Let's talk tubes, mixes - technical & non-technical

[nbarts]

Just switched from Rudy EL34s to SED EL34s in my Herbert, biased at 70ma. First thing I've noticed that the amp became a lot tighter than it used to be, less top end sizzle. Channel 2 sounds a lot cooler now, however I preferred Rudy EL34s ch1 sound to SED EL34s.

1. I was wandering if someone can draw a comparison between these & JJ EL34s. I have JJ EL34s in my Bogners & they seem to be very nice tubes, with a lot of high frequencies. How do they sound in Diezels?

2. What exactly happens when I mix the tubes? Does it really make any difference to which pair I switch to a different brand? If so then what difference does it make.

Share your experiences here.

 

[steve_k]

i have a closet full of jj matched quads that i was using to experiment with the mesa dual recto. after having the vh4 for a week now, its time to experiment a little with it . i have some kt88's, 66's, el34's and 6L6's and will let you know.

as for different company's tube variations on the same tube, i don't find a lot of difference, other than in longevity. some tubes can be set up a little hotter or colder than others for certain ranges of plate voltage. this is where much of the break-up characteristics come from and the overall tone. with the mesa, you have the diode or rectifier option, plus the spongy and bold switch, and the self biasing for 34's or 6L6 tube. this is because it changes the plate voltage to the tube. mesa's run low plate voltage anyway in the 380 range. unlike the diezels and uberschall which run around 530 volts. you can really get the tubes to sizzle. having said that, any cheaper tube not set up for it, won't last as long.

i buy all my tubes from bob at http://www.eurotubes.com and have never had a jj tube go bad on me. as i live overseas, he mails them straight to my front door too.

steve

 

[nbarts]

Does it really make any difference to which pair I switch to a different brand? If so then what difference does it make

Any ideas?