It's no wonder why the NOS tubes from Rundfunk- und Fernmelde-Technik (RFT) have been called the "Telefunken of East Germany" by many. At first listen, they are amazingly close in sonic impression to the West German Telefunkens. And due to the very wide price difference between the two brands, I would say that the RFTs are right at the top of my list for best bang-for-the-buck NOS tubes available right now. Find a set and buy them, right now! You will not be disappointed. I have no doubt that once the secret of the RFTs notable sonic characteristics spreads, their prices will go up. After a careful series of critical listening tests, where I like to separately focus on highs, midrange and lows, then move on to soundstage depth and width, differences begin to emerge between the Telefunkens and the RFTs. The RFTs have more of a diffuse soundstage in the midbass and bass. The effect is subtle but noticeable in the male voices of both songs, along with the kick drum. The Telefunkens have a more center-focused feel, which gives a feeling of a more coherent soundstage, whereas the RFTs are a bit smeared and not as tight. If this effect was in the high frequencies, it would give a pleasant airyness to the music (similar to the Electro-Harmonix in my first listening test), but since it's in the midbass-bass frequencies, it gives the music a smeared, blurry and diffuse feel in comparison to the Telefunkens. My subjective taste prefers knowing where the midbass voices or instruments are located on the soundstage, but your taste may differ - there is no right or wrong answer, it just depends on what your ears prefer. Bottom line: Both the Telefunkens and the RFTs present a full, rounded and more organic bass note to the rather sterile but precise feel of solid state mode on the Freya. The RFTs deliver a diffuse and unfocused midbass and bass feel to the music in comparison to the Telefunkens, but the difference is subtle. I prefer the Telefunkens between the two, but their high collectability make them very expensive and hard to find. At the RFT's current price, grab yourself a set while they're readily available as they are definitely worthy of being a part of anyone's tube collection.
Agree with you 100%. Now I know why RFT is referred to by some as the Telefunken of East Germany. Very similar sound and both have noticeably more full and rounded bass than solid state mode when I listened live. Telefunken definitely has that collectable value vs RFT, so I recommend everyone buy a set of RFTs while they're still very affordable.
Hey man, I have seen you throw a ton of tubes at that Freya. Did you ever say what tubes you think are the best in the Freya? I would really appreciate the answer. I have tried several but it won't take long and I will spend on tubes as much as the Freya cost. lol.. thanks..
"What is best" is so subjective. It's one of the reasons why I don't put my opinion in my videos, so as not to influence others. The best question to ask is, "What sounds best to my own ears?" And only you can answer that for yourself. What I've found is there is no "best"...just "different."
You're fooling yourself if you think you can hear the difference. Even if you were in the same room it probably would be very hard. Perfect example of positive reinforcement you pay more for a good tube and you like it because you paid more. Overtime you may feel more comfortable with a really nice tube as you learn what it's playing you need a long time to appreciate it. AB testing is a joke
