TUBES | GERMAN TUBE HIFI | MY EQUIPMENT | CONTACT | ON EBAY

Philips Audio Tubes

(Valvo Amperex Mullard)

Logos and Labels

Characteristics

Understand Codes

Common Labels
Label Colors

ECC81

ECC82
ECC83
E88CC

EF86

EL34

EL84

EZ80/81

GZ34

Other Tubes


Common Labels

           
   
  Philips     Valvo  
 

Very versatile name that appears on tubes made in all plants of the Philips company. Sometimes combined with SQ - special quality printing.

 

The "German" label. Most tubes for the German market had this label and it appears on tubes made in Hamburg or by Siemens in Munic. Very high quality on some types.

   

 

       
  Mullard     Amperex  
 

Brand name reserved to the tubes made in the plant in Blackburn, U.K. The logo changes (over the years). Famous on EL34s: the "shield logo".  

 

Distribution name for the U.S. and Canada after purchasing the Amperex company in 1955. Many audio tubes with "Bugle Boy" logo. Most  were made in the plant in Heerlen, Netherlands. Good standard quality.

   

 

       
  Adzam / Mazda     Miniwatt  
 

Label found on many tubes for the French market and tubes made in France or in Belgium (Bruxelles). Of course "Adzam" is "Mazda" (reversed).

 

This Label was used for tubes made in Holland an in southern Europe. On the left side the earlier version with "round" Philips lettering. Also found combined with SQ.

   

 

       
  Dario     Pope  
 

This Label appears on tubes made for the southern Europe market and on many tubes made in "Miniwatt S.A." plants  in Italy and Spain (big factory in Barcelona).

 

In Germany unusual label I found on a tube in Holland (where they seem to be more popular).

The Brand name comes from a very old tube inventor and manu-facturer from Venlo. (Pope does not mean "Productieoverschot Philips Eindhoven" = PPE !!)

   

 

       
  Brimar        
 

The 'BRItish Made American Range' label was used on earlier STC (British Western Electric) tubes. Than it seems to be used for Mullard factory tubes.

     
           
 

Foreign Labels

Many tubes from Philips were distributed by other tube manuctureurs who gave them their own logo (as Siemens - left).

And others were plugged in Radio, HiFi or test equipment where the tubes got logos from those manuctureurs (as The Fisher - right). 

           
  Siemens     The Fisher  
 

Siemens never made any EL34 tubes. And this tube was not made in Germany. This is a OO-EL34 from Mullard as the code indicates.  

 

"The Fisher 7189" logo on an usual EL84 (kM1 code) from Mullard production in Blackburn. Fisher also labelled Telefunken EL84s as 7189.

 

 

 

 

 

HOME

TOP OF THIS PAGE