The cv1102 is a wonderful tube by MOV. Later on it was released as the BL63 with the Marconi label. It is a rich, darker sounding tube. It has the same pin out as a 6f8g, lower amplification and higher heater current. I've been told that the sound resembles the Mullard ecc32. I'm never going to own one of those so I'll take their word for it. It has the sound signature that matches the descriptions I've heard of the ecc32 so I believe it.
Every time I use this tube. I'm blown away by the richness of the sound. It's a very chocolate cake kind of presentation. It lacks the air of some of the other tubes but makes up for it with its vivid timbres.
Lots of amps would choke on this tube because oif the heater requirements but the firebottle kt88 has no problems. The only thing to watch out for is the low gain. My regular preamp has developed a fault so I'm using a passive one right now. When I use this tube with a regular output tube like a 6l6 I just don't have enough gain. My preamp was right at 0db attenuation, full line signal and it wasn't quite enough. It sounds amazing when I pair it with a high gain tube like the el38.
If you're looking for the prototypical British sound but don't want to pay for an ecc32 or British 6sn7 the vt1102 or bl63 is highly recommended. They aren't the easiest things to find but with some patience you can find them at reasonable-ish prices.
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