I'm addicted to EL34 based tube amps, I need help.

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by sushimaster, Jun 9, 2013.

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  1. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    Both types do a good job. The 34 excels in designs really optimized for it but good practice is to build an amp that can use either.

    I'm listening to 807s right now though. 400V B+, ultralinear through Heyboer p******s clones and a Marantz 8 clone front end. And 12dB feedback: phooey on that open loop nonsense.

    For guitar I prefer 6V6 or 84s for distortion and 6550s for clean.
     
    Funky54 likes this.
  2. wcarroll

    wcarroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Mine have the same tube lineup. Sylvania' s and Tung-Sol' s. I can't remember on the rectifier right now. Didn't the W4AM originally use the 5V4? I really need to pull mine out and exercise them a bit.
     
  3. RDriftwood

    RDriftwood Vintage Member

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    thewho likes this.
  4. RDriftwood

    RDriftwood Vintage Member

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    Both of mine have Sylvania 5V4 GAs. The manual shows 5V4 G.
    I'm currently using mine in my home office and I really like them.
     
  5. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    >>>>>Yes, you are right about that. Its really the only shortcoming of the EL84. There isnt a real heavy "weight" to the sound and the thick bass isnt there, its true.
    But the trade off is that the midrange is 3D And Holographic, and there is a sense of lifelike reproduction. For me, anyway, the trade off is more than worth it. But I dig that not everyone feels this way. Since I listen to 99 % 50s and 60s, the EICO amp is just perfection for me. When I play the Early Beatles LPs (Parlophones) I swear I can hear the sound of the Mullard EL84s that were in the Vox amps they recorded with. Spooky.
     
  6. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    The 84 has a low plate voltage rating and so it's tough to get the 'snap' 4-600V designs give, but if you use enough of them and a suitable transformer decent results are possible. Really, bigger tubes are altogether better for serious fidelity. I would not be very inclined to build a hi-fi amp with them today but the companies do and people like them.
     
  7. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Feeding them a supply of NOS Mullard and Amperex quads can become rather pricey... ;)
     
    Steve Hoffman likes this.
  8. Michael Anderson

    Michael Anderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    I have a Cayin TA 30 (EL 34) integrated amp. It can take 6550,KT88, KT90. Tried them all, but I keep coming back to the EL34 tubes...
     
  9. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    I agree. The midrange can be spooky, especially with Mullard EL84s.
     
  10. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    In my Decware Torii Mk III and Mk II I have been using the JJ 6CA7 in place of the EL34 type with great success. They sound very clear and dynamic and with just the right amount of warmth, especially the cryo'd version from www.cryoset.com

    I'm a big fan of both EL84 and EL34 tubes, but prefer the larger tube for its more extended sound and touch of warmth. Not to mention power output, I have become addicted to the Radial line of speakers from Decware, and in a large-ish room the EL34 amps really make them sing. To be honest, in my Decware amps the 3D nature of the midrange is there with either tube type (I spent a few weeks with my two watt per channel "C" Decware amp in place in the main system while my Torii Mk III was back at the mother ship having Jupiter caps installed; there was no loss of "holographic sound," though the little amp did run out of steam a lot earlier and the bass was less full and also less quick).
     
    beowulf and sushimaster like this.
  11. nm_west

    nm_west Forum Resident

    Location:
    Abq. NM. USA
    The first time I put 6l6gc's in a dynaco 70 was the last time I used el34's.


    Steve
     
  12. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream


    Really decides on the many other factors. Speakers, size of room and source output is going to play a huge role. And of course, the amp itself. My recently purchased Eico HF81 would fool anybody into thinking it's just 14 watts. With Klipsch Cornwalls in a medium sized room, I get a big full sound with terrific bottom. I also have an EL34 amp(Heathkit W-7 50+ watts), plus a Fisher 400 and X-101C. The Eico easily rivals their power. Why? Not sure. Perhaps the restoration on it was better than with my other amps. But in my system, I am missing nothing regarding power or bottom end with this little guy.
     
    morinix likes this.
  13. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    How do you like the Jupiters? Are they the copper foil ones?
     
  14. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    They are the cryo'd bee's wax ones that Steve Deckert has been using in the Toriis at present. Not sure they are copper foil. . . perhaps. Can't access the site right now for some reason to verify.

    I like them a lot, but by the same token I had them done when I moved across the country into a new room and have not heard the stock version in this new room.
     
  15. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    The reason for my asking about the type of foil is that Jupiter caps are made with aluminum foil, but Steve Deckert claims that his are copper foil. I really have no idea why Jupiter is using aluminum foil, as wherever I read a comparison between same caps made with different type foil (aluminum vs copper), every single time people preferred copper. If Jupiter switched to copper foil, I would be interested, too.
     
  16. sushimaster

    sushimaster Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I'm intrigued by the VAC clone of the Marantz 8B.
    Being that it's newer, the components should be fresher and the price seems much lower than an original 8B.
    Also the JJ Cryo 6CA7's have my interest as well. I like the fat bottle design.
    And I would like to try them as an affordable alternative to NOS Sylvanias.​

     
  17. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues


    I didn't remember him claiming that they are copper or aluminum. . . . Interesting. Is it possible Steve had them build copper foil for him? I would think unlikely. He may be saying copper when it's aluminum. Bears investigation. Right now the Decware site seems to be down.
     
  18. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Is that the Guitar Center model? :D
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Guitar Center vs. Glass Case, either way, it's the one in the non-metal casing! :^)
     
  20. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    The early ones did, yes. If you have an early McIntosh MC30, look at the markings. Mine say 1614/6L6. The oldest just say 1614, the last ones made say 6L6GC. I have a quartet of NOS RCA Radiotron 1614s and I tried them in the Mac amps. They sound great but not as good as my GE Midrange Magic beasts.
     
  21. RDriftwood

    RDriftwood Vintage Member

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    Steve,
    How do you feel about NOS RCA black plate 6L6GCs?
     
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I have 20 NOS RCA 6L6GC Black Plate tubes. In the McIntosh MC30, I like the GE better because I like the holographic midband of the GE. The RCA is too hi fi sounding for that amp. When I play ON AN EVENING IN ROMA on the Dean Martin "Collector's Series" CD mixed by RF, with the GE tubes in place one can clearly hear the organ on the song bouncing off the back wall of the studio. With the RCAs in place, that illusion is lost.

    Now, for my Fender guitar amps that use a 6L6GC, the RCA Black Plate is the KING!
     
    coffeecupman, RDriftwood and morinix like this.
  23. RDriftwood

    RDriftwood Vintage Member

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    Thanks! That's good to know. I bought a matched quad of NOS RCA black plates a few years ago for my '64 blond Fender Showman. I'll just plan on leaving them there.
     
    www.records likes this.
  24. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    I have a pair of those GE Midrange Magic 6L6GC beasts in my Fisher 500 mono. Beautiful tubes...
     
    Steve Hoffman likes this.
  25. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    It's a better unit than the original if the truth be told.
     
    sushimaster likes this.
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