[doctorcilantro]

There were a few Decware folks who had hazen mod (for EL34) who actually preferred the re-issue Genalex KT77 (can't use hazen mod) in their hazen-capable amps.

I have the re-issue Mullards, very tightly matched from Upscale, and they are sweet sounding. I have a pair of Black Treasures but left them in the USA, and I also have a pair of PSVANE Type II from "Linda" seller on Agon. These are not tightly matched as she said they would be, and I just noticed me amp bias meters going crazy yesterday so I removed the tubes. They have barely been used and I think they are the problem.

There is some kind of metal-base PSVANE EL34 out now that had some favorable reviews. Anyone here tried these?

[Captainhemo]

That would be these 
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/psvane-philips-holland-metal-base-replica-el34ph-quad/

Would love to try  them   but again,  OUCH !  Pretty big bucks

On a side note, they are saying  2k-3k hours from  a set of the  6CA7-T's,  anyone   care to comment on    expectancy of  say  a NOS  RFT/Siemmens ?  Maybe I'm  just  expecting/wanting too much from these higher priced   current production   pieces

-jay

[datman]

I have never understood the problems with JJ tubes. I have had a quad of 6CA7's in my Decware Torii III for a year with no problems. If the tubes are such junk why do the guitar amplifier manufacturers still use them. They have to warranty them when there are problems.

I find the 6CA7's to be a wonderful sounding tube, very lucid and palpable. In my situation they sound better than the Shuguang Treasure 6CA7's that I supplied when I had my amp built.

[DaveC113]

There were a few Decware folks who had hazen mod (for EL34) who actually preferred the re-issue Genalex KT77 (can't use hazen mod) in their hazen-capable amps.

I have the re-issue Mullards, very tightly matched from Upscale, and they are sweet sounding. I have a pair of Black Treasures but left them in the USA, and I also have a pair of PSVANE Type II from "Linda" seller on Agon. These are not tightly matched as she said they would be, and I just noticed me amp bias meters going crazy yesterday so I removed the tubes. They have barely been used and I think they are the problem.

There is some kind of metal-base PSVANE EL34 out now that had some favorable reviews. Anyone here tried these?

My EL34 SET amp has the Hazen mod and I also prefer the GL KT77.

I also have the reissue Mullards, they sound fine but one of the getters started disappearing on me

[rbwalt]

i am running some  JJ E34L's in my music reference RM9SE amp. i have had no issues with them. they hold balance and bias very well. they are a very nice sounding tube. more fleshed in the mids but only slightly so. a bigger and more solid bottom end. the top end is very smooth and extended. a tube that is very continuous from top to bottom. dam good resolution and clarity. very liquid sounding. not thin sounding in the mids or upper mids and no over hang between the mids and upper mids, mids to lower mids. just a great tube. previous tubes in the amp were Siemens EL34's nos. they tended to sound a bit thin and hard at times. also a bit muddy in the mids. the JJ's are more accurate and pristine.

since no tube works the best for everyone so chose wisely and understand your speakers.

this is just my take but i hope it helps.

[S1NN3R]

Awesome response everyone. If there is anyone else who want to share their thoughts on this tubes, bring it.

[doctorcilantro]

That would be these 
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/psvane-philips-holland-metal-base-replica-el34ph-quad/

Would love to try  them   but again,  OUCH !  Pretty big bucks

On a side note, they are saying  2k-3k hours from  a set of the  6CA7-T's,  anyone   care to comment on    expectancy of  say  a NOS  RFT/Siemmens ?  Maybe I'm  just  expecting/wanting too much from these higher priced   current production   pieces

-jay

I have had TWO PSVANE Type II tubes fail in the last 3 months from the seller I mentioned. UGH.

I may try the GL KT77 again. So many tubes to consider. The SED and some Vintage OO Tesla interest me as well. I'll probably grab a pair of Tesla for now.

No one is truly screening the Chinese tubes imo, it's a bad scene unless you can get someone you trust to give you actuall results after they have screened out the junk.

[doctorcilantro]

My EL34 SET amp has the Hazen mod and I also prefer the GL KT77.

I also have the reissue Mullards, they sound fine but one of the getters started disappearing on me

I should not have sold my KT77 before getting the amp. I guess they are worth a try as well.

[rbwalt]

for the best tested and screened tubes i always go to music reference/ ram labs. i have mentioned this many times but i think i falls on deaf ears from time to time.

it seems like lots  like to buy from just anyone who will give them the cheapest price without knowing who the vendor is. maybe the vendor bought them from another vendor or some guy off the street. who knows. the old saying still goes: penny wise pound foolish.

just my thoughts on this sunday morning.

[carusoracer]

My main amps are the Dodd 120's   I have tried all of the above mentioned reissues along with the Treasure's.

IMHO, it comes down to biasing if you have the ability to pinpoint your sweet spot on the meter. I still have the JJ's and the KT77 Gold Lion's with Herbies Halo's, some tubes benefit other do not. All of them are nice in their own regards as well as the aforementioned Winged C's. I rotate them just to hear the different presentation. The JJ's and Winged C's not quite as much as the others including the Mullards.

With all of that said, I still prefer the original batch of the Treasure's in both my Amps: Jolida 302b and the Dodd 120's I think they are the best all around. YMMV

[doctorcilantro]

I'm tempted to stick with EL34 for the Hazen Mod but as Dave reported, it may not matter given how solid a performer the KT77 Genalex New Sensor tube is. Jim McShane has lauded this tube with VERY VERY high praise. Rather then go to KT88 which some like in this Decware amp (newest version), I'll probably go with Genalex or maybe try vintage Tesla EL34 as well.

I just don't trust the Chinese stuff after all these failures, but I guess if you buy from the right dealer, BUT at a premium, you'll get something reliable....maybe. I think the Genalex seem like the best bang for the buck.

[FullRangeMan]

I also prefer the EL34. I would follow the wise Decware advice as others Pentodes had the grid and screen internally connected:
The (Hazen Mod) mod actually improves the coherency of true pentodes to a degree that you wouldn't even think it's the same tube.
There are two unique pentodes that can be found in many Decware amplifiers.  These are the Russian 6P15P-EV and the EL34.  What makes these pentodes different from other tubes is that the suppressor grid is not internally connected to the cathode. These two tubes can be wired as either pentodes or triodes.  And the suppressor grid can be manipulated.

[doctorcilantro]

Well I picked up a pair of old OO getter Tesla matched for about $70. Also, the Mullard reissues are made by New Sensor at same factory where they make Their Genalex tubes. Granted maybe their construction materials differ a bit but the Mullards are solid tubes. I'm interested to compare to the Tesla.

[doctorcilantro]

for the best tested and screened tubes i always go to music reference/ ram labs. i have mentioned this many times but i think i falls on deaf ears from time to time.

it seems like lots  like to buy from just anyone who will give them the cheapest price without knowing who the vendor is. maybe the vendor bought them from another vendor or some guy off the street. who knows. the old saying still goes: penny wise pound foolish.

just my thoughts on this sunday morning.

$18 for 1st class USPS? I'll stick with Jim m.

[ludusfamulus]

There were a few Decware folks who had hazen mod (for EL34) who actually preferred the re-issue Genalex KT77 (can't use hazen mod) in their hazen-capable amps.

I have the re-issue Mullards, very tightly matched from Upscale, and they are sweet sounding. I have a pair of Black Treasures but left them in the USA, and I also have a pair of PSVANE Type II from "Linda" seller on Agon. These are not tightly matched as she said they would be, and I just noticed me amp bias meters going crazy yesterday so I removed the tubes. They have barely been used and I think they are the problem.

There is some kind of metal-base PSVANE EL34 out now that had some favorable reviews. Anyone here tried these?

Alas!

Luckily, I happened to own a quad set of Psvane EL34PH Replica born in September 2013, which worked gloriously in my Dynaco ST-70 Series II for Spendor LS3/5a to sing its best ever. But it only lasted for two months.

About a month ago, all of a sudden it stopped doing its magic. The tubes started to produce mind-collapsing rackets now and again. It got more frequent. I got scared it might stifle my little 3/5a's throat to death.

I had to send the tubes to the local retailer (Cherry Audio) to check its reliability. And waiting for the verdict and hopefully a good news, I've leaned back to my old friends (Siemens El34) for about a month. It took so loooong for the guys to check the tubes. A month! And at long last they informed me that three tubes are faulty (under the minimum current level) and one is still usable. Darn it! The local distributor contacted Psvane and what I've been told is there is nothing the manufacturer and, of course, the retailer can do about it. Hmm...

So it's all my fault to have been piqued by the marketing hallucinations - transparent, punchy, dynamic. The quad set is only five months old and it deserves its burial because it happened to belong to an unfortunate picker.

Yes, the tubes sounded glorious. But, mind you, it only did so for two months. Do not believe the new replicas will last longer than the old sturdy valves, unless you happen to be a lucky picker.

[mjosef]

Follow up to my last comment when I was trying the JJ EL34 reissue, after a couple months of use I found that the JJ were not too good at holding bias, so I sprung for a quad of 'cheap' Chinese EL34, @$29. a quad with free shipping, sorta hard to not give them a shot.
Well these Chinese EL34 are really good, sounded better than the JJ right out the gate, and they hold bias nice and steady.
I have been using them now for the past 2+ months, and really think they are excellent sounding tubes. I bought an additional quad for back up.
I see the price has now increased by $5., still a bargain imo. THe seller claims to hand match every quad, and setting up bias in my amp seem to confirm his claim.
Here is his ebay ad:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOUR-CURRENT-MATCHED-SHUGUANG-CHINESE-EL34-VACUUM-TUBES-EL-34-/310607904814?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4851ac802e

[trackball02]

mjosef, thanks for the tip about the ebay quad Shuguangs, a great price and nice that you like them. I need a back up as well.

I have been running Gold Lion Genalex KT77s for the past five months, and so far no problems with them, and they sound great.

[Les Lammers]

I have never understood the problems with JJ tubes. I have had a quad of 6CA7's in my Decware Torii III for a year with no problems. If the tubes are such junk why do the guitar amplifier manufacturers still use them. They have to warranty them when there are problems.

I find the 6CA7's to be a wonderful sounding tube, very lucid and palpable. In my situation they sound better than the Shuguang Treasure 6CA7's that I supplied when I had my amp built.

Based on your JJ 6CA7 posts I tried a cryo pair from Cryoset in a Triode Corp TRK-3488 10wpc single ended EL34/KT88 amp. They are bluesy and ballsy and I don't think they are fully settled in.  Bottom line: Regardless of the tube type get them from a vendor that does thorough testing/cull to avoid disappointment. There are a lot of very nice new production power tubes out there for reasonable $$$.

[Les Lammers]

Alas!

Luckily, I happened to own a quad set of Psvane EL34PH Replica born in September 2013, which worked gloriously in my Dynaco ST-70 Series II for Spendor LS3/5a to sing its best ever. But it only lasted for two months.

About a month ago, all of a sudden it stopped doing its magic. The tubes started to produce mind-collapsing rackets now and again. It got more frequent. I got scared it might stifle my little 3/5a's throat to death.

I had to send the tubes to the local retailer (Cherry Audio) to check its reliability. And waiting for the verdict and hopefully a good news, I've leaned back to my old friends (Siemens El34) for about a month. It took so loooong for the guys to check the tubes. A month! And at long last they informed me that three tubes are faulty (under the minimum current level) and one is still usable. Darn it! The local distributor contacted Psvane and what I've been told is there is nothing the manufacturer and, of course, the retailer can do about it. Hmm...

So it's all my fault to have been piqued by the marketing hallucinations - transparent, punchy, dynamic. The quad set is only five months old and it deserves its burial because it happened to belong to an unfortunate picker.

Yes, the tubes sounded glorious. But, mind you, it only did so for two months. Do not believe the new replicas will last longer than the old sturdy valves, unless you happen to be a lucky picker.

Sorry to hear about the issues with those EL34PH tubes. IMHO, some Chinese tubes that should be culled get smuggled out of the factory and sold on fleabay. I want to try the Psavne grey bottle 6CA7 but will wait for a few reviews and probably get them from Grant Audio or a similar very reputable dealer with a solid warranty.

[trackball02]

The following is a stupid question, but I'm a tube neophyte:

When a power tube fails, can it ever damage the rest of the amp or is the damage just confined to the tube?