What Differences Between EL84s and 6V6es?

[sjhusting]

Originally Posted by Scott S

You know what else has been bonking around in my head? At some point in the 1950's, they came up with those space-charge tubes (like the 12U7 and 12K5) designed to run on just 12 plate volts from the car's electrical system with no transformers. How cool would it be to power your tube practice amp from a wall wart or battery pack?

- Scott

P.S. I'm sorry, e-merlin, for continuing to hijack your thread! All this mad-science really belongs in the new forum.

Take a look at these German space-tube projects:

http://www.tube-town.net/diy/lov/lov...drive-eng.html

http://www.tube-town.net/diy/lov/lov...edder-eng.html

They're also working on a space-charge amp.

steven

[Tele-Dave]

Originally Posted by Wally

6AQ5....I have a voice of Music component stereo system that runs 6AQ5's. I also have a Harmon Kardin stereo amp that runs 6BQ5's. These amps get good hifi sonics....firm bass, good highs....
I have one or two GIbson/Epi amps that are running 6AQ5's. My take is that it is the circuit more than it is the tube. One can design around a tube's parameters to achieve the sonics one wants...within certian limits, of course.

Dont forget the pre-amp circuit. Everything is determined by the pre-amp. Everything feeds off of the pre-amp.
That little section could mean the difference between Blackface sound to Marshall, Dirty to clean. Having a well designed pre can make a world of difference. Preamp tube gain characteristics could make or break an amps sound.

[Tele-Dave]

Originally Posted by sjhusting

Take a look at these German space-tube projects:

http://www.tube-town.net/diy/lov/lov...drive-eng.html

http://www.tube-town.net/diy/lov/lov...edder-eng.html

They're also working on a space-charge amp.

steven

Design the same thing around a 16v circuit and you can use 12ax7's for a little more power!!!!

[sjhusting]

Originally Posted by Tele-Dave

Design the same thing around a 16v circuit and you can use 12ax7's for a little more power!!!!

Yeah, but starved-plate operation doesn't sound too good to my ears; at least the bit I've heard.

I was looking for a source of 6112 triodes yesterday and stumbled on this. There are some interesting tubes there:

http://www.fourwater.com/xmit/submini1.htm

So, campers, do we want to move this discussion over to the other forum and give it a proper title?

steven

[Tele-Dave]

Originally Posted by sjhusting

Yeah, but starved-plate operation doesn't sound too good to my ears; at least the bit I've heard.

steven

You could do like the old batt operated tube radios i remember when i was just a kid. Mom used to hace one. about the size of a lunch pail. ran off of a 1.5volt batt about the size of a thermos that fit inside of the lunch pale. had stepup trans to make higher voltage about the size of a golf ball. Remember well cause took it apart and got my butt beat for it.!!!

[sjhusting]

I remember those batteries (though not the radios). Great big ones, with screw terminals on the top. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those. Another thing that just disappeared. <sigh> It's odd what can plunge you into a nostalgic mood.

I got my butt beat for taking apart my mother's Arvin mint-green table radio; 'course I used a hammer to get it apart ...

steven

[ruger9]

How about a slight re-phrase of the original question...?

IN THE SAME CIRCUIT, making only the adjustments neccesary to run either EL84s or 6V6s, but making no deliberate changes to the power (wattage) or tonal components.... WHAT IS THE TONAL DIFFERENCES between 6V6s and EL84s?

[I realize wattage will change simply based on the tube difference.]

[sjhusting]

My 5F2 was set up for a while to take either a 6V6 or an EL84. There really wasn't much difference between the two until it was driven into saturation. The 6V6 was "smoother" where the EL84 was more "aggressive" but that was based only on one or two examples of each tube and can't be generalized.

steven

[nomadh]

Originally Posted by skibum1999

the sound of an amp is 85% in the circuit, 14% in the speaker, and 1% in everything else. and the player, too, of course :). i dont care if its handwired, ptp, pcb, smd, runs 6v6 or 4x4,. it astonishes me that builders arent wise enough to offer mass produced, pcb clones of classic amps (d*mble, train*reck, Match*ess, etc) at low prices. id be all over them!

This is exactly what I've been thinking. People who say they switched this tube and it makes "SOOOOOOOOOOO" much difference. Change a few resistors and I wonder if it would still sound like a guitar to them :)