Which EL34's?

[demonufo]

+ 1 more on the winged C's.
Groove Tubes seem to be quite popular as well on one of the other major forums, but I've haven't tried these.
Sorry to hear about the Tesla, I just bought another NOS pair and am a little worried now, as they are a tiny bit on the rattly side before I've even used them. Can't remember whether or not my last pair did this. Might have to sell them on and start depleting my hoard of the SED's instead!

[rjgtr]

Ahhh..i think you're right. New sensor was what i think they may have been, not svetlana, tho that red and white svet box sure looks familiar. Maybe they came in the same box but it said new sensor instead. I dunno. All i know is whatever i get i hope they don't sound like the ones i had or i'm out 40 or 50 bucks because they were totally un-usable for me.

When New Sensor started putting out the fakes, they copied the boxes and the tubes even had the same logo on them, except for the =C=. I think it was a really low moment for New Sensor, since they basically purchased the rights to use the name for an existing product and passed their tube off as the 'real' thing. I'm also not in favor of them using the logos of the great brands of the past either. There's just something unsettling about them putting Mullard on a clearly inferior tube.

[lovedat800]

AFAIK and from what i recall, the ones i bough back then showed no pretension what so ever of being a mullard or anything else. they were just new sensor's new EL34 offering. (that is, if the ones i bought were indeed new sensor....wish i could remember !)

[clobo]

Hi,

For new EL34, I only tried original Svetlana (now winged-C). They sounded good, but their voicing was quite different than any of my old stock, transparent bass and "US" sparkle was much closer to their 6L6 cousins. They lasted about 2 years, then they became microphonic and bias drifted severely unmatched.

My old Siemens sound much better, chimmering "UK" treble and percussive bass, despite the fact that my only pair is severely unmatched. Then my old uk Mullards come close, but they are pretty tired. Finally the **** (Japan Mullard clones, with ribbed plate) are pretty useless (all lower mids).

Claude

[lovedat800]

For new EL34, I only tried original Svetlana (now winged-C). They sounded good, but their voicing was quite different than any of my old stock, transparent bass and "US" sparkle was much closer to their 6L6 cousins.

Yes ! Thats EXACTLY what i thought, and you're the 1st person i've heard say the same thing i felt ! Maybe it WAS the svets after all that i had because that description is right on, especially when you say "much closer to their 6L6 cousins". I've been saying they sounded more like 6L6 to me for years now. I kept wondering if i somehow was mistaken because i never heard anyone else say that and it left me confused as to how many people seemed to like them when they sounded more like a 6L6 to me !

[lovedat800]

The winged C's arrived today. I am only able to hear them at very low volume in my apt. till i bring the amp to work probably next week where i can turn it up to stage level. At low volumes tho they sound just like i hoped....very much like those old german tubes i loved in the 80's. Odd too because looking at those getters they are the same ones in many russian preamp tubes all of which i hate ! No reason to suspect them because of that necassarily, but when i saw them it worried me a bit till i picked the first note. That brought a big smile.

Hopefully they'll sound as good turned up a bit as they do at TV levels. If so i'll be tempted to buy more just in case. Seems like all good tubes go away before too long.

And by the way, theres absolutely 100% no possible way these tubes are the same ones i talked about trying and hating back around the late 90's or 2000. They may be out of the same factory, they may look identical, etc. I don't know. But they sound about as different as the typical EL34 does from the typical 6L6. There is no comparison what so ever.