There is a lot of confusion in the market on Svetlana and Winged C Valves.  A number of UK suppliers claiming they are selling current production Winged C valves which are made in the St Petersburg factory in Russia. By the way, the “C” is the Russian letter for “S” so it is the logo for the brand using the company name first letter. Here is a cut and paste from a well known valve reseller […]
We have broadened our range of EL34‘s in our store. But which one is best for my amp? This is a handy quick guide to EL34’s We now have :- JJ EL34 JJ EL4 II JJ EL34L EH EL34 Tung Sol EL34B We offer all the above in matched pairs and quads. The EL34 was one of the last additions to the audio valve market and it was introduced by Mullard in the early 1950’s.
Which EL34 ? We explain differences on selected types Read More »
I was repairing a Bugera 333 amp which was really badly crackling. Taking the back off the amp revealed cooked EL34’s. This is a 120 watt combo amp. A gigging amp will be used at higher volume settings and so the output valves get worked hard. In a high power combo amp the valves are exposed to a lot of vibration from the cabinet. This is exactly what they dont like. This amp can use
Using Your Ears to Test Your Output Valves and Bugera 333 info Read More »
Do you often wonder what quality standards are applied when testing your valves? You want to make sure you buy the best quality and this article explains reliable Russian valves. Valves are old technology – the 6L6 dates back to 1937 ! The 300B back to the 1920’s ! The military still uses valves in many systems so it is critical that the valves are well tested to weed out the duds. Valves have a
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 »