Favorite new production tubes?

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gybe!

gybe!

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Been awhile since I have purchased new production pre and power tubes; what are the current favorite new production el34/6l6/12ax7s?
My stash is dwindling so looking at options…
 
I like mullard long plates in V1, tung sol in other positions. EHX or Tung Sol for EL34s.
 
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For preamp:

Mullard CV4004 (I don’t like the long plate)

Psvane Art series 12ax7-S (much different than their standard red stamped ecc83)

EH 7025…….not EH12ax7
 
I can't say about powertubes since I've mostly just with vintage ones when buying, but for preamp tubes I've liked most the gold pin Genalex Gold Lion CV4004's. They're very aggressive and tight. For Rectifier tubes I surprisingly love the Psvane 5U4 Mullard copy (even more than my vintage 5U4's I've got) and their GZ34 is good too. That all being said, outside of powertubes, I don't really see much reason not to just hunt for vintage tubes at good prices. Almost all the new production tubes I find have some degree of brittleness to their core tone that just is what it is
 
It kind of depends on the amp but I also like the “Mullard” CV4004. It’s just a really well balanced and quiet tube.

I have generally not liked the standard and ubiquitous JJ ECC83S because to me it can make an amp sound muffled and flat. However their new E83 CC (horrible and confusing naming conventions here!) sounds excellent. It has some of the sound of the trademark midrange sound of the standard JJ pre but is a lot more open and lively. It is a little less gainy and a bit more noisy but well worth the trade offs.

I have long liked the EHX EL34’s because they give a good crunch in a Marshall without getting too mushy too fast and they used to be real cheap. I guess they’re not too bad a deal now but I used to buy matched quads for $50 from a dude on ebay and I just liked how they sounded. Not sure what I would go with now that prices are kind of all over the place.

For 6L6 I really like the TAD red base GCM-STR. They just have a really good depth of sound, with solid punchy bass, clear highs and really good harmonic content. I’ve generally just used whatever when it comes to current production 6L6 and always noted differences in sound but not really anything that would really make one stand out to me head and shoulders over another until I started buying these.
 
Well....over the past year and a half, I have had 3 amps with the stock TAD 6L6 rebase tubes and they lasted about 10 minutes.
Had to find something better to replace them.

I've been using some Mesa spec'd 6L6 and EL-34 and they have been solid. The EH-EL34 that I have used have also been used without any issues.
 
PBGas said:
Well....over the past year and a half, I have had 3 amps with the stock TAD 6L6 rebase tubes and they lasted about 10 minutes.
Had to find something better to replace them.

I've been using some Mesa spec'd 6L6 and EL-34 and they have been solid. The EH-EL34 that I have used have also been used without any issues.
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If they're the GCM-STR redbase I mentioned, I haven't been using them for long enough to speak to real longevity but one set at least has been going for a few months which is at least better than 10 minutes. :lol:

I just replaced some standard chinese 6L6's in a 5150 with the TAD redbase and even though this an amp where people generally say the power tube choice matters very little, it was a noticeable difference to me especially in how much clearer and more solid the low end sounds, but also in the clarity and harmonic content up top. I think the tubes I replaced may have seen a lot of use so that could be a factor, they definitely sounded looser and less clear in the low end and more kind of compressed in the highs.
 
I still like the JJs ... good sound and no price gouging. For preamp tubes I like tung sol.. but the price is ridic. I have a good stash of groove tube 12ax7c's on hand, so I'm good on preamp tubes.
 
Only Tungsram or RFT pre's and Sylvania power tubes for my Mark II Boogies. They last so much longer, and the best bet, in the long run.
 
Joey B. said:
Only Tungsram or RFT pre's and Sylvania power tubes for my Mark II Boogies. They last so much longer, and the best bet, in the long run.
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I like RFT more than any modern glass.
 

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lespaul6 said:
I still like the JJs ... good sound and no price gouging. For preamp tubes I like tung sol.. but the price is ridic. I have a good stash of groove tube 12ax7c's on hand, so I'm good on preamp tubes.
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Same. I know they get dogged a lot but I think part of that was their EL84 fiasco years ago. For me, they are the ticket both Power and Pre - for the most part. I did recently try some new Svytlana EL34s which were decent. Really digging the JJ EL34 IIs right now in both the Splawn and the Recto. I've only used JJ 6L6s in the Recto otherwise. And outside of some NOS preamp tubes (Phillips 5751 for example) the JJ pres work for me. Maybe because I like the darker (less shrill) tone for my metal moments. The Tung Sols I've tried and the EHX were just way to clinky and brittle sounding for my taste. Might be great for clanky 80's rock though.


I74G2il.jpg
 
PBGas said:
Well....over the past year and a half, I have had 3 amps with the stock TAD 6L6 rebase tubes and they lasted about 10 minutes.
Had to find something better to replace them.

I've been using some Mesa spec'd 6L6 and EL-34 and they have been solid. The EH-EL34 that I have used have also been used without any issues.
Click to expand...
No experience with the tad red base 6l6s, but the EL34s, I have had a failure in one pair, other has been fine so far. I am suspect of the TAd red base as well, but the EL34s do sound good at least.
 
JJ KT77 are the finest EL34 type for modern imho.

Bob Gjika and I are on the same wavelength. NOS Mullard f91/f92 preamp tubes ftw.

Folks should call the New Sensor offerings what they are and prefix them:

NS-“Svetlana”
NS-“Tung Sol”
NS-“Mullard” (vomitable blashphemy!)
 
JJ EL34s and E34L
Sovtek 6L6wxt+ or the EH version
JJ ecc83 and 803 preamp tubes
 
I like the Mullard CV4004 as well, but I find the Svetlana 12AX7SV 98% as good, but like 30% cheaper. That is for V1.

I like the Sovtek 12AX7LPS for the PI because it's loud and clean.

I like Chinese Shuguang 12AX7B's for all other spots, but those I'm not sure if those are being made right now.

I like Sovtek 5881/6L6WG's for power and Sovtel EL84M's for lunchbox amps.
 
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