EL34 Lovers?

Lissnr, what other amps did you audition or compare with the VTLs when you made your decision? Have you tried other amps since and decided to stick with what you have?

Ralph, I'm a bit hesitant to tube role withe Ars since it was desinged with the EL34L in mind I am told has more gain and "better" bass attributes than the non "L" version of these tubes - the Ars certainly seems to have excellent bass performance for a 30 watt integrated. Were your JJs the "L" versions?

Pubul-

My tubes were not the "L" version but I have had similiar results with other EL-34 based amps over the years. A Dynaco ST-70 & Sound Valves M-40 both responded to non-russian/non-chinese EL-34's with great improvements in dynamics and range.

It may be worth a tryout since you can resell good tubes easily. You have nothing to lose really by comparing and a non-russian EL-34 certainly will not hurt your amp.

Is this not the nature of this hobby to try new things?

Ralph, where can I get a pair of those Sound Valves?

You can't unless you find them used. They were actually made from the Dynaco designed circuits after Dynaco's demise.

A company bought the designs ungraded the components to a degree and started producing Sound Valves amps.

You can find them occassionally here or on eB*y. They are easy to mod and if you like the Dynaco sound can be a real find.

Ralph

Pubul
I started into tube amps with a Jolida SJ-302A integrated just to get my feet wet, it was 50 wpc using 4x EL-34's total and I really thought it was a nice sounding unit and a great value. After that I was curious about the Hovland but it was cost prohibitive at the time. I new I liked the EL-34 from my Jolida experience so I sought out another contender which was VTL. I tried the ST-85 which was also a good sounding value but when I heard the MB-125's I was sold. A great amp which I just sold after almost 5 years of pure listening bliss. I miss it dearly (new speakers were too much for it) Please let us know what you're auditioning and your impressions. Good luck. Lissnr