The definitive EL34 alternative thread, KT-77 and 6CA7

[peavey_impact]

t00b n00b questions.. Im guessing that kt77's and el34's are interchangeable?

 

 

+ 1, can you just pull the EL's and drop the KT's in place and be good to go?

[orangekick]

I have EH 6CA7's in my Dual Rec and it kills. The top end is not so harsh and the mids are more rich. I think that the clean channel is actually more musical now as well.

[LedZep1985]

How would KT77's sound in a Peavey Windsor? My friend owns the amp, and is unsure of what to use to replace the stock Ruby EL34s that he has in his Windsor. He plays in Drop C tuning, and mainly plays in a screamo band, which is not my cup of tea. He plays that chugga chugga stuff at times in the band, so he needs something with more balls, and more bottom end to his sound.

[Uncle_Milton]

anyone using anything other than EL34s in their Laney's? Either the GH series, the VH100R, or the AOR heads?

 

I've got Stock EL34s in mine, but might want something a little more responsive, with some more snap and bite.

[stanfield]

Here is a decent YouTube clip comparing the 6V6, 6L6 and EL34 in a Fender Champ clone. Nice for an audio example.

 

 

[spoonie g]

Marshall jmp 2203:

 

Svetlana El34's: Standard marshall; a bit raspy.

jj e34L's: Like a fatter rounder version of above. Insanely tight bass. I cant believe how much better this tube sounded than the others in this amp.

siemens 6Ca7's: Sounded like a 6L6 in a Marshall. Maybe my tech screwed something up, but it just didnt sound right to me, like all of the wrong frequencies were being emphasized.

 

69' Marshall Jmp 50:

 

Sovtek: Dont even bother.

JJE34L: A bit.... umm... not flubby, but it just didnt sound right on the low end on this amp.

Svetlana EL34: Just right.

 

Orange ad-140tc:

 

EH El34's: Nice midrange, a bit too foggy on the low-end. "Extended" highs.

Svetlana EL34's: Similar, maybe a bit more refined.

KT77's: Just right. For a smidgen of a sacrifice in the complexity in the mids you gain a much warmer, thicker tone with tighter bass.

[Dale B.]

I have the following:

 

SED EL34's - Low end isn't deep, yet it's kinda loose. Good mids, good highs and a nice swirly vibe.

 

JJ EL34's - More aggressive than the SED with more low end, decent mids and a good high end. The low end is tight.

 

JJ E34L's - A little cleaner and a bit more aggressive than the JJ EL34.

 

EH EL34's - Real good character throughout the bass, mids and highs, but are compressed. Great extension on the high end. Bass is deeper than the SED, but not quite as deep as the JJ.

 

Ruby EL34B-STR's - Real thick sound stage. Real even sounding tube that doesn't fall apart in any area.

 

New Sensor Mullard EL34's - These are all right, but I haven't messed with that that much to comment on them in detail.

 

GT EL34M's (Mullard type) - These sound good running between 50 and 55% plate dissipation. Like the New Sensor version, I haven't messed with them enough.

 

Older Tesla El34's (not JJ) - These are real great sounding tubes with everything sounding almost perfect.

 

Siemens EL34's - These have more of a compressed laser beam kind of vibe, but sound extremely good in their own way.

 

GE 6ca7's (the real ones) - These sounded like a cleaner EL34 blended with a 6L6GC. Deeper, tighter bass than an EL34. The mids are real even and there is more high end extension and detail.

 

 

 

I'm basing all of the above comments on what I've heard from using these tubes in Marshalls or amps based around a Marshall circuit. I really like the Ruby EL34B-STR, JJ EL34 and SED EL34. The NOS stuff is real good too. The GE 6ca7's were the "most different" from the rest of the pack.

 

Needless to say, there are lot of choices on the market today and that isn't a bad thing at all. I still want to try some JJ KT77's.