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In Reply to: RE: EL-34 Recommendation posted by raindances on October 14, 2015 at 14:21:47
Like I said, I've come to realize I LIKE EL34's and that big golden midrange.
I understand why others like the KT66,-88's. But I don't want to thin out the midrange any more than I already have.
And yes - I am impressed Shuguangs. A very linear and lively tube. With few if any flaws.
charles
Follow Ups:
What caps did you use in your amp? PIO's?
Yep, Russion PIO
O.K. You want to ask Bob Latino about where to use some carbon comp resistors. They can add some vintage midrange magic.
This has nothing to do with tone, it has to do with freedom from defects and failures.
And I know how to use carbon comp resistors, but thanks for the info in any case!
The post was for Charles not you. I am using the JJ tubes in single ended amps and the demands on the tube may be less. Blanket statements about anything are useless. If you don't care to sell JJ tubes..no big deal.
I want you to understand something - I used to sell them! I sold the E34L, the terrific red base 6L6GC, etc. But I had to stop when I found reject rates of over 25% on some of my orders - one occasion the reject rate was 50%! I would be delighted to sell JJ product - but not if it means selling suspect quality stuff.
I'd love to have it to sell again, that's for sure.
My initial response was directed to Eli and his perfunctory JJ sucks post. It does appear that the QC issues are behind JJ today. If I were a dealer and had been disappointed in the past I may not bother with the line either. Yes, there may be some old stock out there with issues so you have to be sure you are getting newer production tubes.
There are a couple I would suggest you try. The fattest midrange I use is the Electro Harmonix big bottle 6CA7. A 6CA7 is an EL34. The second which doesn't get much notice is the JJ E34L Blue or Red bottle. I like the blue but not sure it matters. E34L is not a typo, that is the tube it's slightly larger than their regular JJ EL34.
Steve
When it's properly made, the JJ E34L is excellent. Run them with a bit more "idle" current than other variants.
Unfortunately, JJ has had serious QC issues among all of their Octal production. Can a good E34L set be sourced reliably? It would be very nice if JJ gets its act together and ships good Octal tubes. New Sensor needs the goad competition provides.
Eli D.
Eli, this is 2015 and the issues with new JJ octals are nil. :-)
I don't agree, and neither does one of my competitors who has a very good reputation - Kevin Deal/Upscale Audio. He and I agree the JJ tube quality is not good. You can read his thoughts on his site.
My standard is this - if I won't use it in my own gear, I won't sell it.
O.K. Kevin doesn't like/sell them but I got some KT77's recently from a dealer that does test them, nice pins and no issues. No one expects a dealer to carry every tube line.
See the thread below. Many of the tubes are JJ's. Seems like they are more aligned with the guitar guys though. I have no skin in the game nor an axe to grind.
"Eli, this is 2015 and the issues with new JJ octals are nil."
Tell that to Jim McShane. When Jim starts selling JJ Octals again, I'll think about using them. For the past few years, JJ's Octal production has been untrustworthy.
The Jamona plant can make good Octal tubes, numerous examples from the not so recent past are known. The will to make and ship good Octals needs demonstration. What seem to be "floor sweepings" are what's available in the U.S.A.
Eli D.
Yes, the E34L can sound good. Using a couple in a single ended amp right now. But QC stinks and they tend to have thin pins. The 6CA7 is a good suggestion. Darker sounding than the Chinese EL34.
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