EL34 and 6L6 new production tubes... Tung-Sol or Sovtek?

[skullfxr]

Tung-Sol 6L6 STR or Sovtek 6L6WXT+?

Going in Mesa and vintage Fenders.

Mullard EL34 or Tung-Sol EL34B (New Production)

I am looking at tube depot and the guys are always very good to me and they are similar price.

Is the $1.50 burn in worth it? Logically wouldn't they likely be more reliable that way?

 

[napalmdeath]

Neither. JJ all the way.

Do you need just a pair? I have some Tungsol 6L6GC-STR's I can send you. Maybe 10 hours on them.

I do like the Tungsol EL34B's, though. I'm just a KT77 guy.

I also have a quad of JJ 6CA7's laying around, as well as a pair of JJ E34L's.

 

[Samhain]

Ive used Tube Depot for years on/off. Never had an issue.
Sovtek 6L6WXT+ are outstanding in Mesa amps.
Both the Mullard RI & Tungsol EL-34 are nice.
Ive always done the matching & burn-in with quads.

 

[the4thlast1]

I like JJ tubes in general but I dont love there 6L6s . In the right amp I guess they could work very well . The JJs are dark and smooth with strong lowend. The Sovtek wxt+ is a better match for the Mesa IMO. The fender Im not sure . The Tad 6l6gc-str is a nice sounding 6l6 aswell. My limited experience with the short bottle 6l6s like the Tungsol seemed to have pronounced midrange and less headroom.

 

[napalmdeath]

I like JJ tubes in general but I dont love there 6L6s . In the right amp I guess they could work very well . The JJs are dark and smooth with strong lowend. The Sovtek wxt+ is a better match for the Mesa IMO. The fender Im not sure . The Tad 6l6gc-str is a nice sounding 6l6 aswell. My limited experience with the short bottle 6l6s like the Tungsol seemed to have pronounced midrange and less headroom.

I agree with the TAD for the Mesa.

 

[Racerxrated]

I like JJ tubes in general but I dont love there 6L6s . In the right amp I guess they could work very well . The JJs are dark and smooth with strong lowend. The Sovtek wxt+ is a better match for the Mesa IMO. The fender Im not sure . The Tad 6l6gc-str is a nice sounding 6l6 aswell. My limited experience with the short bottle 6l6s like the Tungsol seemed to have pronounced midrange and less headroom.

I agree with the TAD for the Mesa.

There’s really no other option other than vintage 415s(Sylvanias). TADs will give you the best tone.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Tung Sol STR's are nice and squishy. Very vintage sound and feel. They're warm, and smooth in the top end and the lows are more emphatic in the low-mid/high-low side of the spectrum than the uber deep lows other 6L6's have.

Sovtek WXT+'s are brighter with an emphasis on high mids compared to other 6L6's. They're pretty nice in metal amps because they sound aggressive, yet tight because, while they do have a solid low-end, they're a bit scooped in the low mids.

I'd go Tung Sol for the vintage Fenders and Sovtek for the Mesas.

I can't say I agree with the JJ 6L6 suggestion. I'd rather go Russian for tone and reliability. Tung Sol STR if you want warm/squishy/vintage or Sovtek WXT or Electro Harmonix if you want modern/tight/aggressive.

 

[the4thlast1]

Tung Sol STR's are nice and squishy. Very vintage sound and feel. They're warm, and smooth in the top end and the lows are more emphatic in the low-mid/high-low side of the spectrum than the uber deep lows other 6L6's have.

Sovtek WXT+'s are brighter with an emphasis on high mids compared to other 6L6's. They're pretty nice in metal amps because they sound aggressive, yet tight because, while they do have a solid low-end, they're a bit scooped in the low mids.

I'd go Tung Sol for the vintage Fenders and Sovtek for the Mesas.

I can't say I agree with the JJ 6L6 suggestion. I'd rather go Russian for tone and reliability. Tung Sol STR if you want warm/squishy/vintage or Sovtek WXT or Electro Harmonix if you want modern/tight/aggressive.

Yup the Sovtek Wxt+ has a nice upper mid bite to them that works well with amps that have a big lowend like Mesas and Peaveys.

 

[napalmdeath]

I found the Tungsols kinda bland. I had them in a Randall that were new, and ditched them for the JJ's, for big, tight lows. I've yet to have a reliability issue with JJ 6L6's in over 15 years. Only problem I've ever had was with their ECC83's.

If OP just needs a pair, he can have the Tungsols free. That's how I feel about them. They may be a good fit for the Mesa, since they lack lows, but a Mesa is already squishy enough. I'd go with the TAD's.

 

[SpiderWars]

Tung Sol STR's are nice and squishy. Very vintage sound and feel. They're warm, and smooth in the top end and the lows are more emphatic in the low-mid/high-low side of the spectrum than the uber deep lows other 6L6's have.

Sovtek WXT+'s are brighter with an emphasis on high mids compared to other 6L6's. They're pretty nice in metal amps because they sound aggressive, yet tight because, while they do have a solid low-end, they're a bit scooped in the low mids.

I'd go Tung Sol for the vintage Fenders and Sovtek for the Mesas.

I can't say I agree with the JJ 6L6 suggestion. I'd rather go Russian for tone and reliability. Tung Sol STR if you want warm/squishy/vintage or Sovtek WXT or Electro Harmonix if you want modern/tight/aggressive.

I pretty much agree with all of this except I like TADs more in Mesa, the Sovtek more in a SLO, Electro Harmonix in Marshall.

 

[skullfxr]

Well I placed the order for two octets of tubes, one octet Tung-Sol 6L6 STR and one octet of Sovtek 6L6WXT+'s.

I am stocking up atm. In the next few weeks, I will be getting a fuck ton of EL34's.

Also shout out to napalmdeath for the hookup on his spares.

 

[CEG85]

Ive been running running Tung SoL el34's in the Rivera, for about 2 years with no problems. (purchased from Tubedepot)
All the new sensor tubes are being built in Russia, so quality will be the same across the board, just slightly different construction with different brands.
I opt for the burn in. Its only $1.50 per tube so I figure why not.

i like JJ tubes, especially the EL34II