Hi guys, a good friend has asked me to help him choose 8 X EL84 to replace the original Russian tubes which are now about 11 years old.
He, of course, wants to improve the sound quality by doing this but without spending silly money.
What suggestions, thanks
He, of course, wants to improve the sound quality by doing this but without spending silly money.
What suggestions, thanks
+1 on the JJs. Used them for years, no failures. Heard the basic Electro-Harmonix recently and they're decent too. If the 11 year old tubes have a lot of hours on them than any new set should sound " better". Give the new set 50 hours or so of running before making any SQ conclusions.
Cheers, Steve
I wouldn't buy expensive NOS. Can be flaky. Old tubes are know to go supernova with little provocation. It's happened to me. It's not worth the potential better sound of NOS if a tube dies and takes half the amp with it.
S.
Cheers, Steve
I wouldn't buy expensive NOS. Can be flaky. Old tubes are know to go supernova with little provocation. It's happened to me. It's not worth the potential better sound of NOS if a tube dies and takes half the amp with it.
S.
NOS tubes were produced with better materials than todays tubes. You probably just had bad luck as failure rates of some current brands are quite high.
With Philips EL84 NOS NIB you can’t go wrong.
With Philips EL84 NOS NIB you can’t go wrong.
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The "best" current production EL84/6BQ5 is the "reissue" Gold Lion N709. Two negatives attach to that New Sensor offering: they are expensive and they are abuse intolerant.
I agree with the thinking that JJ's EL84 is the prime candidate, for purchase. However, if a question about how harshly the amp treats the O/P tubes is present, Russian 6Π14Π-EB (6p14p-ev), AKA EL84M, stock gets the nod. The 6Π14Π-EB is a genuine 7189 equivalent that's tougher than old rubber boots, while presenting pretty nice sonics.
I agree with the thinking that JJ's EL84 is the prime candidate, for purchase. However, if a question about how harshly the amp treats the O/P tubes is present, Russian 6Π14Π-EB (6p14p-ev), AKA EL84M, stock gets the nod. The 6Π14Π-EB is a genuine 7189 equivalent that's tougher than old rubber boots, while presenting pretty nice sonics.
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Thanks guys,
I do not know which tubes were provided with the amp. They have a Manley label so could be anything, probably Sovtek which have been reliable and on the occasions I have re-biased the amp via individual pots, were found to be fairly close.
Don't know about JJ EL84's but I had a JJECC81 (12AT7) in a DIY EL84SE and did not hear much. Went back to my fav. Brimar and Telefunken
I do not know which tubes were provided with the amp. They have a Manley label so could be anything, probably Sovtek which have been reliable and on the occasions I have re-biased the amp via individual pots, were found to be fairly close.
Don't know about JJ EL84's but I had a JJECC81 (12AT7) in a DIY EL84SE and did not hear much. Went back to my fav. Brimar and Telefunken
For the price you could start with the Russian 6P14P-EV tubes as they are really cheap and then see if you want something else instead. That's the great thing about the Soviet military, we worried that they were going to annihilate us but instead were making devices that we could use for music in quantities beyond anything they'd ever need.
I agree that the Russian 6P14P-EV are the best first replacements to try.
Rock solid and sound very nice.
I have a range of EL84 / 6BQ5 valves (real Mullards, Philips, Sovteks, Polam/Telam, JJs etc.) and always end up going back the 6P14P-EVs. They are as Eli says ''tough as old boots'', where I have had JJs that change characteristics with moderate use.
Rock solid and sound very nice.
I have a range of EL84 / 6BQ5 valves (real Mullards, Philips, Sovteks, Polam/Telam, JJs etc.) and always end up going back the 6P14P-EVs. They are as Eli says ''tough as old boots'', where I have had JJs that change characteristics with moderate use.
6550 may sound good but they are not compatible with EL84s, Kingtaco.
The Soviet 6P14P-EV have a slightly higher anode dissipation but being a pentode, similar characteristics.
I always fit them to VOX, Fender and the like.
Excellent results at all times and I buy them by the case of 100.
Here is a useful international seller with an excellent record; Siberian-shop, Electronic tubes, ICs, capacitors and sockets
Hopefully that may help.
The Soviet 6P14P-EV have a slightly higher anode dissipation but being a pentode, similar characteristics.
I always fit them to VOX, Fender and the like.
Excellent results at all times and I buy them by the case of 100.
Here is a useful international seller with an excellent record; Siberian-shop, Electronic tubes, ICs, capacitors and sockets
Hopefully that may help.
Hey Larry, thanks for the mention of the TAD EL84 STR. It appears these are a bigger diameter than the regular production but should not be a problem in the Manley amp.
What did you prefer about them compared to the JJ's ? Would you describe the sound as cleaner or is it just more bass they provide?
These are priced at the limit of the budget but manageable. I was told to consider the PSVANE tubes but they are a lot more expensive and another friend had KT88 or KT66 from the same brand and had reliability issues. Out of 8 tubes, 4/monoblock he had 2 failures !
What did you prefer about them compared to the JJ's ? Would you describe the sound as cleaner or is it just more bass they provide?
These are priced at the limit of the budget but manageable. I was told to consider the PSVANE tubes but they are a lot more expensive and another friend had KT88 or KT66 from the same brand and had reliability issues. Out of 8 tubes, 4/monoblock he had 2 failures !
I've been using a pair in a SE amp and four in a PP amp for about 10 months with no issues. Mids and highs are better than the Sovteks and have not noticed a big difference from the JJ's. BTW TAD sources these tubes from China, not sure who makes them.
Larry
Larry
I'll second the TAD EL84-STR. I used them in an RH84SE build and they were the best sounding of several I had rolled.
I think you will find the slightly larger diameter envelopes are a trait of the 6P14P-EV eastern block manufacturer, Svetlana etc. They won't fit some Marshall amps as they require the slimmer Chinese envelopes.
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