So what's the verdict on JJ preamp tubes ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter NaturalBornBoy
  • Start date Start date
NaturalBornBoy

NaturalBornBoy

Well-known member
Yay or Nay ?

How's their reliability ?

If I had an amp that had brittle highs and I wanted to smoothen the highs, would JJ pre's be the way to go ?
 
I bought some for my 5150, when I used to have it. Ended up putting the original tubes back in.
 
:thumbsdown:

at first I liked my jj tubes, as I played them for years. I don't know if they changed something in the manufacturing or what, but the JJ's i've bought the last couple of rounds have been lifeless tonally dead crap.



I'd look elsewhere if I were you


sub
 
:thumbsdown:
Hated them in my 5150. Emergency backup use only.
I like Tung-Sol for gain, Penta Labs for clean.
 
I've never liked JJ anything, but I HATE their 12ax7.
 
anomaly":3lrktc8u said:
psychodave":3lrktc8u said:
I dont like them at all.
Click to expand...

+1

I find them dull/muddy sounding. I like JJ power tubes alot though.
Click to expand...

+2

I have tried both the ECC83S and ECC803S too, I didn't care for either one.

I really like EI's but they were inconsistent and are no longer made. Tungsol RI and EH 12AX7's are your best bet now. Not a big fan of the 9th gen Chinese, but some love them....
 
Wow......resounding hatred for JJ tubes :confused:

Here's my issue. The highs on my Legacy are brittle and harsh and I can't stand it. I love the bass response and the abundance of mids and clarity but I would love for the highs to be smoother and less 'plastic-like' for lack of a better word.

This is my current tube config;

V1, V3 & V4: GT12AX7C
V2: Sovtek LPS
V5: EH12AX7

Power: Ruby EL34BSTR's

I love the Ruby's so they ain't changing. I'm thinking I need a tube that has the gain of a Chinese 9th Gen and Tug-Sol but without the brittle high end.

Any suggestions ?
 
NaturalBornBoy":3mawako2 said:
Wow......resounding hatred for JJ tubes :confused:

Here's my issue. The highs on my Legacy are brittle and harsh and I can't stand it. I love the bass response and the abundance of mids and clarity but I would love for the highs to be smoother and less 'plastic-like' for lack of a better word.

This is my current tube config;

V1, V3 & V4: GT12AX7C
V2: Sovtek LPS
V5: EH12AX7

Power: Ruby EL34BSTR's

I love the Ruby's so they ain't changing. I'm thinking I need a tube that has the gain of a Chinese 9th Gen and Tug-Sol but without the brittle high end.

Any suggestions ?
Click to expand...
FWIW (which isn't much) - I use EL34BSTR and chinese 12ax7s almost exclusively. :thumbsup:
 
PeteLaramee":2xbawpfy said:
NaturalBornBoy":2xbawpfy said:
Wow......resounding hatred for JJ tubes :confused:

Here's my issue. The highs on my Legacy are brittle and harsh and I can't stand it. I love the bass response and the abundance of mids and clarity but I would love for the highs to be smoother and less 'plastic-like' for lack of a better word.

This is my current tube config;

V1, V3 & V4: GT12AX7C
V2: Sovtek LPS
V5: EH12AX7

Power: Ruby EL34BSTR's

I love the Ruby's so they ain't changing. I'm thinking I need a tube that has the gain of a Chinese 9th Gen and Tug-Sol but without the brittle high end.

Any suggestions ?
Click to expand...
FWIW (which isn't much) - I use EL34BSTR and chinese 12ax7s almost exclusively. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I love the gain of the 9th Gen Chinese and their GT equivalents but I've been noticing that the highs are kinda brittle. Me no likey the brittle highs :doh:
 
I have done side by side comparison with NOS telefunken and mullard and really wasn't much difference
 
I like the JJ ECC83S in my JSX. I currently have two of them in the preamp. One in the V1, which replaced an EH. It made the the amp sound more clear and have a more musical response. The other is in the V3 spot which also was an improvment over the EH.
I did keep an EH in the V2 (gain spot) as it sounds much better than the JJ. More raw crunch, cutting and better top end. The JJ seemed loose, unfocused, and dull in the gain position.
 
Depends on the amp. I like them for some slots in some amps and dislike them for other amps.

There is no one right answer on what will sound good in everything. ;)
 
mctallica1":2myu9box said:
Depends on the amp. I like them for some slots in some amps and dislike them for other amps.

There is no one right answer on what will sound good in everything. ;)
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:
 
Can't speak on the power tubes, but there 12ax7s suck. Too thin sounding, it made my amp very trebly, very annoying sound. :thumbsdown:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top