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Wanted to get some opinions. I have Manley Snapper mono amps with independent biasing. I need 8 and found a guy who has 9 Mullard XF2 Single getter that I can get for $1000.
To me that's a lot of money, but considering my system and amps, I just might go for it. He said 6 of the 9 are NOS and 3 are used but within spec.
My amp plate is about 600 volt I think and he confirmed I should be able to bias all at 300ma
He is a tube dealer.
Can any offer advise....I had another dealer tell me to get the Reissue Mullard EL34 from Slovakia? for $80/pr
Follow Ups:
+3 or 4 on the Black Bottle 6Ca7 Treasures FWIW, I use a quad in my Dodd and they are pretty special compared to others I have tried.
Before I dropped a kilo buck on tubes for your amps, I would be more interested in upgrading the coupling caps in the Manley. The OE caps are OK, but there are some really good caps out there if you have 1K burning a hole in your pocket. They may give you a bigger bang for the buck than any NOS tube.
Hi fin,
I also have a pair of Snappers but don't have experience with brand options within tube type to offer any suggestions.
However I can offer this general guideline from discussions with Manley . When the Snappers were introduced they were shipped with EL-34s. At some point they found reliability problems so switched to EH 6CA7s (as I have in mine). More recently they found reliable EL-34s and changed back to them in production. This tells me they believe the EL-34 is preferable when decent tubes are used.
One other possibly small point if you experiment. With 6CA7s they recommend a 12AX7, while EL-34s should be matched with 12AT7.
When I need to retube I expect to try EL-34s.
"You can't know what the "best" is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn't any such thing." HP
and they do sound good. I found these - Shuguang Treasure 6CA7-Z
Those Treasure black bottle tubes are great, better than the Mullards in my amp to me.
Agree with what the others have said; Mullard XF2 are great guitar tubes not so great hi fi tubes IMO. I have a few quads and they almost never make it into my Rogue amp, they lack extension at both ends(but the middle IS nice). I prefer the JJ KT77 and EH 6CA7 as reasonable cost alternatives.. The best EL34/6CA7 I have tried is the black bottle Treasure tubes. I have not tried the Psvane tubes, but given how good their KT88 is, I would expect them to be very good (but they probably cost like the Mullards). Many swear by the "Gold Lion" KT77 but I have not tried it.
Add to all this the concern if the Mullards are truly NOS. On the positive side, if they are or very lightly used, they are a tough, long lasting tube.
What tubes are you using now?
And lastly, while it is a little taboo, there may be merit in exploring a little "mix and matching". For each block, as you probably know, 4 tubes is actually 2 pairs, and each pair handles the top or bottom half of the sound wave for that channel. Some have experimented with mixed pairs and mixed sound signatures (all the while respecting electrical specs, of course). It doesn't always work out but it may be worth considering and testing in the future.
You have a lot of options for $1000 and the Mullard's are being priced on rarity. I'd pass. YMMV.
I believe Michael Samra has several xf2 as well, but prefers a current production over them. Forgot which one, but I am sure he will advise you if you contact him.
As far as I remember, he prefers Russian 6P3SE's...
Just a footnote. Michael doesn't seem to be a fan of the EL34 sound.
What have you been using thus far for tubes?
Well, depending on the amp, some would say the old stock Mullards lack some extension in the highs and definition in the absolute lows. The mids are magic, but the amp will define what happens at the extremities. My experience reflects that, but it's not as severe as I'm making it out to be. That said, some input from others would be necessary to confirm what results you should expect going from your current tubes to OS Mullards.
An important fact to consider is that 600V that you pointed out. I can't find a schematic for the amp, so I can't determine if it has a regulated screen supply (so, something more in the 400V ranges versus 600V to the plate; easier on tubes, extends their service life by quite a bit). This design factor is a major determinant to how the amp will perform with ANY EL34. By spec, an EL34 screen is rated for 500V. Old stock EL34s should perform well, but it's still an abusive operating point (especially for lower-ranged EL34s).
And, honestly, at $1000, I wouldn't bother with OS Mullards. For the same $1000, at $25-30 for a decent new production tube, you could buy 3-4 different octets and get a supplier's guarantee to boot. I would get whole sets of new production EL34s, starting with New Sensor's Mullards TungSols, and the Preferred Series from TubeStore.
Also, if you're not against spending $50 a tube, I and many others stand by the Gold Lion KT77. They're drop-in compatible with EL34 amps, they have great definition across the board, and they take TONS of punishment. There's still an awesome midrange, the lows and highs are extend where the EL34 does not, and there's a slight 6L6 quality to the overall presentation of the sound. And, I can attest that these tubes will operate just fine in your amp. I've run these tubes past 550V on the screens and plates on a decent signal load, and I had no screen glow or red plating whatsoever.
And lastly, while it is a little taboo, there may be merit in exploring a little "mix and matching". For each block, as you probably know, 4 tubes is actually 2 pairs, and each pair handles the top or bottom half of the sound wave for that channel. Some have experimented with mixed pairs and mixed sound signatures (all the while respecting electrical specs, of course). It doesn't always work out but it may be worth considering and testing in the future.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
May your tubes be lively, warm, and long-lasting. Holy be thy heater.
Output tubes 6CA7 I think EH. I checked the manual - Output
B+ Voltage: 570V DC
I'm using it with Wilson 8 speakers and listen to
70% Classic Rock
15% Blues
10% Jazz
5% Clasical
Also my main source is Vinyl.
Also from the manualThe Ultra-Linear output stage topology lowers output impedance presented to the
loudspeaker while boosting the amplifier's tolerance of varying load impedance. Low levels of noise, distortion, and
negative feedback are partnered with the naturally high dynamic range of tube electronics which makes the Snapper
really jump to life.
Edits: 11/23/15
What do you find lacking with the current tubes? I really like EH 6ca7's in my stereo stuff. So much so that I saved my "good" EL34's for my Marshalls and have no desire to try a set of Gold Lion KT77's.
Did he mean 30mA per tube? If so, this is kinda low for an Class AB1 amp. Should be closer to 40mA at 600VDC.
That's what the BIAS should be set on my amps....
I haven't seen a good quad of Mullard EL34s, in ten years. I hope those are truly good tubes, for that price. I have heard quite a few bad NOS Mullards, in that time.
Have you tried seeking out 1990-2000 era Svetlana SV-EL34s? These are very good tubes, which last. The 1990s era JJ E34L are also quite good. As are very hard-to-find 1980s Tesla E34L.
I have not tried the latest GL KT-77. Several Marshall amp guys love this tube. Seem rugged, well-built.
For the few EL34 guitar amps that I've redone -- I've used GE STR-6CA7. They lack the original Mullard warmth, but they last. EH 6CA7 are good, tough tubes.
Good luck with those Mullards. I'd definitely make sure that the amp is biased and stable (good screen resistors), healthy PSU, & bias circuit.
8^)
Fender, how about the brown base Tesla EL34's? They are my fav.
How do the EH 6CA7's compare to the GE's in a guitar amp? Do they do the Eddie Van Halen thing?
Tesla EL34, of the 1960-70s were awesome tubes. Brown based EL34 & black based E34L are the only sub-types I've used. Some sounded better than xF2 (IMHO). Metal based xF1 are still my favorite in Marshall amps.The GE 6CA7 are tough tubes. Need a bit of break-in. They kinda make a tone like the GE 7581A. Big sound. The EH 6CA7 are not as potent sounding. But, pretty tough tubes.
Edits: 11/23/15
I agree about the Tesla's sounding better than XF2's. I've never had the pleasure of knowing that I was playing though some xf1's. If they are better than the Tesla's they must be fantastic.
I'll have to try EH 6CA7's in a guitar amp sometime. If I don't like it I can just use em in something Stereo. I actually re-Americanized a JCM800 using Chinese 6550a's and was surprised how it turned out. Did the ACDC thing and early thrash metal easily. With the guitar turned down it did good clean for a Marshall.
Do you have any opinions on Ei nipple topped EL34's? I remember that the came with Marshalls for a while for a bit before they switched over to 5881's but I can't remember if they were any good or not.
I liked fat bottle Ei 6CA7's.
Sorry, no experience with this tube.
I sought the famous Mullard XF2 but had to settle for XF3s if I am recalling correctly, to lazy to look through my tubes to be certain. They just weren't all that spectacular in the 40 watt PP EL-34 amp I had been using at the time. As all are saying the frequency extension is poor both on top and bottom. I put them away and went back to my JJ E34L blue glass tubes which are really quite good and have more bass than your standard EL-34.
I haven't tried the GL KT-77s but I will if the opportunity arises.
I use the fat bottle Electro Harmonix 6CA7s in my tube mono block Cyber 800s from Opera Consonance. They are simply awesome and I rarely use that expression. They sound like they have twice the power they say they have. If you want a big sound a powerful sound the big bottle EH 6CA7 is the way to go.
As for your question-$1,000 is much too much. If you still feel like you must try the NOS Mullards ask if he will let you listen to some used ones he has. I doubt he'll do it but you never know.
Steve
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