New JJ 6CA7's

[Tone Slinger]

Face value analysis say's that the EH 6ca7 is gonna be a bit more 'scooped' sounding than the JJ 6ca7. The Eh has the proper 'tube', whilst the JJ is a slightly larger el-34 tube (just like thier kt-77 and e34l).

Tubes are very circuit specific, meaning that the simpler the circuit (1959/1987 being 'simple') , the MORE you can HEAR a difference.

I had 2 of my 4 EH 6ca7's in a Marshall 2205 . I noticed less 'brown' but got a wider more vivid view, so to speak.

[54strat]

Just to update on my JJ 6CA7 experience so far...I've been running them for five months now. They're haven't drifted and still sound awesome. A few days ago I threw my most recent pair of SED 34's in to see if I was missing anything and I prefer the JJ 6CA7's. The 34's kind of sounded unimpressive after getting used to the JJ's. The JJ's have a little more headroom and they are not as dark as some say they are. I'm running the treble and presence lower than I did with the SED 34's. I know how a lot of guys here feel about JJ and new production tubes in general but those guys ought to try this new JJ.
Also...Before playing this weekend I moved my NFB wire (100K) from the 4ohm tap where it's been for years to the 16ohm tap. It made my metal face feel a little more plexi-ish I think. We played in a good sized club for a big crowd that was there to party and I got to play louder than I have in a long time. My old amp simply sounded glorious...what fun.

[Tone Slinger]

Great report man. I've heard the best sound clips from those using JJ tubes, whether it be the E34L the Kt-77 or the 6CA7.
Hearing is believing. The old tubes have dried up and the odds of finding real good examples are getting WAY to spotty and pricey imo. Luckily preamp tubes last so much longer.

[Kevin]

Yeah, thanks for the report.

I have always tended to avoid JJs like the plague, but I'll give these a shot when I have some cash. It would be nice to have a relatively inexpensive, dependable, and decent-sounding EL34 option.

[54strat]

I had been using SED 34's for a few years and like most people liked them a lot. But they jacked up the price a year or so ago. I decided for the money I'd check out the new JJ 6CA7 and bought a quad for less than a pair of SED 34's. So far so good!

[Reeltarded]

From the 8 I bought a month ago, I have lost 2 of one quad without any promting from electronics foolishness. Just lost bias, and no worky.

It's a let down, but if the other quad remains all good, still worth it for the tone. I have them underbiased by about 2mv because I am a fraidy cat. Not good.

They sound great for 4-5 hours, then you lose some and move on.

[54strat]

FYI/Update/if anyone's interested;)...using the same pair of JJ 6CA7's for almost a year now. Still sound great, haven't drifted. Bought a quad last June so I'd have some matched spares...still haven't touched the spares.

[Tone Slinger]

Awesome, where did you purchase your quad from ? Just interested to know, since the JJ's are getting some pretty bad press in the reliability dept. Im assuming this is from people/vendors buying wholesale untested runs from the JJ plant and not testing quality before they sell. I only know of one vendor who goes the extra mile, NBS Electronics ('Lord Valve').

[54strat]

I ordered them from Amplified Parts last June. Fast, even via regular mail, and well packed.