Best Newman 6CA7?

I tried some JJ's even and they were bitchin! I'm going to order more. Felt less fizzie than 34's with more clarity and smoother top end. Also like kt77's
 
Real 6CA7's are rare and hard to find. The EH offerings and JJ are not real, 6CA7 tubes, those are more glorified tetrode tubes like a 6L6.

Sylvania made a tube called a 6CA7 which was a Beam Pentode

"The EL34 is a pentode, while the 6L6, which delivers a similar range of power output, is a beam tetrode which RCA referred to as a beam power tube. Although power pentodes and beam tetrodes have some differences in their principles of operation (the beam plates of the beam tetrode or fifth electrode (3rd grid) of the pentode, both serving to hinder the return of unabsorbed electrons from the anode (or plate) to the 4th electrode (2nd grid)) and have some internal construction differences, they are functionally closely equivalent. Unlike the 6L6, (EIA base 7AC) the EL34 has its grid 3 connection brought out to a separate Pin (Pin 1) (EIA base 8ET) and its heater draws 1.5 Amps compared to the 0.9 Amp heater in the 6L6. However"


Sylvania (and possibly GE) marketed a tube as 6CA7 which was not only in a markedly different 'fat boy' envelope, but used a beam forming plate much like a 6L6. Examining the mica spacer on the top of the tube will confirm the lack of a suppressor grid. Although these tubes have similar (but not identical) characteristics, they are made very differently.

This made the sylvania version very unique and nobody has copied these. RCA, GE, and Philips ECG also sold the Sylvania 6CA7 spec.

The problem is that any tube that will work in place of a EL34 is labeled EL34/6CA7 which is very misleading.

EVH horded these tubes because nothing else sounded like them.

Funny how everyone tries to capture the brown sound with EL34 based amps, yet Eddie always used Sylvania 6CA7's which is more 6L6 like (funny how all his sig amps are 6L6 based)

So when I hear 6CA7 I am thinking Sylvania fat boy (RCA, Philips ECG)
 
How does this tube compare?
 

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Kapo_Polenton":34rwy5uk said:
I tried some JJ's even and they were bitchin! I'm going to order more. Felt less fizzie than 34's with more clarity and smoother top end. Also like kt77's

I'll pick up a pair then for my Trainwreck.
 
Doubleneck":3jhjwoxo said:
How does this tube compare?


Just a JJ EL34 (E34L)

Years before JJ took over the Teslovak Tube factory, Groove Tubes had a special tube made for them called the E34LS. This tube is similar to the JJE34L without the heat wings on the plates to help dissipate heat. Groove Tubes at the time claimed they were 30 watt EL34's which was not really true. They were counting the plate current rating, plus the screen current rating......... :scared: :confused: to come up with 30 watts, which in fact they were 25 watt tubes. Typical marketing scam from them like when they claimed their Shuguang 6L6 GE clones were USA made when they were actually made in china.

The JJE34L has bigger plates and pulls more screen current, more of a beefier EL34
 
baron55":3igmzely said:
Real 6CA7's are rare and hard to find. The EH offerings and JJ are not real, 6CA7 tubes, those are more glorified tetrode tubes like a 6L6.

Sylvania made a tube called a 6CA7 which was a Beam Pentode

"The EL34 is a pentode, while the 6L6, which delivers a similar range of power output, is a beam tetrode which RCA referred to as a beam power tube. Although power pentodes and beam tetrodes have some differences in their principles of operation (the beam plates of the beam tetrode or fifth electrode (3rd grid) of the pentode, both serving to hinder the return of unabsorbed electrons from the anode (or plate) to the 4th electrode (2nd grid)) and have some internal construction differences, they are functionally closely equivalent. Unlike the 6L6, (EIA base 7AC) the EL34 has its grid 3 connection brought out to a separate Pin (Pin 1) (EIA base 8ET) and its heater draws 1.5 Amps compared to the 0.9 Amp heater in the 6L6. However"


Sylvania (and possibly GE) marketed a tube as 6CA7 which was not only in a markedly different 'fat boy' envelope, but used a beam forming plate much like a 6L6. Examining the mica spacer on the top of the tube will confirm the lack of a suppressor grid. Although these tubes have similar (but not identical) characteristics, they are made very differently.

This made the sylvania version very unique and nobody has copied these. RCA, GE, and Philips ECG also sold the Sylvania 6CA7 spec.

The problem is that any tube that will work in place of a EL34 is labeled EL34/6CA7 which is very misleading.

EVH horded these tubes because nothing else sounded like them.

Funny how everyone tries to capture the brown sound with EL34 based amps, yet Eddie always used Sylvania 6CA7's which is more 6L6 like (funny how all his sig amps are 6L6 based)

So when I hear 6CA7 I am thinking Sylvania fat boy (RCA, Philips ECG)

Great info, and great point about EVH's sig amps.

Real Sylvania 6CA7's are way out of my range! I'll pick up a set of JJ's.
 
EH6CA7 are great tubes, and one of the best sounding current production tubes.


The EH are my 2nd choice for most amps, after SED =C= 34's.
 
baron55":3bcn4x0q said:
Doubleneck":3bcn4x0q said:
How does this tube compare?


Just a JJ EL34 (E34L)

Years before JJ took over the Teslovak Tube factory, Groove Tubes had a special tube made for them called the E34LS. This tube is similar to the JJE34L without the heat wings on the plates to help dissipate heat. Groove Tubes at the time claimed they were 30 watt EL34's which was not really true. They were counting the plate current rating, plus the screen current rating......... :scared: :confused: to come up with 30 watts, which in fact they were 25 watt tubes. Typical marketing scam from them like when they claimed their Shuguang 6L6 GE clones were USA made when they were actually made in china.

The JJE34L has bigger plates and pulls more screen current, more of a beefier EL34

I have both tubes and took a picture.

The JJ E34L's (without heat wings) are on the left and the GT-E34LS (with heat wings) are on the right. Opposite of what you said?

I've always wanted to clarify this.
 

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Doubleneck":1481e8in said:
baron55":1481e8in said:
Doubleneck":1481e8in said:
How does this tube compare?


Just a JJ EL34 (E34L)

Years before JJ took over the Teslovak Tube factory, Groove Tubes had a special tube made for them called the E34LS. This tube is similar to the JJE34L without the heat wings on the plates to help dissipate heat. Groove Tubes at the time claimed they were 30 watt EL34's which was not really true. They were counting the plate current rating, plus the screen current rating......... :scared: :confused: to come up with 30 watts, which in fact they were 25 watt tubes. Typical marketing scam from them like when they claimed their Shuguang 6L6 GE clones were USA made when they were actually made in china.

The JJE34L has bigger plates and pulls more screen current, more of a beefier EL34

I have both tubes and took a picture.

The JJ E34L's (without heat wings) are on the left and the GT-E34LS (with heat wings) are on the right. Opposite of what you said?

I've always wanted to clarify this.

Actually I worded that weird, the JJ's do not have the heat wings.
 
I just took a pair of JJ 6CA7's out of my JVM, and put JJ KT77's back in. I thought the 6CA7's had a flabby low end.
 
napalmdeath":34x6apli said:
I just took a pair of JJ 6CA7's out of my JVM, and put JJ KT77's back in. I thought the 6CA7's had a flabby low end.


I wonder if it was flabby, or just more low end than you were used to?
They can't be bad if EVH ran them. But they say nothing sounded like those Sylvanias.
 
midnightlaundry":25q75trb said:
napalmdeath":25q75trb said:
I just took a pair of JJ 6CA7's out of my JVM, and put JJ KT77's back in. I thought the 6CA7's had a flabby low end.


I wonder if it was flabby, or just more low end than you were used to?
They can't be bad if EVH ran them. But they say nothing sounded like those Sylvanias.


Those JJ's are NOT real 6CA7's LOL, there are no current production 6CA7 tubes that come close to the Sylvania,RCA, Philips ECG. I used to have the real deal, but like an idiot sold them off several years ago.

Groove Tubes several years ago tried to make them to the Sylvania spec, but weren't able to have consistent tubes.
 
I have pair's of =C= 34's and JJ 6CA7's in my RM100 at the moment. Sounds pretty good to me. It sounds different than 34's and 6L6's. Not a huge difference but still there.
 
I used to run Sylvania 6CA7s in my Chieftain as they held up much better than any current production tube and sounded fantastic. As was already noted, they sound much like a good 6L6 with crisper highs, subdued mids, and a big low end. I have a few left but I've been sitting on them since they're stupidly expensive these days.

Some of the newer 6CA7s sound good, but they really don't sound anything like the Sylvanias...they're more of a big-bottomed EL34 sound.

@midnightlaundry...I tried old Sylvanias in my JM Trainwreck Express and wasn't thrilled with the results (it still sounded good, just not as good as El34s). The Express circuit is so fine-tuned IMO that it really thrives on true El34s. So far, I've liked Winged C the best in that amp. You can get a lot more mileage out of experimenting with different preamp tubes in my experience.
 
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