5881/6L6 Question....

  • Thread starter Thread starter AdamB
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Nice tone!!!!!!!! I may have to order some GT. I thikn the Svetlanas are cheaper though?

Sound slike they have good mids which i am surprised about. I thought they were basically 6L6s. How about for lead?
 
richedie":3opuzhwm said:
Nice tone!!!!!!!! I may have to order some GT. I thikn the Svetlanas are cheaper though?

Sound slike they have good mids which i am surprised about. I thought they were basically 6L6s. How about for lead?

Svetlana's for 6550s are great. 6550s are NOT 6L6's at all. 5881s are 6L6 types. 6550s have much different tone than a EL34 or 6L6. Its by far the best power tube I've ever used :).

Eric :rock:
 
I like tubes that allow you to stand out live. I always felt EL34s were like that due to the midrange. Are these similar in that the mids help you stand out?
 
richedie":3fye79ye said:
I like tubes that allow you to stand out live. I always felt EL34s were like that due to the midrange. Are these similar in that the mids help you stand out?

I think the mids on the 6550s (in my opinion) are a sweeter mid. You like Zakk Wylde's tone and feel his tone cuts through? He is an avid 6550 user!

Eric
 
hahaha yeah dam you Eric. I have been putting off ordering a set of 6550's because I have soooooo many tubes but... saw this thread pop up again and had some extra bucks and just order a pair of Tung Sol 6550's. Now we will see if they can dethrone the Tung Sol 5881's as my main go to tube. We'll see

Later
Ross
 
I think the 5881s sound good for the Fender modules but lack a lot of midrange punch and juice for mid to high gain.
 
Telefied":3hxocrnd said:
hahaha yeah dam you Eric. I have been putting off ordering a set of 6550's because I have soooooo many tubes but... saw this thread pop up again and had some extra bucks and just order a pair of Tung Sol 6550's. Now we will see if they can dethrone the Tung Sol 5881's as my main go to tube. We'll see

Later
Ross

Not sure what to think. Did you try the 6550s yet to test against the 5881s?

Eurotubes told me if I like midrange, avoide the 5881s or 6550s!

I know some guys who swear by the KT88s for an all around tube. I may try em....
Tung Sol 5881s sound too scooped and sterile/hufi to me compared to EL34s.
 
aeroic":1okowjv7 said:
richedie":1okowjv7 said:
I am an EL34 man and 5881s have too much in the way of highs and lows and lose the mids I love so I couldn't use them. I felt the same about JJ E34Ls. I always hated 6L6 tubes and I thikn that is the problem. Again, just a personal preference thing.

You ever thought of trying 6550's?? I feel they have a lot of features I liked from all tubes I have tried. They have by far the highest headroom, the highs are smooth, clear, and chimey, the mids are to die for, as they are very punch and rich, and the low end is thunderous. I have been using 6550's for about 6-7 years now, and they just plain rule.

I'll be interested to see how the Tung-sol 5881's compare to the 6550's in my VHT 2/90/2. When I get my Mod50, I'll let people know how they compare.

Eric

can you tell me, what current draw, generally a 6550 has over a 5881? more or less. and how much, if any?
or, how to figure it out?
 
jmgman69":2kpp0jmw said:
Adam just so you know 5881' are 6L6's.

I felt they sound very similar to a 6L6gc after I went back and forth with them and I really like the 5881s tung sol,but these do keep the 6L6 nature and that's what I liked about them!

I had a conversation with Mike Soldano about this topic about 10 years ago. He said that 5581 tubes are 6L6 tubes built to military specifications. That means that they are going to be more durable and stable than the average 6L6, and will handle overdrive a little better. For high gain amps they are my favorite.

When I spoke with Bruce Egnater he told me that he ships the Mod 50 with Sovtek 5881 WXT's because of all the 5881's they are the most stable of the bunch. I recently bought a matched pair of the Tung Sol's because everybody raved about the tone but haven't put them in yet. My amp sounds fantastic now, so I'll wait till I fry the ones I have before I put in the new ones. That could happen anytime, as my tubes are almost 2 years old.
 
richedie":2w1w12y8 said:
I think the 5881s sound good for the Fender modules but lack a lot of midrange punch and juice for mid to high gain.

The Soldano SLO stock tube is.....Sovtek 5881WXT.
 
The Tung Sol 5881's are set to perform at plate voltages up to 400Vdc. If I'm not mistaken the Mod 50 operates higher than that. The Sovtek's are set to perform up to 500Vdc. Thats probably the main reason Bruce and other top boutique manufacturers use the Sovtek as the stock tube. other tubes will sound better, but probably wont last as long.

They say "the bulb that burns twice as bright burns twice as fast", so be prepared to change your tubes more often if you go with the Tung Sol tubes. As soon as I put mine in I will make another evaluation and buy another pair for that reason. I will also try the 6550's because of all the glowing reviews.
 
Guitarvc":15seun5l said:
The Tung Sol 5881's are set to perform at plate voltages up to 400Vdc. If I'm not mistaken the Mod 50 operates higher than that. The Sovtek's are set to perform up to 500Vdc. Thats probably the main reason Bruce and other top boutique manufacturers use the Sovtek as the stock tube. other tubes will sound better, but probably wont last as long.

They say "the bulb that burns twice as bright burns twice as fast", so be prepared to change your tubes more often if you go with the Tung Sol tubes. As soon as I put mine in I will make another evaluation and buy another pair for that reason. I will also try the 6550's because of all the glowing reviews.
Tung Sol 6550s or SED =C= 6550 = the best tubes IMHO for the Mod50
 
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