Best known for its omnidirectional loudspeakers, the German manufacturer mbl also produces three complete lines of high-performance electronics that, despite being large and built to jewel-like perfection, are sometimes lost in the shadow cast by the dramatic-looking&mdash;and -sounding&mdash;Radialstrahler 101E, which I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1004mbl">reviewed in October 2004</A>.

Best known for its omnidirectional loudspeakers, the German manufacturer mbl also produces three complete lines of high-performance electronics that, despite being large and built to jewel-like perfection, are sometimes lost in the shadow cast by the dramatic-looking—and -sounding—Radialstrahler 101E, which I reviewed in October 2004.

Best known for its omnidirectional loudspeakers, the German manufacturer mbl also produces three complete lines of high-performance electronics that, despite being large and built to jewel-like perfection, are sometimes lost in the shadow cast by the dramatic-looking&mdash;and -sounding&mdash;Radialstrahler 101E, which I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1004mbl">reviewed in October 2004</A>.

Best known for its omnidirectional loudspeakers, the German manufacturer mbl also produces three complete lines of high-performance electronics that, despite being large and built to jewel-like perfection, are sometimes lost in the shadow cast by the dramatic-looking—and -sounding—Radialstrahler 101E, which I reviewed in October 2004.

When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers&mdash;the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that <I>are</I> the titles: <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/688vandersteen">Richard Vandersteen</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/221">Jim Thiel</A>, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.

When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers&mdash;the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that <I>are</I> the titles: <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/688vandersteen">Richard Vandersteen</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/221">Jim Thiel</A>, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.

When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers&mdash;the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that <I>are</I> the titles: <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/688vandersteen">Richard Vandersteen</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/221">Jim Thiel</A>, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.

When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers&mdash;the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that <I>are</I> the titles: <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/688vandersteen">Richard Vandersteen</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/221">Jim Thiel</A>, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.

When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers&mdash;the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that <I>are</I> the titles: <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/688vandersteen">Richard Vandersteen</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/221">Jim Thiel</A>, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.

RCA's time-honored 6SN7 may be the coolest tube of all. The octal-based dual-triode has its own Wikipedia entry&mdash;something not even the 2A3 or 300B can boast&mdash;along with its own <A HREF="http://www.6SN7.com">website</A&gt;. The 6SN7 is chunky, rugged, and handsome. Best of all, it's <I>available</I>, probably because people keep coming up with very good uses for it. In that sense, the 6SN7 is the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup of the tube world.