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EL34 SHOOT OUT!

Posted by Michael Samra (D) on May 17, 2013 at 01:01:05

I hope I don't cause a stir but here it goes..A few weeks ago I tested a bunch of 6550/KT88s and now I got some thoughts on part of my collection of EL34s.The LPS used for the test was Ahmed Jamal Rossiter road,and of course Jazz at the Pawnshop.YMMV
The amp I used is an Eico HF87,treated to the McShane power supply upgrades along with a 1.5hy choke in place of the 50 ohm resistor,vitaminQ .22 couplers to the EL34s,and Russian Teflons for decoupling.I'm using a 500 ohm resistor on each output tube bypassed with a 100uf muse kz.
This is one hell of a nice sounding amp,especially when I run RCA 6L6gc black plates or the 6P3SEs.
This post is about EL34s tho so lets get to it.The tubes I have run in this test are as follows
Wing C EL34s, Amperex sq DD EL34s.Mullard XF1 EL34s,Mullard XF2 dual halo EL34s,Mullard XF2 single halo EL34s,Groove Tubes E34LS, JJ E34L,EH 6CA7s, EI EL34s, Telefunken five staple EL34s,RFT EL34s,Metal base Philips, Genelex RI KT77s.

I only laid out 2 of some of them as I ran out of room where I snapped the photo but here is what I had found..I did the test on my New Form research ribbons because these are easy to drive and the Citation 2s which I have driving the Martin logans as mono amps,don't use EL34s.
Basically I have found that most of the vintage type EL34s have a similar sound.Nice,natural midrange and lower highs,but they thin out on the top and bottom octaves.The Mullard XF1s were decent at first,but the longer I listened,not only were the upper and lower octaves gone,but the tubes cast a slight smear over the whole musical experience.The XF2 dual halos were also great at first listen but as time wore on,they put me to sleep with a sloppy overcast.
The SEDs seems to take a little more pride in the music and seem to be more suited to HIFI as the Mullards were more suited to guitar or vocals.The EIs you see are supposed to be a telefunken copy..THey didn't impress me one bit..They sounded sterile.
Now comes the Amperex DD getter.These have more energy and better detail than the British Mullards, and don't seem to suffer with as much of that overcast as the mullards.There is some tho.
When I plugged in the Metal Base Phillips EL34s,they sounded more quiet with nice backgrounds and while they had more clarity than the others,they still lacked that real energy we have come to expect in a full range audio system.
The Telefunken five staple with the pupils sounded very debonair also but again,no upper and lower energy.
Now comes the RFTs or Siemens,these tend to be more lean,but they definitely have more detail and upper octave energy than any of the mullard EL34s..Some people like that,and some don't.
When I stuck in the Groove tubes E34LS,the power factor in these tubes really solved a lot of the inherent problems of the EL34 such as focus,and upper and lower detail.The JJ E34L was similar,but it had less power as its only a 25 watt tube vs the 30watt rating of the E34LS.
The EH 6CA7s are a dam nice tube..They have a fuller sound but not perfect on the level of refinement..Very circuit dependent.
The Reissue Gen KT77 is the whole point of my post.This tube does it all...Its natural,its detailed,its smooth,it has rhythm,and there is focus and clarity much like the KT66 or 6L6gc black plates,and they make lots of power.This tube looks and drives like an EL34 however,it has become one of my most favorite tubes..It presents in spades,everything the EL34 lacks..Anyone that doesn't try this tube in their EL34 amp,is wasting a musical treat AFAIC..It's that good.
All my tubes used in this test were matched with no less than 450v on the plate and -43 control grid thru a 10 ohm cathode resistor..All were strong with no shorts,gas,or leakage.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

Edits: 05/17/13 05/17/13 11/29/14 10/06/15

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