Which Pre-amp Valves Sound best in my Amp? A question many folks ask. There are many different types of ECC83 / 12AX7 in the market. There are not only different manufacturers but also different variants such as the 5751, 12AY7. So you might be asking where how can I figure out what the differences are? I have written a couple of short articles on this subject already and these touched on this topic. This article […]
Valve Suppliers and Resellers (see note) When your amp needs new valves no doubt you will read the reviews of all the differing manufacturers of amplifier valves and what they have to offer. It appears that there are loads of different manufacturers but in fact there are only three main manufacturers on the planet. There are a few other specialists but they make so few and mostly for high end HiFi. The companies that own
Valve Suppliers and Resellers, make sure you know the market Read More »
The phase splitter valve while it is a pre-amp type valve is really not part of the pre-amp chain at all. It is actually part of the output stage. When an amp has two or more valves then it operates in a mode called push pull. Its job is to invert the signal so that one of your two output valves is driven at any one time. This is a an oversimplified description but I
Phase Splitter Valves they do influence your amp tone Read More »
Many folks ask what the difference is between the standard EL84 and the more expensive Sovtek EL84M. There has been no data available and I see lots of questions on forums etc asking about where you can get a data sheet. I worked with the Sovtek team and pulled a product information sheet together out of Russian documents etc. First of all here is some background info as to why this was done The EL84
Sovtek EL84M More Headroom More Power Longer Life Read More »
Following our blog on testing the 6L6 and the El84, we have now done a burn test on a JJ El34. The test got delayed as our Avo Mk2 tester developed a fault with a worn out “backing off” pot and I had to come up with a good repair not having the benefit of any replacement part. I guess this part has not been made since the days of Harold Wilson being Prime Minister
I was curious to see if there was any information on the net regarding the noise figures for any noise measurements on preamp valves Noise is just one of the many things to look at in selecting a good valve for your amp and I thought it was worth taking a look at this. Noise measurements on pre-amp valves requires building some specialist test gear so I thought I do some research to find information.
Here is a guide to Pre-amp Valves There are many types of pre-amps around all with the same pinout and if you are not a valve geek like me then how do you work out what is best for you? I had a nice customer highlight this to me and I thought it would be useful to make some notes which may help you choose the right pre-amp valve especially for the V1 position in