Which EL34 tubes?

[born_hard]

Hi,

i`m gonna replace some EL34 tubes in my amp. Which ones are nowadays good sounding, reliable and not too pricey?
Do you have experiences with the JJ EL34-2?
http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/EL34- ... JJ-EL34-II

 

[Chester Nimitz]

Tungsol EL-34B


Get them from Laura.

http://store.valvequeen.com/tung-sol-el34-b

 

[blackba]

I am curious about the new Sensor Mullard Labeled EL34's. Haven't read much about them.

http://www.dougstubes.com/power-tubes/e ... -el34.html

 

[SFW]

I just installed a set of Ruby EL34STRs in my Splawn Quick Rod and have been happy with the results.

 

[just42dave]

eh 6ca7 have always done me well

 

[mooncobra]

I am curious about the new Sensor Mullard Labeled EL34's. Haven't read much about them.

http://www.dougstubes.com/power-tubes/e ... -el34.html

I have some of the new Mullarda in my Masotti x100m and they are great!

 

[HilltopExplosion]

Hi,

i`m gonna replace some EL34 tubes in my amp. Which ones are nowadays good sounding, reliable and not too pricey?
Do you have experiences with the JJ EL34-2?
http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/EL34- ... JJ-EL34-II

What amp do you have?

 

[Racerxrated]

JJ 34Ls can be decent in a Marshall. Never bought new though, and I always swap them out for older tubes that I have stashed away. EH6CA7s came in an amp I had recently and they sounded just as good as the Vintage tubes I put in there. It was a Jubilee.

 

[FourT6and2]

My favorite EL34s are NOS RFT. Modern EH EL34s sound very similar and are cheap and reliable. I've tried pretty much every EL34 and they will all sound pretty similar, depending on the amp. I find Ruby EL34s to be reliable but kinda bright and peaky. It's all personal preference, but I prefer a strong, aggressive mid range. Not a fan of "bright" or "smooth" tubes. Winged C were great. But they are no more. JJ are ok I guess for an average, dark tone. Good for Marshalls. I haven't tried the Tung Sol though. But I've heard good things from other people.

You could also try a 6CA7 or KT77. But they are like a mix of 6L6, with a bit more of an extended high end.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

My favorite EL34s are NOS RFT. Modern EH EL34s sound very similar and are cheap and reliable. I've tried pretty much every EL34 and they will all sound pretty similar, depending on the amp. I find Ruby EL34s to be reliable but kinda bright and peaky. It's all personal preference, but I prefer a strong, aggressive mid range. Not a fan of "bright" or "smooth" tubes. Winged C were great. But they are no more. JJ are ok I guess for an average, dark tone. Good for Marshalls. I haven't tried the Tung Sol though. But I've heard good things from other people.

You could also try a 6CA7 or KT77. But they are like a mix of 6L6, with a bit more of an extended high end.

The Tungsol & =C= SED [not svetlana] are in the same vein.

I though there would be no life after =C="s but EL-34B Tungsols i like better.

 

[Racerxrated]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

 

[FourT6and2]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

Seimens = RFT

 

[the4thlast1]

I went through a phase and tried most of the new production EL34s , Mullard, TungSol, EH, Ruby, JJ , TAD etc........My favorites are the TADs and JJ EL34 not the E34Ls , there is a difference the regular EL34 version is smoother and tighter with less bass.

 

[lespaul6]

Ive been using the JJ E34L's in my wizards but tried a quad of JJ 6CA7's yesterday and they sound really good too. Tight push back and breathy...not too much bass or highs and balanced overall on the eq.

 

[sjk]

Have been running all JJ el34 and older Winged C el34's the last 4 years but recently picked up some of the TAD el34bstr and some Tung Sol el34's from Valvequeen with her burnin and I like em both better than the JJ el34 but I think I prefer the tung sol, just not sure yet how long they will last...but the TAD are supposed to be very reliable.

 

[Racerxrated]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

Seimens = RFT

Aren't there east v west Seimens? RFT=east Germany, Siemens=west Germany? Not that it matters much. Lol
Thought I read that somewhere. Either way, they sound great. Have some Rivera labeled Seimens that a buddy gave me, he's gone all 6550/KT88. Gotta like free vintage tubes.

 

[sjk]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

Seimens = RFT

Aren't there east v west Seimens? RFT=east Germany, Siemens=west Germany? Not that it matters much. Lol
Thought I read that somewhere. Either way, they sound great. Have some Rivera labeled Seimens that a buddy gave me, he's gone all 6550/KT88. Gotta like free vintage tubes.

Send em to me, I've never bought NOS...always too chicken shit to drop the coin and scared to buy them off ebay

 

[Racerxrated]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

Seimens = RFT

Aren't there east v west Seimens? RFT=east Germany, Siemens=west Germany? Not that it matters much. Lol
Thought I read that somewhere. Either way, they sound great. Have some Rivera labeled Seimens that a buddy gave me, he's gone all 6550/KT88. Gotta like free vintage tubes.

Send em to me, I've never bought NOS...always too chicken shit to drop the coin and scared to buy them off ebay

I've always looked for 'test strong' tubes from sellers with good feedback..way cheaper..never had a power tube go yet although I can tell my Mullard pair isnt as strong as 3-4 yrs ago. Doug's or KCA are good to buy from and they have 'ANOS' tubes..used but test strong. Got a pair of 6L6GC Sylvania's from KCA and they sound great in my Mesa. Some of the pre amp tubes have only lasted a year or so but I still got some good use out of them. Have a pair of Amperex 12ax7s that I've used for 5 years now, fired up every day for at least an hour. Gigs not that often anymore but I think I paid 50 for the pair?

 

[FourT6and2]

I've found that Siemens 34s in my Marshalls sound just as good as vintage Mullard, =C=, and RFTs. Siemens are usually cheaper too.

Seimens = RFT

Aren't there east v west Seimens? RFT=east Germany, Siemens=west Germany? Not that it matters much. Lol
Thought I read that somewhere. Either way, they sound great. Have some Rivera labeled Seimens that a buddy gave me, he's gone all 6550/KT88. Gotta like free vintage tubes.

As far as I know, Siemens simply relabeled RFT tubes. They might have made tubes back in the day, but at some point they stopped and simply outsourced to RFT (East German company).

 

[born_hard]

thanks for the suggestions but i`m really interested in the JJ EL34-2. Not the regular JJ EL34 and not the JJ E34L. Did somebody try these? They are cheap but i cant find any reviews in the net.
http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/EL34- ... JJ-EL34-II

The NOS tubes are way too expensive. Cause i crank my amps into a Suhr Reactive Load you might imagine that i i need a long lasting cheap solution. And i have lots of EL34 based amps, Friedman Smallbox, Roccaforte Jenelle, JCM800, a Marshall 1959 HW, ...