Has anyone tried the harma el84 retro.

[lespaulblues]

Hi,
I've been looking for some valves but not sure what to try in my plexi.
I've got mesa boogie 84's and eh12ax7's.
Has anyone tried the harma 84's.
They're supposed to be like the mullards according towatford valves.
What about nos i'm looking but don't really know what to look for which isn't
going to cost a fortune.
What 12ax7's do you recommend.
Thanks.

[kleuck]

Harma E84L's seems to be made by Saratov >> rebranded EL84Ms
There is a few good 12AX7 nowadays, but the choice depends on your taste and the sound you want to hear.
I like Sovtek LPS, JJ ECC803S & Tung-Sol reissue.

[kd]

IMHO, the NOS Tesla hexplate tube are some of the best sounding el84 tubes around. I haven't bought any in a while but I bet you can still get a pair for $60 or less.

For preamp tubes, you can't beat NOS Mullards if you are willing to spend that kind of money. If you prefer a new production tube, try the Tung-Sol 12ax7's, they sound real good to me.

Try Tube Tramp for any NOS tubes you are looking for. He is honest and his price are very decent.


Ken

[zaphod_phil]

Definitely agree. Even for someone in the UK it makes a lot of sense to buy NOS from Tube Tramp (aka Sgt Overdrive) - http://mhuss.com/sgtoverdrive His real name is Terry Kilgore and he used to be guitarist with David Lee Roth. I've been hearing that supplies of Tesla Hexplates have been drying up. But there are other great NOS bargains around that Terry can get hold of. And Watford Valves' can turn out quite expensive once you add the S&H and VAT.

I've been looking for some valves but not sure what to try in my plexi. I've got mesa boogie 84's and eh12ax7's. Has anyone tried the harma 84's.

Mesa EL84s and EH 12AX7s might sound a little rough/harsh as a combination. Is that a Trinity SIII Plexi (an 18W TMB variant) or rjgtr's 18W Plexi design? I've tried Harma STR EL84s when I used to live in the UK, which appeared to be relabeled NOS Teslas (not modern JJs), and they were very nice indeed! However Watford tests and relabels various kinds of valves under their "Harma" brand, so you won't always get the same thing. It also looks like they must be running out of stock of their special "Harma" EL84s, as it says they're only available on special order. Their "EL84/HARMA-RETRO" looks like it's probably a pretty nice valve too, although I think it's probably modern production (possibly New Sensor) and not NOS.

For preamp tubes, you can't beat NOS Mullards if you are willing to spend that kind of money. If you prefer a new production tube, try the Tung-Sol 12ax7's, they sound real good to me.

Personally I find the New Sensor's "Tung Sol" RI 12AX7s to be a bit too bright in an 18W, although they have a fantastic sweet clarity and definition. However New Sensor's "Mullard" 12AX7s have the same kind of sweet clarity and definition, but with better overall tonal balance, so I really like those in an 18W. You can see that they have the same construction as the old Mullard "ladder plate" ECC83s. Up until now I've almost entirely used NOS, so this is quite a departure for me to find some modern production tubes I actually like. I've had quite a lot of luck in the past lurking on eBay and finding NOS or good quality used vintage valves at keen prices.

[paulschnettler]

I talked with Terry Kilgore (Sgt. Overdrive) the other day and have a set of tubes on hold for delivery next week. I have Groove Tube 12's and el84's in my amp at present. (JJ's?) Here's the message he sent me:

hello paul indeed those tubes are dull lifeless and harsh to say the least . .ive got tremendous value on some el84s right now. these are 70s coldwar tubes very rare and exceed anything made in the world in the history of el84s i was fortunate to find a flat of 180 of them they are all but gone..they are 40 per duet. the price of one mediocre american or european single tube . they will run 5 thousand hours at full tilt and give more tone,bottom top and midrange then anything ever produced. now for the preamp tubes these are paramount for tone. the best value in the world are old jap nos matsushida futuba and hitachi and nec . all of these plants were set up by mullard and rca engineers and the japs left nothing to chance. they produced the longest lasting most euro sounding clones in the world. they will run 8 to 10 thousand hours and give tone that rivals any of the best 60 dollar mullards or amperex. 75 for three i cover shipping on this order all tubes are guranteed 115 for the whole compliment . if you are using a jj ez81 get rid of it add another 20 and i will send an nos ez81 . paypal is tkilgore@tubetramp.com the downside of cheap ez81s is they dont last and when they go they usually will take and output or power transformer with em .ive seen this in many 18s anyhow there are several more options ,none cheaper or longer lasting or better sounding best regards tt

I'll report back after install. $135 for a 18W compliment of tubes IMHO is a great price if these live up to the hype.

[jcny]

You should be happy with the tubes

I got a quad of the 70's Saratov's and put 2 in my Trinity SIII, liked them enough that I sent Terry an mail to send me 3 more quads

I've got his tubes in all my builds now, great service (sorta quircky to try to understand sometimes ), but he knows his tubes.