6L6 tube?

I don't have experience myself, but a friend of mine has been using 6L6's in his VAC PA160 mkII monos. He recently switched back to the 6L6's from el-34's and made the following observations:
"I put the 6L6's back in last night, and they are a much warmer and softer presentation, much more relaxed. But I miss the tightness of the 34's, and sharper edges on all the transients."
Hope this helps. Happy listening. Erik

yup it helps a ton, thanks

I had a tri-tube modded Mesa Baron for a while and tried all sorts of tubes. I ended up liking the Svetlana 6L6GC's best in that amp. I got better bass & midrange (IMO) from the Svet 6L6 than any EL34 or 5881 that I tried. And it was quite a few.

The sound you get, will ultimately be determined, by the circuit, the tubes, are placed in. The American 6L6's, were so good, ie; rugged, reliable, powerful, that Mullard had to invent, a tube, to compete(the EL34) The best, is generally considered, the TungSol 5881/6L6WGB. They can be had, for around $40 each. But GE, RCA, and Sylvania, made 6L6GC's, that sound very good also. They are not as powerful, as EL34's, so your speakers, could greatly affect the sonics, as far as efficiency. They tend to be sweeter, with richer mids.

BTW, ( by the way ) Has anyone heard of a tube called a 6N3C? I have hear is a repalcement for the 6L6.

Never mind I figured it out myself. The 6NC3 is a Russian tube that can be used as a 6L6. Except the " N " is actually a letter/symbol in the Russian language that we don't have on our keybaord.

In case anyone has bothered to read this thread. Now you know.......

Kt 88, are you going to try those Russian valves (6NC3)? If so, I'd love to hear your findings. I run kt-88's most of the time, sometimes el-34's, but I'm interested in trying the 6l6 or variants there of.

I have a dozen used 6NC3s if anyone is interested in trying
them.

$50. + shipping

Creeper,

You beat me too those tubes! Let me know what you think of them.

Kt 88,
I ran those 6nc3's last night. My friends assesment of the 6l6 versus el34 is on the money. The 6nc3's are very musical. They are not the best at retrieving details (micro-dynamics) nor the lowest octaves and have a slight mid-bass boom. However, the way they present female vocals is awesome, similar to an el-34's presentation with syrup on top. I listened to Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson and Lisa Ekdahl and was impressed. I'm going to run them for a little while, but plan on going back to my Golden Dragon kt-88's (they're more my cup of tea).

Creeper,

Hmmmm, I bought some Sylviania 6L6's ( for sale BTW ) I found them to be slightly better in the mids. But defintiely lacked the bass. I guess from your experince it won't be worth my trouble to find the Russian 6n3c's. I am a big fan of the el34's, but as my handle implies I also like the kt88. Try the Sovtek kt88, it has a bit of the 34 sweetness, and a ton more bass.