New tubes for my 6505

[Ermz]

So the Ruby 6L6s I got are Sovteks and the EL34s they sent were Winged Cs. They helped open up both the 6505 and JVM. Also got a set of Penta Labs in the 6505 preamp and a Tung Sol in V1 which really helped add some sizzle. Took away some of the amp's mid-push, though it's still fairly mushy. I'm not expecting it to win over the JVM or 5150 III often, but it's nice to have one in the studio regardless.

 

[Jaymz]

Which tung sol did you get? Gold plate? Reissue?

 

[Ermz]

No idea TBH.

 

[Rex Rocker]

I really like the long-plate JJ ECC803S as a phase inverter for a little bit of added extra clarity, sparkle, and open-ness in my Krank and XXX. It's a bit more compressed-sounding than the Sovtek long plate Doug usually recommends, but I find the added brightness worth it. It's a shame Doug doesn't sell it with balanced triodes.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Good stuff, Ermz!

I forget exactly what bundle I picked up from Doug's, but in my Mesa Mark IV I have 2x Ruby 6L6 and 2x Ruby EL34 setup along with one of his "hand selected tone kits", which consisted of a few JJ's, Tung Sol and at least one other type. For sure it was a beastly change and actually made the amp TOO loud compared to my old set of GT's.

 

[sprack]

One of these in the PI.

http://www.jetcityamplification.com/#!retrovalves/ctjr

 

[Sloan]

One of these in the PI.

http://www.jetcityamplification.com/#!retrovalves/ctjr

omg im so interested in those for real.

 

[jeid]

Didn't see the point in starting a new thread, so bumping this one up.

Just wondering if flavour of the month has changed with regards to tubes for this amp? I got my one second hand and it's got Ruby's in the power amp and JJ's in the pre.

 

[atoragon]

in my experience jj tubes were not bad at all (in the preamp), anyway if you want the 5150 to be a little more aggressive, you can try this configuration:
sovtek 12ax7 in all positions except the phase inverter, a sovtek lps in the phase inverter and sovtek 6l6 wxt+ in the power amp.
those are the best power amp tube i've ever tried in my 5150.
About the chinese tubes, i've had a bad experience with them: everyone said they made the amp more gainy and metal, but the truth is that the ones i've bought (the ones re-labeled Tube Town by the importer) were noisy, fizzy and thin compared to the others.

 

[jeid]

I had an LPS sitting about from when I upgraded the tubes in my JVM so I threw it in. It's got JJ's in the other four positions. I've never been struck on them, their price point makes them a decent option though I guess.

I might just buy a few different preamp tubes and see how they affect the tone. I only need to fill four positions.

 

[Melodeath]

You can hear some different tubes here - http://www.subterraneanwatchtower.com/news/hear-the-difference-between-tubes-in-a-5150

 

[jeid]

I just went with two Tung Sol's and two TAD's. I already have a Sovtek LPS for the Phase Inverter.

 

[jeid]

Much better with the new tubes. A bit more aggression and a bit more clarity.

With the JJ's, it was a bit too dark sounding. I'll get new power tubes next month and that'll be that one done.

 

[Melodeath]

I found JJs in the preamp to be dark. Not in a bad way. Just in a smooth, less-aggressive way. They made a much bigger difference than powertube changes. Check out my link a few posts up and you can hear three different sets of power tubes in a 5150 (TAD, Sovtek, and very old Chinese tubes), as well as a preamp swap to see what I mean.

 

[jeid]

I always find a preamp change has a bigger effect on the tone. I'll likely be putting TAD's in the power amp as I really like them in my JVM.

 

[Melodeath]

You should do some reamped clips and send 'em. I'd like to hear them in a non-5150.

In my 5150, almost no one liked the TADs the best in a blind test, but again, the differences are subtle, and the TADs could easily work if they had to

 

[acalaf]

same advice from me, chinese all the way. maybe a tung sol on v1 if you prefer it brighter. jj pres will make you want to sell your amp

 

[Punkyskunky]

Any chance of an update on which tube setup you ended up with Ermz? Thinking of re-tuing my 5150mk1 soon and am looking for recommendations.