It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Apart from that they’re quite hard to tell apart from any other valve when the circuit is designed to run them under the same sorts of conditions. They do have a slight ‘characteristic’ sound when overdriven, although it’s one of the smaller factors in the sound of an amp.
But if you want to build a 20W amp then using a pair of EL34s run extremely conservatively in cathode bias is going to be far more reliable than a pair of EL84s run at the absolute limit for both voltage and dissipation, so that makes it a good thing. It also means you can avoid needing adjustable bias, which is a good thing given the variability if modern valves.
I do think EL34s run like that sound fuller and clearer than EL84s for the same power output too - the Orange Rocker 30 vs their 30W EL84 amps is an example, although the rest of the circuits aren’t identical either.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
id go as far as saying my SuperDrive has more low end than my old Mesa Stiletto ace.
Speaker choice is far more noticeable than valve type in my opinion.
Here are some EL84 amps...
AC30
Marshall 2061
Fender Blues Junior
Peavey Classic 30
Mesa Mini Rectifier
Do any of those even sound remotely the same?
It's not the valves that matter.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I kind of know what @Telejester is getting at though, EL84s tend to be used in certain types of amps which have similar characteristics, but for me that's not the sound of the valve itself, more the use to which designers tend to put them.
Whatever you think about the sound though, EL84s don't seem to last long. Maybe it is because they are often run hot, but running a bigger valve at a lower voltage seems a much better idea. When I had a Classic 30 I was replacing the power valves at least once a year. The valves seem to last for years in all the 6L6/6V6 amps I've had.
Ironically one of the few that runs them more sensibly is the Classic 30, but which kills them by vibration instead!
Interestingly the Classic 50 is much less hard on them despite the higher power output, because they’re mounted much better.
The slightly harsh upper-mid character that’s often associated with EL84s is a characteristic of over-hot bias more than the valve itself.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein