steve468
100+ Head-Fier
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- Mar 13, 2005
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I have a good selection of EL84 pairs on hand now, so I thought I'd write some impressions for those that are looking for a different combination in the Pendant.
For reference, to my ears the stock JJs are the brightest set by far, and have a brittle, digital sort of sound to them. Not bad, but not my taste.
Genelex Gold Lion (new production): I find these to be similar to the JJs, with just a little more heft in the bass. Also fairly digital sounding. These get good reviews for new tubes, and I was somewhat disappointed.
Sovtek EL84M (new production): These are my favourite new tubes. They have the most natural, realistic sound of the new tubes I've tried, though they are rather shy on the top end. Perfectly fine.
Sylvania branded Baldwin blackplates, 1951: These have a nice bright uncluttered sound, but still smooth. They do have a fair amount of, I guess it's distortion, which give them an old timey sort of sound if that makes sense. I guess they sound of their era.
Mullard 1950's square getter: Lots of internet people say that Mullards are they're favourite tubes, and I can see why. They have a unique sort of pillow-y softness to them, like all the edges of sounds have been rounded. Is that what people are talking about when they say Mullards have a liquid midrange? Otherwise, they're quite neutral.
Uknown Baldwin branded, made in Japan: These are what came in the vintage set from ZMF. From what I can tell, probably they're Matsushita? These have a similar tonality to the Mullards, maybe just a bit brighter, a bit less soft sounding.
Tungsram: Clean, clear, neutral, great open 3D soundstage. These are great if you just want to hear the recording without any colouration.
thetubestore.com Preferred Series 7189: I really didn't know what to expect from these, and only bought them because thetubestore.com is local to me, and the price is right. The website says they're just selected 6P14P-EV from the 80's, which don't seem to get a lot of love overall. However, I have been absolutely blown away by these. Almost as open and clear as the Tungsrams, but with a very forward, detailed midrange that I just absolutely love. They do miss a bit on the top end, but that can be solved with a pre-amp tube. These with LCD-4 give me the best electric guitar sound I have ever heard.
Note that I listen with already pretty dark headphones, so that could be why I generally prefer the more neutral and brighter tubes to the Mullards. Hopefully someone finds this info useful!
For reference, to my ears the stock JJs are the brightest set by far, and have a brittle, digital sort of sound to them. Not bad, but not my taste.
Genelex Gold Lion (new production): I find these to be similar to the JJs, with just a little more heft in the bass. Also fairly digital sounding. These get good reviews for new tubes, and I was somewhat disappointed.
Sovtek EL84M (new production): These are my favourite new tubes. They have the most natural, realistic sound of the new tubes I've tried, though they are rather shy on the top end. Perfectly fine.
Sylvania branded Baldwin blackplates, 1951: These have a nice bright uncluttered sound, but still smooth. They do have a fair amount of, I guess it's distortion, which give them an old timey sort of sound if that makes sense. I guess they sound of their era.
Mullard 1950's square getter: Lots of internet people say that Mullards are they're favourite tubes, and I can see why. They have a unique sort of pillow-y softness to them, like all the edges of sounds have been rounded. Is that what people are talking about when they say Mullards have a liquid midrange? Otherwise, they're quite neutral.
Uknown Baldwin branded, made in Japan: These are what came in the vintage set from ZMF. From what I can tell, probably they're Matsushita? These have a similar tonality to the Mullards, maybe just a bit brighter, a bit less soft sounding.
Tungsram: Clean, clear, neutral, great open 3D soundstage. These are great if you just want to hear the recording without any colouration.
thetubestore.com Preferred Series 7189: I really didn't know what to expect from these, and only bought them because thetubestore.com is local to me, and the price is right. The website says they're just selected 6P14P-EV from the 80's, which don't seem to get a lot of love overall. However, I have been absolutely blown away by these. Almost as open and clear as the Tungsrams, but with a very forward, detailed midrange that I just absolutely love. They do miss a bit on the top end, but that can be solved with a pre-amp tube. These with LCD-4 give me the best electric guitar sound I have ever heard.
Note that I listen with already pretty dark headphones, so that could be why I generally prefer the more neutral and brighter tubes to the Mullards. Hopefully someone finds this info useful!
