SLO guys please....?

[hopkinWFG]

i wonder how many of the SLO user would prefer the 5881 or 6l6 tubes ? i wonder which would sound more pissed and aggressive tight and sweet... if so which brand would be the prefered choice ? and what PV are you setting it up for the best tone ? i heard typically SLO runs like 506VDC and requires a tube production which can handle max 700VDC ...

 

[Clayspun]

I thought 5881's and 6l6 were the same thing, just a different name?

 

[SBlue]

Tried a few different options, brands, of 6l6 and 5881. Stuck with what they design the amp with... Sovtek 5881. It's almost 8 years and I didn't regret a bit.

 

[Deanmachine]

I used the 5881 but threw an RFT 12ax7 in the first preamp slot that tamed some of the fizz .

 

[TrueTone500]

I prefer SED =C= 6L6's (or =C= EL34's) in an SLO.

 

[OUTLAW1969]

I prefer SED =C= 6L6's (or =C= EL34's) in an SLO.

^
THIS


I have tried a few different brands of 6L6's, but I truly liked the SED's the best, for my tastes, in my SLO.

Old stock ones can still be found, but once they become a matched quad, they get REALLY expensive. Sadly, they will probably reach unicorn status and be a myth to the newer generation. But for now, they can still be had.......just check the matching when you receive them. I have bought several quads, and probably sent 1/3 of them back for ridiculous "matching".

 

[Racerxrated]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

 

[marshallmel]

I tried the wafer bottoms on SLOGriff's recommendation and didn't like them as much as the Groove Tubes that were in it when I got it. Go figure.

 

[SLOgriff]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

 

[hopkinWFG]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

thanks looks like 5881WGC wafer base or coin base is the way to go... may i know whats the expected PV like ? being settled at 26-28mA ?

 

[SLOgriff]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

thanks looks like 5881WGC wafer base or coin base is the way to go... may i know whats the expected PV like ? being settled at 26-28mA ?

Plate voltage is in the 500''s I believe. That bias range will yield great results. The SLO is so finicky with tubes....ive spent hours with the front grill off swapping out preamp tubes!

 

[hopkinWFG]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

thanks looks like 5881WGC wafer base or coin base is the way to go... may i know whats the expected PV like ? being settled at 26-28mA ?

Plate voltage is in the 500''s I believe. That bias range will yield great results. The SLO is so finicky with tubes....ive spent hours with the front grill off swapping out preamp tubes!

thanks for sharing !! but what preamp you suggest ?

 

[SLOgriff]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

thanks looks like 5881WGC wafer base or coin base is the way to go... may i know whats the expected PV like ? being settled at 26-28mA ?

Plate voltage is in the 500''s I believe. That bias range will yield great results. The SLO is so finicky with tubes....ive spent hours with the front grill off swapping out preamp tubes!

thanks for sharing !! but what preamp you suggest ?

I like JJ 12ax7's with Sovtek LP in V2 and V5. Seems to have the right amount of sizzle and smoothness for both channels.

 

[TrueTone500]

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Sovtek wafer bottom 5881s. Cheap, plentiful and Mike recommends them. Tried a few other sets including Cs and to me the wafers sounded best.

Ivd tried a few different kinds and always go back to the Sovtek wafer bottoms. Biased to 26-28ma and you're rockin like Dokken!!

thanks looks like 5881WGC wafer base or coin base is the way to go... may i know whats the expected PV like ? being settled at 26-28mA ?

Set the bias with your ears... 5881 (wafers) can handle a ton of abuse. The PI (V5) valve has a huge influence over your output, so experiment there. I prefer an SLO setup with a 12ax7 (v1) - 5751 (v2) - 12ax7 (v3) - 12ax7 (v4) - 5751 (v5pi). If you like gain tones with a touch more clarity, definitely try a 5751 in V2.

 

[zewango]

Sovtek sounded best to me.

 

[hopkinWFG]

thanks guys !!

 

[se7en]

Cool to hear that the Sovtek's are well regarded.

 

[FourT6and2]

Mine is a clone. But I do like the TAD 6L6WGC-STR. The Sovtek 5881 are good I guess. A little harsh though.

 

[Shark Diver]

I've got 3, and 5881s, 6l6 and KT 66 in them respectively. Different preamp tubes for each as well.

I think the closest to stock that would kind of be Mike's vision is 5881s with Shuguang 12AX7C
8th Generation Chinese.

 

[hopkinWFG]

I've got 3, and 5881s, 6l6 and KT 66 in them respectively. Different preamp tubes for each as well.

I think the closest to stock that would kind of be Mike's vision is 5881s with Shuguang 12AX7C
8th Generation Chinese.

what ? 3 SLO100? you probably like them so much that with each different type tube that gain slightly different tone and feel huh ? am interested in the diff using kt66 as the tube looks typically huge... is the kt66 direct replacement of the 5881 ? how you set the mA and PV per tube for your kt66 ?