2. amps-preamps
  3. 1330541043

EL34 upgrade

I'm currently experimenting with my Jolida JD302B and various tubes. I have 3 makes and each are vastly different from each. In terms of preference I would order them as such: (1) Svetlana, (2) Sovtek, (3) Shuguang. They are all the budget versions. I am considering upgrading to either the SED Winged C or Gold Lion Reissue. So my question, is whether I would expect improvements to the preferred Svetlana? I have a pricepoint of $200 for a matched quad and not sure whether I need to go higher to really hear a difference. Also I'm sure I'm sure there are others, so please weigh them in as well.

-JerseyWalt
qclabrat_1

Showing 7 responses by sabocat59

sabocat59
98 posts
 
No one has mentioned the EH 6CA7--recommended by Jim McShane as a close runner up to the new Genalex.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
Well, he did recommend the Gold Lions as the number 1 tube, but he said the fat bottle EH were a good value for the price.As he said, a close runner-up to the Genalex. I agree. In my amp I can switch out for KT88 tubes, so I'm thinking of trying the Genalex in that category in the future.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
Sweet! Thanks for the heads up. Just shot Jim an email.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
Well, I just put 2 quads of the 6p3s-e in my amp and fired it up. right out of the box I have to say they sound more refined than my EH 6CA7 big bottles, and the bass is a bit tighter. It will be a while before they really open up but I can already tell these tubes are an excellent value.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
Mikirob--I have a JWN amp built by Jim Nicholls. He has told me it is his best effort to date. Here is a review of his work.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1010/master_builder.htm
sabocat59
98 posts
 
Mikirob, Jim's amps are IMO one of the best values in audio. Send him an email, tell him what you are looking for, and he will give you a price. You will be very surprised at how reasonable and affordable his amps are. For example, I only paid $1500 for my 8 EL34 amp, (minus the cost of the 8 output tubes). It weighs 85 lbs., is overbuilt like a tank, and sounds simply divine, with an estimated output of 100 tube watts per channel. It's driving Dali Helicon 400's.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
In that case, you should be able to get a very, very good amplifier for around $1000.
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