In your honest opinions which sound the best?
eg
EL34
6L6
KT66 etc
GZ34 etc
ECC83 etc
EF86
and their equivalents?
and any others
eg
EL34
6L6
KT66 etc
GZ34 etc
ECC83 etc
EF86
and their equivalents?
and any others
What's the best motor vehicle?
Ford F150 pickup truck
Cadillac CTS-V
Hummer
Ford Lotus
Peterbilt 389
Toyota Prius
Ford F150 pickup truck
Cadillac CTS-V
Hummer
Ford Lotus
Peterbilt 389
Toyota Prius
YEP!
For amps like the Mullard 5-20, the Radfords, Quad IIs, Williamson, Leak, etc.
I see so much s**t on Ebay, I'm thinking...stay away from Chinese?, Russian? are they OK? What about the good old USA types, East European, NOS (thats crap - should be UOS unused old stock).
One of my favourites from the 60s is the CV4004 (if its genuine). I had a little SE once with EL84,ECC83, EZ80 and swapping the 83 for the 4004 really improved the sound. I'm building a pair of 5-20s and I want them to sound the best but I don't have much cash. Cheap but not nasty to start with, then improving by changing the valves. No point in buying stuff that is no better than I will have fitted already. If you see what I mean. I'm aiming for 20 -30 watts per channel. If I succeed, I can sell them to pay for the next project, maybe a pair of Radfords.
IMO, all tubes are for best guitar ampl, but not for best audio sound....
Ok . Its your opinion azazello . This part of the forum, Tubes / Valves, is for the ones that are convinced tube sound is the best no neighbour volume azzard killing sound source of hi-fi music . So , be kind ...
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Sorry, I disagree with you, but agree with Azazello: tubes used for best guitar amps are not necessary the best tubes for audio. For example, while 6L6 is a good sounding tube in guitar amps, it is not the best one for SE amp for high-end audio reproduction. Some other tubes are better. And so on.
Now, please let me disagree with both of you.
The original question was, who makes best tubes listed by the topic starter. Very few manufacturers of tubes remain alive, so if I understood well, the question was, where to source listed tubes.
Did I understand you right, payitforwardeddie?
It's a great big "It depends". The whole 6L6 line (807, 1625, 6BG6) makes for good audio reproduction, but will need help from local NFB to tame the tendency to produce nasty sounding higher order harmonics.
Other types like the 6V6, 6AQ5, 6BQ6GA don't require local NFB since these don't make all that much higher order harmonics. It's almost all h3, and just needs some gNFB to take off the excessive edginess.
Key words there: SE. That also brings up the possibility of different topologies. Something that doesn't work so swell in SE just might do fine PP (the 6BQ6 would be of that type: the really good SE loadlines are well within red plate territory).
As for makes and models, there are just essss-loads to choose from. You're never gonna get any sort of definitive answer, I'm afraid.
Maybe I should have asked " Which is the worst, the make to avoid".😉
I'm off to bed now. Back tomorrow.
I'm off to bed now. Back tomorrow.
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For a 5-20 Mullard design the JJ EL34 has generally worked very well for me, but apparently there have been quality control issues in recent years. Some of my former customers swear by the EH Gold series EL34, and there is always the Winged C (Svetlana) which is a nice tube IMHO.
Like Wavebourne and Azzazello I rarely use anything on your list except the GZ34 which brings me to a point. I've found that placing a UF4007 in series with each plate results in much better longevity as it eliminates the tendency to arc during warm up and during inadvertent hot starts. (power cycle or momentary power failure of a few seconds)
Like Wavebourne and Azzazello I rarely use anything on your list except the GZ34 which brings me to a point. I've found that placing a UF4007 in series with each plate results in much better longevity as it eliminates the tendency to arc during warm up and during inadvertent hot starts. (power cycle or momentary power failure of a few seconds)
Eddie,
As the others have said, so much depends on the circuitry in which the tubes will serve.
You asked for advice about what to avoid. Anything with an Octal base made by JJ is a good place to start.
The list of quality NOS makers is quite incomplete. When in doubt about what to install, RCA is always a safe choice. RCA's competitor and N. NJ neighbor, TungSol, also made some damned fine tubes.
As the others have said, so much depends on the circuitry in which the tubes will serve.
You asked for advice about what to avoid. Anything with an Octal base made by JJ is a good place to start.
The list of quality NOS makers is quite incomplete. When in doubt about what to install, RCA is always a safe choice. RCA's competitor and N. NJ neighbor, TungSol, also made some damned fine tubes.
I was working up to buying russian EL34's, when the government re-convicted that guy for the same crime all over again and sent him back to prison. Fine. I bought JJ big bottle 6CA7's dspite the quality warnngs. JJ is Slovakian, I believe. The matched quad were fine out of the box. One data point does not make a trend. Big bottle 6CA7 is JJ's premium line, they charge a little more for those. Matched quads have been burnt in long enough to get a stable current reading, which should eliminate some infant failures.
I'm sorry azazello i misunderstood your post . I like the transmitting triode 805 tube .
Regards
Regards
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/Sorry for off/.....EL34 is good tube, I had SE EL34 - Mullard, but I told about
BEST guitar and BEST audio sound!
When I listen some tube I wait to found every detail in voices, trumpets, saxs,
acoustic bass.....and I compaire and decide that this or another tube is best for my hears. For me - 2A3, 30P1S, 6S4S, 4P1L, 300B are suitable for my criteria!.....6L6, EL34, KT88 sound very fresh, good, little bit agressive, /6S33S, very agresive/ but not hot and deep like 2A3, 6S4S, 4P1L.....
ECC83 sound clear, but sharp, IMO,.... 5670, 12AU,AT7, russians 6E5P, 6P9, 6N30P are better....
/Sorry for mistakes in my English!/
Regards!
BEST guitar and BEST audio sound!
When I listen some tube I wait to found every detail in voices, trumpets, saxs,
acoustic bass.....and I compaire and decide that this or another tube is best for my hears. For me - 2A3, 30P1S, 6S4S, 4P1L, 300B are suitable for my criteria!.....6L6, EL34, KT88 sound very fresh, good, little bit agressive, /6S33S, very agresive/ but not hot and deep like 2A3, 6S4S, 4P1L.....
ECC83 sound clear, but sharp, IMO,.... 5670, 12AU,AT7, russians 6E5P, 6P9, 6N30P are better....
/Sorry for mistakes in my English!/
Regards!
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I think this is the best comment, so far. It seems, it will depend on my ears so I'll be dictated by my wallet. I am building the amps so that I can try various valves/tubes to get the best performance, eventually.
BTW, may I say to all whose 1st language is not English, you have no need to be sorry for any spelling mistakes. I commend your efforts. Those of us whose 1st language IS English have everything to be sorry for. 😀
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