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Character of EL-84 amps

I did a lot of auditioning of ProAc speakers at Arizona Hifi...super excellent guys. I listened for the first two visits to a Leben EL-84 integrated, with around 20 wpc. It sounded lovely. Maybe the nicest amp I have ever heard. On the third visit I switched mid visit to the big Leben and pre, with 6550s. A much different sound. But, I keep thinking back, and think that I really liked the EL-84 sound. It seemed lighter, airier, less thick and heavy. More pleasant and easier to listen to. At the time I thought it possibly a bit thin. Now I think maybe I want that sound.

I have not heard other EL-84 amps. There is the RM-10. Manley makes one with 4 EL-84s per side. I have a Scott integrated I never liked, but maybe I can mod it.

Is it generally true of EL-84 amps that they are lighter and airier, more delicate, in sound than EL-34/6550/6L6 etc amps? Or should I not assume what is true with Leben is true with all EL-84 amps?

Thanks,
Jim
river251
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,807 posts
 
Srajan at 6moons thinks very highly of EL-84 tubed amps. He feels they are underrated and/or overlooked for the more powerful types.

There is the Luxman LN-Q10, which is now made in China for Luxman and is $1K cheaper than its predecessor, the LN-Q100, which was made in Japan. I'm thinking of getting that myself. 12 watts/channel and a great headphone amp as well.

Also, later this year Glow Audio is coming out with their version of a low power EL-84 as well. Transformatic makes one as well but it's not cheap.

If you're interested in the Luxman, you can get a home trial from The Cable Company. They had a nice set up at the Newport Audio Show and were really nice to talk to. They had some Audeze headphones and they sounded so much better than any of the solid state gear that was there. Not quite as nice as the Eddie Current models but those are in another price bracket (3X the cost) which is beyond what I can afford.
All the best,
Nonoise
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
I've been told by a dealer that the 6p1t quartet in my Sophia Baby are a variation of EL84s. I can't verify the info, but the descriptions of the EL84 sound is consistent with what I hear.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
I like HH Scott vintage integrated amp. For bellow $1k you get fully-fully restored full function amp. It may outlive and outperform MONSTERS for 10x the price coz the built quality is 2nd to none.
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,758 posts
 
The Jolida FX10 integrated is EL-84 based, 10 watts/channel and a real bargain. Difficult for me to compare the sound to my EL-34/KT-88 amp because everything about them and their systems is so different but the Jolida does have an openness that works extremely well with the kinds of music I listen to most of the time.

The Russian 6P14P-EV tube is a drop-in replacement for the EL-84, sounds excellent and has been more reliable than some of the vintage EL-84s I've bought.
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