EL84 tubes

[NWAttorney]

Hey all,

I want to get a set of back-up tubes for my amp, and am looking for the warmest (& cleanest) sounding EL84 tubes available. I know they are not as warm and clean as 6L6's, but that's not the point.

There are so many makers/types of EL84 tubes out there, any recommendations?

Thanks,

 

[NWAttorney]

Also, I see in ordering information the choice of "hard quartet", "medium quartet" and "soft quartet". Obviously the quartet applies to 4 matched tubes. But what does the hard, medium and soft mean?

Pure speculations says "soft" is what I'd be looking for.

 

[Gotone]

Consider JJ EL84's for durability and an improvement in tone. On the other hand, I wouldn't go for Groove Tubes as they don't seem to last very long, if at all. The Tubestore in Hamilton, Ontario doesn't sell them because...But whatever, EL84's are pretty cheap in comparison to 6L6's or EL34's.

 

[Gotone]

Also, I see in ordering information the choice of "hard quartet", "medium quartet" and "soft quartet". Obviously the quartet applies to 4 matched tubes. But what does the hard, medium and soft mean?

Pure speculations says "soft" is what I'd be looking for.

"Soft” would be right. Tubes are not only matched, but also graded. So for instance if you got soft, it means you can get distortion at lower volume levels (depending on pickup output). If you get hard, you really need to crank the volume on your amp to get any kind of distortion...so it also depends on where you play...like in your basement or a pub kinda thing.

 

[tartanphantom]

Billy Zoom of X (and also custom amp designer) gave me this advice:
The cleanest EL84's would be the military-spec version, designated EL84M. They have tighter tolerance values, and will drive cleaner for longer before saturating and introducing distortion. Sovtek makes a reasonable EL84M, as do some other manufacturers. But not all manufacturers make a mil-spec version, so your brand choices are limited.

 

[LATS]

Hey all,

I want to get a set of back-up tubes for my amp, and am looking for the warmest (& cleanest) sounding EL84 tubes available. I know they are not as warm and clean as 6L6's, but that's not the point.

There are so many makers/types of EL84 tubes out there, any recommendations?

Thanks,

I don't think you're really interested in spending a whole lot of time and money on 'Holy Grail' EL84 tubes, so I recommend going to >Eurotubes< and getting some JJ tubes.

Those of us who love the EL84 sound, but want them to break up earlier, can rejoice in the appearance of the new >JJ EL844<

 

[Synchro]

One nice thing with EL 84s is that they don't cost a mint so some experimentation is feasible. I would look for some EL84Ms if you want clean but another thing to try is using a 12AY7 in the first preamp stage to increase headroom.

 

[MatchlessMan]

+1 to JJs.

 

[cybermgk]

I actually find EH EL84's a little bit Cleaner than JJs. But JJS are a little warmer imho.

But read this:EL84 comparison

 

[NWAttorney]

Thanks everybody.

 

[BrickwallJackson]

JJs. I run mine in a Dr Z Stangray. Retube every six months to keep "the tone". Dr Z runs them hotter than fire, so they tend to lose that quality that I like after about six months.

 

[amx05462]

http://www.audiotubes.com/bjtubes.htm

 

[amx05462]

http://thetubestore.com/teslael84.html

 

[amx05462]

http://www.tubedepot.com/