6V6 Vs EL34 - Power Tube Comparison
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2015
- Gibson Les Paul 1959 Reissue with Fargen OLDE 800 Mk2 and 1970 Marshall 2x12 Cab Model 1972 with Pre Rola Celestion Greenbacks G12M25 55Hz, T1511. Miked by 2 BeyerDynamic M160 Ribbons, at the grill and 6 feet out pointing up. A Weber Mass 100 Power attenuator is used
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I really like the 6v6s, maybe Im biased ..
Hahaha :-)
nice..
that comment was worthy of praise. ... ohhhhmmm
haha, thumbs for that
ThisName DoesntMatter Always hot :)
This is the only video on youtube where I can hear an obvious difference between power tubes.
Thanks man, glad to hear that!
This shows that a majority of a cranked Marshall tone is the voicing of the preamp slamming the phase inverter. Power tubes really aren't adding much gain,just making everything louder.
Great comparison!! EL 34 more gritty (Grind), 6V6 more open. Both sound great!!
thanks! Cheers
they both sound great and i would rock that amp with either.
What a huge difference ! I like the EL34s better. Very interesting comparison. Thanks Johan !
Thanks Mitchell, have a great weekend :-)
Great video. Been trying to decide it I was to swap out the stock EL34's in my Mesa Boogie Triple crown for 6V6's. They both sound great so I'll probably leave it as is till I need to replace the power tubes and then try something different at that time. Thanks for posting Sir!
Depends on the amp circuit. 6v6s can sound like EL34’s in the right circuit. The advantage is the tubes break up with less volume. Look into the MojoTone Black Tweed British if you want JCM and Plexi tones at 20 watts using 6v6 tubes.
Old RCA & Tung-Sol 6v6's and the newer JJ 6v6S are a bit different from each other, but still great tubes in their own right.
In all fairness this shows how different tubes sound in the same amp with the same output transformer. What that means is 6v6 and el34s have their own impedences that work and sound different based on the impedance of the output transformer. A more Ideal comparison would be two transformers designed for their respected tube. Still cool to hear and in this amp either would work for me
SuperChamp - Thanks, yeah it's hard to do a fully exhaustive test, but the OT is so much more influential than the tubes, so that test setup would have it's flaws as well. Cheers
SuperChamp - Correct.. The JJ 6v6 tubes have another preferred load than a pair of EL34 in a grid biased ~ 400V push pull amp.. The OT for a pair of EL34 in a marshall amp is ~ 3.5K load. I think a pair of JJ 6V6 tubes would prefer an impedance load around 6.6k so Johan should try to double the reflected load for the pair of 6v6 tubes. That is easily done by running the 16 ohm marhall cab on the 8 ohm output socket.. Voila 7K load..(if the OT is a standard 3.5K OT for a pair of EL34)..
And I wonder what the impedance is for this output transformer. I think this amp is designed to run most octal power tubes. So its probably a middle ground for all tubes to run safe and this video dosnt really show how power tubes sound in general.. just in this amp.
@Jon Merlink take your tube amp, set up the impedance to match the speaker. Play it, feel it and now mismatch the impedance on step. Sounds a lot different right?
Thanks for the video. I usually use either 6L 6s or el34 tubes my amp but lately I've been thinking about using the 6 v-6s. Just wondering if you noticed any loss of Headroom with a 6V6s or how the pick attack was different than the el34s.
Excellent comparison two great voicings in my opinion one is no better than the other just two different flavours. Very similar really just some subtle differences which will stand out to the experienced ear.
Great comparison video Johan
I like the 6v6 more. They sound cleaner and tighter. Mids sound more musical also.
+zyxwfish Thanks
I was listening to the video without watching and always guessed the difference right. like the 6v6 much more.
Hi Johan, the EL34 seems more open. Very hard to differentiate both of them without head phones,,,,
I just got a JCM 900 High Gain Dual Reverb loaded with 6L6 and i'm not liking it, I thought they came loaded with EL34's . When I carnk the amp all the top end is super hairy and ear piercing and that's with the presence and the treble rolled off, I got my son a JCM 2000 DSL with EL34's and it's warm and creaming which I was hoping to get out of the 900. I'm trying to see if the 5881's it originally came with are a little less harsh than the 6L6 or i'm trying to see if there's anything outside of a mod I can do if not I will have to return it to Guitar Center but hopefully not .
Great comparison EL34's much rounder - wider range , have swapped out ax7 JJ's for tung sol here what a difference
Johan, Would love to see a match up between the Fargen and a vintage Plexi.
Is it replacing 6v6 with el34 easy ? Does it need modification on circuit if i want to swap to el34 ?
EL34s all the way.
Greatest tube ever :-)
xMasterxRazorx I ve just begone an association with 34s. to me they feel more easy to seal and emit harmonic overtones. but are darker in general than any other tube. the El 84s are similar to my ear as long as I don't push it above the 50 watt tones. I enjoy to learn about others understanding of tone over a life time as it keeps me v as liantly struggling to use them correctly. have a great week. and play for the pure adventure of it all
Johan Segeborn my favorite lay comforts blyth between the kt 66/88 and the 34 and the 6v6. or El 84
Johan Segeborn I m just entering into the realm of purposefully qualified worthwhile tricks and tones orienting for the sake of quality in tone and reference to making the audience sweat in emotional euphoria
@@James57AOL Thats almost all of them lol.
Different compression characteristics, voices quite similar imho. Thanks Johan, cool post
Thanks John!
Hi Johann, thanks for another great video, quick question. Can i swap out my EL84 tubes for EL34 tubes or do i need to buy special tube sockets?
Yes you need special tube sockets because el34 will physically not fit. Too big. But there wouldn’t be a lot of difference in sound and it’s not worth it so try something else like swapping speakers, cab, pickups if you want to change the tone you have
I’m following his example, and getting both.
I love the smooth and chewy 6v6
EL 34's! Good demo as always Johan
Wow I really appreciate the videos you do. They are so precise and with attention to detail. I would really like to see a lot more of them, thanks Johan! Will you also do some shootouts with KT66 /KT77 /KT 88 on marshalls?
best regards,
Joe, Vienna, 2017
+jo turn Thanks Joe! Yeah I hope to those tubes too soon here on the channel. Cheers Johan
Johan Segeborn hi I hope you are doing well. any chance you could give us reference points to why hot or cold bias has its place in the musical world of electrical guitar. I do inderstanding the basic concerns and values in reference to the basic tube allowences. but it gets tighter and more specific to tubes not commonly referenced. I enjoy. 6v6 over 6l6. I enjoy kt 88s and 66s but only in certain amps and as far as my favorite marshall. I enjoy the 34s if I want a load of pedals. I m off the grid in what falls to running colder in benefitting pedals and or pushy pickups other than keeping. attenuation and breakup in preferred settings on the amp itself or letting pretty amp do more of the work than power amp tubes. it gets really scary to me to start setting close tolerances instead of performing transformer tweaking itself. are there basic rule of thumbs for this
I ask this because my self biasing amp does some interesting things when I random place irregular tubes and I m concerned about the smaller component bias effect or even if I should be. old school of say 40 years ago would not concede it possible. and had strict rules and little riddles that simple meant don't do it unless you feel like rebuilding ANYWAY TH AND GUGERA AND A FEW OTHERS TAKE ALL THE MISERY OUT BY EITHER BEING FUL ON CLASS A AMPS OR SUCH AS THE CASE BUGERA self bias and group of tubes that can be plugged in and auto biased maybe alot colder or just a little warm depending venture to remark that self bias will take all the major players to necessitate it's use for the modern player it feels comforting. now if they will make a self aware speaker bias ohm setting it ll be like am and fm adjudicating better results for 20 or 30 years for the players that is
Cool video
Would be interesting to hear a Plexi with Sylvania tubes like Eddy used. I haven't seen a video on that, just the Variac with a Plexi
Nice comparison!
i agree with your conclusion johan😊
Is it just me or do the EL34's sound more loose? The 6V6 just sounds a bit more "focused" to me
I have a vintage Delco 6v6gt radio tube from a old car radio it’s in really good condition for being something so old but I was wondering will it work in a guitar amplifier because I heard/read that this tube works In a tube amp and I’m asking you if It can work and if so will it go for any tube amp?
It would work in a Fender Champ just fine.
great test
Thanks Carlos
Can you directl swap a 6v6 with an EL34?
I have a Marshall Dsl 15c amplifier that uses 2 6V6 valves on the power, can they be replaced with 2 EL34?
No, el34’s require much more filament and plate amperage that the DSL is designed for apart from the output transformer not being the ideal impedance as mentioned in earlier posts. Also depending on how the tube sockets are wired and finally the screen and cathode resistors would need to be changed and use a higher wattage for the ‘34s.
It’s one thing to go down in power tubes but completely different trying to go higher.
Very interesting, Johan ! Can I put EL34s in a Deluxe 5e3 ?
I just received in an amp that is Cathode biased. Can plug in a pair of 6v6 or a pair of el 34 so I bought a pair of Genalex kt77.
Could you please do a EL34 Vs 6L6 video someday?
With the Les Paul I prefer the 6V6.
With a Strat I would probably prefer the EL34.
El34 more mid range sizzle so I prefer that. Merry Christmas Johnathan
Hi johan try to mismatch the impedance when using the JJ 6v6 tubes..
They want a higher load than the EL34 tubes.. If your marshall cab is a 16 ohm cab,, try to use the 8 ohm speaker out on the amplifier.. Then you have doubled the reflected impedance for the jj 6v6 tubes and they should be seeing around 7K instead of 3.5K ohm ..
Is it safe for the amp/transformer to run it like that? If so I'd like to try that with my Hi-Tone 4 6v6 combo with 16 ohm speaker.
Thats what I’m doing in my 50watt Metropoulos using the JJ’s and the impedance “ mismatching for matching( 4 ohm tap from amp into an 8 ohm cabinet). Works like a charm...
I am a Fender guy so I like 6v6 and 6l6, but at one time I had an egnater that allowed you to blend 6v6 with el84 in a Rebel20 it was like taking an ac 15 and mating it with a princeton reverb 65- so my solution today is to take my Blackace Princeton 65 and aby it with the new EVH 5150 LBX II (el84) and run them simultaneously...you get the deep warmth I love in Fender and the chimey sound of the EVH clean channel,,,very vox soundinging...so it is like keeping the ow creamy and adding that Neil Young chime and grit..this is better than adding a pedal for breakup, then you have the option of shutting one off or on...it is not which one works better in this amp...it is what does your ear taste buds like,,,,as always it means one more amp. If you are a purest you will have both...if tou are gigging and cannot drag both heads...then get a fender mustang V it emulates both real well and your audience is not going to know either way.
+Brian Kaplan nice combination!
You'd be quite surprised at how well EL34's work as a dedicated clean amp tube.
My reverb has broken down, so I had decide to change the tubes, would you think they will reconstruct the sound of my 40 year old ampeg reverb ?
+Max Grau Yeah the tubes are only one of many small contributors to tone, so you're gonna get a very similar sound with new tubes. Cheers Johan
Thank You, I want to repair the reverb simply , would you say yes to a world-breaking changement in the sound after changing the tube for the sound , It´s an Ampeg VT22 (1972) he has been serviced and the repair guy ment I shoulöd change the EH 6CG7 to get a full sound , refreshed of the reverb, I will do that but are you certain, that it will take effects for better sounding. The situation now is unlovly because the sound has no attack and is very small !
EL34 sounds sweetest to my ears!
Perfect! thanks.
They both have potential. I would like to hear a Strat with Texas Special pickups through that rig. I swapped the stock tubes in my Bugera T50 infinium with JJ 6v6 and it took some of the harshness out of it when I really drove it. But with my old Platinum Series Warlock, it just lost some testosterone. I have a Japanese RR V that I put a Rockfield Fatass into that Im going to use for the next go round. That and a few old ecc83 and 12ax7 tubes. An old Ei from Yugoslavia, a few ge and Baldwin's with 3 mullards and some others in an old organ I am about to get. People get snooty about tube rolling but that's either because they have no musical ear and should NEVER produce an album or they don't have a ready source to test themselves so they shit on everyone who can. Some don't even have a tube amp.
Glorious
How much of a volume reduction was there with 6V6?
I run a Bugera 1960 infinium with 2x JJ 6V6S and it drops only a bit.
Both sound great but I'd pick the 6V6 if this was my amp.
Thanx for the series bro, i wanna ask you something. how can you swap those tubes without biasing ? as i know you should bias new tubes if different from old one
aysat The amp (mini plexi) has autobiasing :-) Cheers
Johan Segeborn whoa, a really nice feature to have :)
Good video. EL34s for me.
Thanks for a great vid. To my 69 year old ears,,,, barely a difference...
What a great sounding amp. Kinda cool that you can switch out the tubes so easily. Does changing the tubes change to wattage and volume?
No actually it didn't, not as much as it should anyway. That's a very good point. I'm gonna take a look at the circuit.
Great video. But a small thingy. You shouldn’t put the valve labels in the same corner as the links to the other clips of your channel in the right hand upper corner of the screen.
Greetings from the Netherlands
I’m so glad so many people like 6V6!
That means ……there will be more EL34’s available for me!
And again BIG THANKS Johan for sharing valuable experience!
😃
🍻
In this video I think I also preferred the EL34s. I wanted to like the 6v6 because I just ordered some online but I didnt lol
Wow, I didn't think the difference would be so noticeable. EL34 = Girth and "honk". 6v6 = More treble, cutting, "congested" or compressed. THANKS JOHAN!!
Thanks Nick, yeah it almost feels like two different amps
Brother I suspect that you inverted the two in your brain .. Peace :-)
thanks john stewart
HEY MR JOHAN !! OK FOR MARSHALL AMPS...IT S THE BEST AMP BUT PLEASE WOULD YOU LIKE DIMOSTRED THE BUGERA AMPS? NOT JUST FOR ME BUT FOR THE PEOPLE WORLD....THANKS MR JOHAN!!! I SEE EVER YOUR VIDEOS INTERESSED!!!! THANKS!!!
Jean Pierre GabrieleThanks Jean Pierre! Yeah Bugera will come up later on :-) Cheers
el34 definitely has a bit more chugga chugga going on but the 6v6 still maintains that ring a ding ding. my 1987x is built around a pair of 6v6's, whilst it doesn't sound identical to an el34 1987x it's pretty darn close. I doubt in a blind test anyone would know
+Christopher Alchin Cool! The only 6V6 Marshall I've heard of before is the Studio 15. Cheers Johan
+Johan Segeborn ive got a short video of mine on my channel but its only mid build with a few problems. its finished now ill have to make a new video soon.
+Christopher Alchin I checked it out! Loved it, what a fat tone. Let me know when you've done the next clip! Cheers
I believe Johan is using a Fargen Mini Plex MK2 instead of the Olde 800.... The Mini Plex is a single-ended Class A that's why he can swap tubes without biasing... the Olde 800 is a push-pull class AB, and it only take el-34's....
You are indeed right, I'm gonna correct it.
+Johan Segeborn
WHEN?
Still the tubes ideally want to look into different primary impedances.
EL34's Love the Crunch :)
the el34 are black sabbath sounding they do sound good with power chords
Great comparison that really shows the difference. Thanks! Personally I think the El34's sound miles ahead of the 6V6's.
El34 is my sound🤩
6v6 more open and warm
good job johan... I will say the el34's sound best to me!
Thanks Charles, yeah thats probably the best fit with a Marshall type amp. Cheers
6v6=smooth
For the first time in listening to comparisons of these two valve types, I can actually distinguish between them. To me, the EL34 offers the richer and more pleasing and wide-ranging tones.
The EL34s definitely have more mid range whereas the 6V6s have more treble. 6V6s are also a lot more compressed sounding. I've actually done this test with an amp of my own and had the same results. Neither sounded bad, just different :).
Thanks, yeah I really like both too
That’s an accurate assessment!
The EL34 has less high-mid energy and bigger, more blooming bottom, 6V6 tends toward the opposite to my ears. Some EQ and the right mic'ing could get them both to a similar place.
when the video suggestion of youtube pops up exactly where the tube names are on the screen... boring! lol
EL34 yo 🤟🏻
EL34 for rock by far, and 6V6 or 6L6 for Modern Metal. This is the truth.
👍🤓EL34's
6v6gty are the best in my opinion
why no presence on their amp ? I dislike that !
34z🙏
Cheers!
Pop ups for other videos keep obscuring with tube configuration you are using in the upper righthand corner.
Kt77 all the way🤘🤘
I prefer the EL34 since it is much suitable to the way I play. Sounds so much cleared then 6V6. Great video!
Remie Stronks Thanks Remie, EL34 is my favourite too. I has such a cut
6v6 sound tighther
El34's have more mids which isn't a bad thing
Surely you'd destroy the 6V6s with the voltages applied to EL34s - 6L6s would be a much more appropriate comparison? I burnt out a new pair of Mesa 6V6s in a 12 watt amp after replacing the old RCA 6V6s - the new Mesas could not handle the Grid 2 voyages!!!
A good name for this video is "enjoy my fluffy legs dude!"😂👍🤘
I have an amp with 2 of each tubes, I use the EL 34 in the distortion channel with a humbucker(ala Marshall tones) and the 6L6 in the clean with single coils (ala fender) tones. Works great
真空管アンプを設計している者からすると、恐ろしいことをしている。と思う。ＷＷＷ
EL34s sound beefier.
The EL34s sound almost mid-range scooped compared to the 6V6s. Great comparison.
Ahhh....... definitely my two favorite power tubes on the planet. Both can be the best in their respected applications. But nothing beats a el34 for that Marshall crunch. The three biggest amp companies had it right from the beginning 60 years ago. Marshall = el34. Fender = 6v6. Vox = el84
EL34 POWER TUBE IS THE WINNER! They make my eardrums come alive and very happy! I must say though that this amplifier sounds much better than the Eddie Van Halen el34 amp head. I wonder why?
Jonny ma per mettere le 6v6 hai fatto qualche mod
Putting 6V6s in an amp designed for EL34s makes all the B+ (DC power supply voltage) rise across all tubes. Very bad for the Cathode Follower tube! (In Marshalls and Marshall clones especially) Ever notice how often you change the middle preamp tube? Don't test other output tube types!
EL34's is my vote, sound much fuller with more midrange sounds. 6l6 is better for pedals I think.
EL34's for me. More harmonics and juicy mids.
6V6 for me personally, but I never play les paul guitars, el 34s Make a les paul it's best.
No difference in sound whatsoever. Try changing amp speakers & guitars.
EL34!! better low mids!
Useless.
Hey Dude, so WHICH IS WHAT??!! You don't even bother to tell us. You've used this forum to show off your mediocre guitar skills, rather than elucidate your views on the tube differences!
Top right corner shows which tube is being played