EL34 Tubes for Conrad-Johnson MV-55

Hi Steves I have a Anthem amp 1 that came with Harmonix tubes. Like you said nothing really special. I am using Svetlana EL's now and really like them. I also found a Svetlana 12ax7 that I use in my amp and I switch this with a Sylavinia black plate once in a while. Both very nice. You might try Jeffs Sound Values on this site. I believe he might have some EL's. Nice person to deal with. Good listening. Bret

On the EL34: Mullards, but you'll pay bucks for them, especially if you need a matched set.

On 6SN7's: get a matched pair of NOS Sylvania or Ken-Rad JAN VT231's, military equivalents of 6SN7, circa 1945, about $90-110 on ebay. Black glass versions are best but are about $120 if you can find them.

If you are interested, I have a good seller for the VT231's in Australia (not me).

Thanks for the advise.
I think I'll try the svets as the mullards are tempting but not at their going price. This is my second system so I like to keep the price down.

Steve

Steve, you might also want to consider a 6CA7, either from G.E. (hard to find and expensive) or Ei. A matched quad of the Ei's will run you about $70.00 on eBay. One nice bonus on the Ei 6CA7's is they produce a bit more power than an EL34, at least in my VTL monoblocks.

Hi,

This is what I like for the MV55:

1) Mullard Long plate 12AX7
Sylvania 6SN7W short bottle

2) GE 5751 tri mica
STC Brimar CV1988 black glass

3) Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7
RCA VT-231

I'm using JJ E34L blue glass. Tube rolling the 12AX7 and the 6SN7 changes the sound more than the EL34. I prefer the JJ E34L to Svetlana for a more airy and less harsh highs.

Regards