STR450 vs 447: production Sovtek ELs vs NOS Siemens ELs??

[edward]

Hi all,

Anyone do a direct comparison between the "regular" Mesa EL34s and their Siemens NOS EL34s? Tone reports? Impressions? Sonically worth the extra dough?

BTW, and are these truly "NOS" ...as in actual NOS that I'd get from a reputable tube dealer? The reason I ask is that I "could" replace my ELs with NOS from where I usually shop, but as these 450s are Mesa tubes, they come with a more generous warranty ...but is only worth it if they are really "NOS" and have "the tone." I'd appreciate you feedback and experience with these!!


Edward

 

[phyrexia]

Talk to Lockbody, he just bought some.

Of course they're NOS, they're Siemens tubes. Siemens doesn't make tubes anymore.

 

[psychodave]

Depends on when the Siemens were made. 80's versions are not considered to be high quality. Many cant hold high voltages. With that said, a few years ago I bought 4 quads for $82 a quad. I love them in my Marshalls.

 

[sundaypunch]

I tried to buy some 450's a couple of months ago. Called Boogie and they told me they were out of them and wouldn't be getting more. Others say they have ordered some from Boogie so I don't know what is up. Maybe they unexpectedly got more.

You can buy the same tubes from a NOS tube dealer. The trick is getting a pair that will idle properly in your Boogie. This guy on ebay usually has pairs for $65/$70-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=121164&item=160143811510

I emailed him and he said he was familiar with Boogies and could sell me a pair that would idle properly. When I got them they didn't. Not a big deal as I used them in my Marshall and they are fantastic.

You are safer to buy the Mesa 450's with the proper color code (if you can find them).

 

[psychodave]

Bryan Sanborn is a great ebayer. I buy all of my power tubes from him. Call me crazy, but I really like the Sovtek 6L6wxt in my Marks. He sells them for around $43 a quad shipped 8)

 

[edward]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

I didn't know that any "Siemens" is NOS ...thanks for that!

BrianSanborn is selling his pairs of Siemen34s at about the same price as Mesa is ...I am inclined to go with the Mesa ones, if only for their warranty ... are his sets any better? BTW, I just called a local Boogie store and they DO have the Siemens 34s in stock at $70.

On this latter point, I thought the Mesa color codes were strictly for matching purposes, and don't really denote "cold" or "hot" ranges?? ...That said, should I try to get a certain color for my MKIII Greenie if they have different sets?

So, has anyone A/B'd between the Siem's and Sovteks? I know it's not a huge price diff between the two so I have no prob getting the NOS-ers, but I don't want to shell out more dough if there is no appreciable improvement. Tonal description/differences would be very helpful!! Thanks!!

Edward

 

[edward]

Alrighty, I got em! The Boogie store had the Siemens NOS EL34s (STR450) for $70. I put em into my MKIII head and wow, what an improvement! Mind you, this is in no way a comparison to the STR 447s ...my old-dead 34s are from the previous owner and are no benchmark for comparison, whatsoever. So who knows what the tonal difference is between the NOS and Mesa's 447s. But what I can say is the bottom is smoother (just a bit flubby before), top end is and crisp and smooth, not sharp and "bitey" like the ones I had in there; the treble knob is much more friendly now!! And the mids are warm and lush, especially in ClassA. I'd still love to hear a tone report that can A/B with the 447s. But at least I can say these 450s do indeed sound very "EL34" in all the best ways!!

Edward

 

[Paul Secondino]

Thanks for the replies, guys!



On this latter point, I thought the Mesa color codes were strictly for matching purposes, and don't really denote "cold" or "hot" ranges?? ...That said, should I try to get a certain color for my MKIII Greenie if they have different sets?



Edward

Color codes , matching and cold/hot are all related. All power tubes can have more or less potential and need to be grouped pretty strictly. So with Mesa's system, a color code denotes a matched set "and" a output range.

A company like eurotubes uses a two digit number on their power tubes like 50, 52 , 55 etc which probably makes more sense .