6CA7 vs EL34 vs KT66?

[SteadyEddie]

Wondering if a pair of 6CA7s will give me what I'm looking for.
What I have: EL34s. Don't remember what brand. Sounds good, a little bit gritty on the high end and a bit too murky in the mids.
I've tried KT66's. Chinese tube. Sounded very open and uncluttered, but quite a bit harsher on the high end.
Doing research on the 6CA7s, they supposedly are smooth on the highs but have more open mids? I like to hear details in the mids, without harsh highs. I understand 6CA7s also have a bigger bottom end, which I always dig.

[54strat]

I switched to 6CA7's from EL34's about a year ago. Big tight bass, great mids, smooth highs. I LOVE the new JJ 6CA7. Some have reported reliability problems while I have used the same pair for a year now. After Winged C jacked up the price of the 34's, curiosity and the price of JJ's 6CA7's overcame me. I used them for a few weeks and put my Winged C EL 34's back in to compare and could not get the 6CA7's back in fast enough!

[SteadyEddie]

Good to know. I've got a pair of JJs on the way, I figured I'd take the chance, at worst I'd have a set of backup tubes.

[54strat]

One thing I noticed and some others mentioned, is that they don't sound all that impressive until they've had some B+ for a while. They sound best when they're good and hot.

[hdahs]

I have found the JJ E34L to my liking. A little bigger, tighter bottom end and smoother top end than the standard EL34. A little more headroom as well. I want to try them in my Matchless Clubman as well.

Nice tube.

[SteadyEddie]

One thing I noticed and some others mentioned, is that they don't sound all that impressive until they've had some B+ for a while. They sound best when they're good and hot.

I noticed that early on. At first I thought it was my ears adjusting to the sound levels but my amp does sound a bit sweeter after it's been playing for a while.

Now that I remember, I think I have some EL34B tubes in my amp right now. I also have a set of E34L's. So once the 6CA7s get in, it will be a full tube shoot-out. May the best glass win!

[SteadyEddie]

Got them in today. Biased them up to about 34mA. Started playing. Even with the PPIMV on low, I could tell a difference. And when I cranked it up, it was awesome. It has a "broader" sound. A bigger sound. Big bottom end, with these beautiful detailed open mids and smooth highs. Not dark at all, plenty of detail, but not a trace of the harshness I had before. Just a beautiful sound. My new favorite tubes, and they're in production and inexpensive!

[54strat]

Awesome! If you get the same life out of them that I have you'll be another believer. Some guys here don't care for JJ stuff but I think they hit a home run with the 6CA7. I was happy with Winged C EL34's which are pretty highly regarded, until they got more expensive and I took a chance on the new JJ 6CA7. I bought a quad so I'd have a spare pair and haven't needed them. The pair I've run for a year now still sound great an have not drifted.

[SteadyEddie]

Curious, how do you like yours biased??

[DaveMcLain]

I have not experimented with the JJ 6CA7 but I have used the Electro Harmonix version a lot with great reliability. I don't like their EL34 at all but the 6CA7 is nice. We've used them for about the last 3 years or so in a Hiwatt DR504 and a Sovtek Mig 60.

[54strat]

70% My amp usually runs at 432 volts so 40mA.

[big_teee]

One thing I noticed and some others mentioned, is that they don't sound all that impressive until they've had some B+ for a while. They sound best when they're good and hot.

I noticed that early on. At first I thought it was my ears adjusting to the sound levels but my amp does sound a bit sweeter after it's been playing for a while.

Now that I remember, I think I have some EL34B tubes in my amp right now. I also have a set of E34L's. So once the 6CA7s get in, it will be a full tube shoot-out. May the best glass win!

Curious how that shoot-out went?
I have the JJ EL34Ls in my 2204 clone.
I like them pretty good, and was wondering if the JJ6CA7s would sound better?
I also have some EH-EL34s, I don't really care for them, too thin sounding.
Which tube breaks up the earliest, the 34Ls or the 6CA7s.
Thanks,
Terry

[SteadyEddie]

I'm not sure which one broke up earlier, the 6CA7 is overall smoother sounding. It's got a bigger bottom end and it's got smooth highs. It seems less congested in the mids. A beautiful sounding tube. After I popped them in and biased I never looked back, these tubes are winners.

[OnTheFritz]

Any more opinions on the JJ 6CA7's?
About to pull the trigger, and regarding the fact that they're not pricey, I still don't want to waste any money.
'68 era 50 watt with good pre's. Currently have =c='s in there and they sound decent, but would like to try something else.
The Sino EL34's I've used to me sound rather sterile, while robust. Maybe I didn't bias them hot enough. (70%) Others like John from the UK love them.
Just looking for more feedback/opinions.
Thanks for any info.

[big_teee]

Any more opinions on the JJ 6CA7's?
About to pull the trigger, and regarding the fact that they're not pricey, I still don't want to waste any money.
'68 era 50 watt with good pre's. Currently have =c='s in there and they sound decent, but would like to try something else.
The Sino EL34's I've used to me sound rather sterile, while robust. Maybe I didn't bias them hot enough. (70%) Others like John from the UK love them.
Just looking for more feedback/opinions.
Thanks for any info.

Do let us know what you think, if you buy them.
I'm looking for something different also.
I am currently using the JJEL34Ls, they are OK.
My concern with the 6CA7s, is if they are any darker sounding.
the EL34Ls could be IMO a bit brighter.
It is probably how I have my Tone stack, and Amp setup.
Good Luck,
Terry