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In Reply to: Re: Best current production EL34 type tube? posted by LowRedMoon on April 3, 2007 at 07:24:27:
Maybe I should have rephrased my question. Of all the tubes that will work AS an EL34, which are the best. I am using JJ E34L's right now which seem to be quite good but I suppose they were not mentioned because they are not EL34? I want to be more clear I am interested in any possible tubes for the power stage of my amp, and old Luxman LX-33.
Follow Ups:
All matched quads. Dates are when purchased.Tesla E34L (1996): Sounded good but one flamed out in my Rogue Atlas on the first day of listening, so not enough of an audition with varied material.
JJ E34BL blue glass (2007): Very rich sound and midrange excellence is deserved. Good lows and highs too. Slightly brighter than I expected.
Ruby/China EL34BSTR (2007): Short listen to test but very pleasing. Quite nice build quality, better than I expected. A good value price-wise at least for me as they were "on sale".
Sovtek EL34G (mid-90s): Very flat, dull sound. Crackles and pops in background. Discontinued and with good reason. Successor also discontinued.
JJ KT77 (2007): Excellent, clear, rich sound without excessive overtones. Very slight noise (hiss). Short listen to test in Rogue Atlas. First set one tube flamed out after several days of listening.
e-h 6CA7EH (2007): Living in my Rogue Atlas and producing the best sound overall. Noticeably extended, deep low end and smooth, seemingly flat high end. Very quiet. This is the one I will stick with for the time being.
e-h EL34EH (2007): Also excellent. Very close to their 6CA7, but with a less prominant bottom and slightly brighter high end. Very quiet. This would be my second choice among those above if I had to choose.
I am using a newer version of the JJ E34L, it is fine but a little bassy. What EL34 or equiv. has the most clarity and details while still being harmonically rich. Should I try the SED's?
I had the Tesla E34L's in my Dynaco Mk IV amps, when one went bad I was unable to get new Tesla's and ended up with the SED winged "C" EL34's. In comparison the Tesla sounded thin and less detailed, rather "blah", the SED's are dymanic and extended.
Hi,Based on this thread I bought the SED EL34's and I am really happy with the sound compared to the JJ's. I was mainly looking for more detail and less bass/midbass and it did the trick for sure. I really like these SED's, it sounds warm and mellow with lots of details and swirling harmonics. The JJ's were okay too but just not as detailed and more low end.
Now I am wondering about biasing the tubes because I don't have any special tools and this is a vintage amp that is not self-biasing. I just popped them in basically and everything sounds fine, normal levels of distortion, etc. Do I need to bring the amp in to the shop to adjust the bias, ac and dc balance settings? It also uses 2 12au7 tubes and 1 6a8q which I guess are driver tubes/phase inverter, and these somehow are involved with the bias or something, I think.
Anyway it sounds fine.. can I avoid the work and hassle of bringing my amp?
I can only suggest that the e-h 6CA7EH or EL34EH might satisfy you.
Clarity/details/harmonically rich are attributes everyone seems to want!
One good thing is that the EL34 family of tubes are not expensive so maybe you should buy and try a couple or three you think might be good and experiment.
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