Purchased a set of TAD el34-B tubes recently... I believe they are the crown jewels that this king (amp) needed. Yes, indeed. 8)
I'd heard that Ch.1 would take a hit, but I think its an improvement. I use tweed mode, and it just enhances the touch dynamics and growl, taking away any unpleasurable high-end spike that often topped notes with the 6l6's.
Ch.2 is better without question, as I'd suspected it would be. Its still very open, but now it has a quality--I really can't name it--that makes me smile. It pulls everything towards the middle, causing an earlier, tighter breakup. Each note sprouts a full-grown, Grizzly Adams-style beard, as opposed to the prepubescent stubble of the 6l6. Its very manly.
Ch. 3 should be the cream of this amp, but I felt like it was the weakest before, like it worked against me somehow. It handles better now, it feels better. All the bad parts of the high and low ends are chopped off and laid in the middle, allowing it to dominate a mix without any irritating shrillness. It somehow opened up a good bit too, making it a better match for channel 2 when channel switching. I'm really pleased.
The best thing about the el34's is that the amp sounds better at lower volumes, so playing out won't be such a compromise. I loved the amp with 6l6's, but for me el34's are a vast improvement. I've read others, after hearing an a/b clip, say that they were glad they didn't buy into the hype and that they stuck with their stock tubes. I don't think a cursory listening can reveal the difference these tubes make. You really need to play it to hear it. But if that means buying them, I promise you won't be sorry.
I'd heard that Ch.1 would take a hit, but I think its an improvement. I use tweed mode, and it just enhances the touch dynamics and growl, taking away any unpleasurable high-end spike that often topped notes with the 6l6's.
Ch.2 is better without question, as I'd suspected it would be. Its still very open, but now it has a quality--I really can't name it--that makes me smile. It pulls everything towards the middle, causing an earlier, tighter breakup. Each note sprouts a full-grown, Grizzly Adams-style beard, as opposed to the prepubescent stubble of the 6l6. Its very manly.
Ch. 3 should be the cream of this amp, but I felt like it was the weakest before, like it worked against me somehow. It handles better now, it feels better. All the bad parts of the high and low ends are chopped off and laid in the middle, allowing it to dominate a mix without any irritating shrillness. It somehow opened up a good bit too, making it a better match for channel 2 when channel switching. I'm really pleased.
The best thing about the el34's is that the amp sounds better at lower volumes, so playing out won't be such a compromise. I loved the amp with 6l6's, but for me el34's are a vast improvement. I've read others, after hearing an a/b clip, say that they were glad they didn't buy into the hype and that they stuck with their stock tubes. I don't think a cursory listening can reveal the difference these tubes make. You really need to play it to hear it. But if that means buying them, I promise you won't be sorry.
I tossed a set of EL34b's in mine as well and I agree with your assessment of CH2 &3.
