2. amps-preamps
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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
mechans
3,048 posts
 
I should have said that I have also bought from Jim McShane and was very happy. What are your input tubes if you are going to roll them as well?
BTW the suggestions regarding the NOS power tubes are unrealistic. The prices are as a rule beyond the reach of most mortals.
qclabrat_1 OP
7 posts
 
you guys beat me to the next, I'm going to open another forum to ask about the preamp stage tubes

As there quite a few EL34 users here, are most EL34s created equally in terms of life? What's the typical life in hours for the EL34s, as I'd like to know how many extras to buy should I find the perfect match.

Also, do new tubes have a burn in time, before they are optimized, like interconnects?

-JerseyWalt
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jazzerdave
163 posts
 
Ok, for whatever reason I decided to just ask Jolida. They suggest EL34, 6CA7, or KT77. You can actually switch out some resistors to use KT88's if you want (I wouldn't want to, but some might). I didn't find out about the KT-66, but more than likely there's enough play in the biasing to work with those too.
grimace
624 posts
 
I'm using J&J EL34L's. I can't pretend to know if they're the best out there, but they were a big improvement over the stock chinese tubes in my amp. better extension and clarity. They're also relatively inexpensive at about $13-14 each.
maxmad
182 posts
 
NOS Tesla's can be easy found from USD 50-80 each, fair if you ask me, but if you look around you may get them cheaper.

Agree about input and driving section, its always an combination of tubes, not output only.
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