I spent this week changing out some tubes in the Blue Angel.
I tried GE 6L6 and then SED 6L6 in the 6V6 sockets. The 6L6 substitution is great -- to my ears, more dynamic range and headroom. A bit cleaner sounding and nice break up at higher levels. Less 'dirt' then the 6V6. The GEs sounded pretty similar to the SED tubes, but I'm keeping the GEs as back-ups as they're unmatched random picks.
I played around with some different pre-amp tubes in V1 -- TeleFunKen, GE, Tung-Sol, Sovtek, and Sylvania 12AX7As, a RCA 7025, and a Mullard ECC83. My favorite is the Tung-Sol. Nice clean defined sounds. I think I liked the Mullard too, but unfortunately it was a bit microphonic. For whatever reason, the TeleFunKen sounds better in my Champ then the Blue Angel.
Tonight my Eurotube's JJ complete retube arrived. I pulled everything and put in the JJs. Just like Bob says, the 6V6 is a world apart. Great musical break up -- I think people call this 'more focused'. These are much less 'flabby' (pooping out in the lower frequencies) then the Mesa 6V6. The EL84s have great chime and a wonderful classic rock & roll sound - good classic break-up when cranked.
Overall, I'm very happy with the tube upgrades. I'm keeping the JJs in but will keep the Tung-Sol 12AX7 and the SED 6L6s in the back of the amp for quick tone modding.
Just thought I'd share...
I tried GE 6L6 and then SED 6L6 in the 6V6 sockets. The 6L6 substitution is great -- to my ears, more dynamic range and headroom. A bit cleaner sounding and nice break up at higher levels. Less 'dirt' then the 6V6. The GEs sounded pretty similar to the SED tubes, but I'm keeping the GEs as back-ups as they're unmatched random picks.
I played around with some different pre-amp tubes in V1 -- TeleFunKen, GE, Tung-Sol, Sovtek, and Sylvania 12AX7As, a RCA 7025, and a Mullard ECC83. My favorite is the Tung-Sol. Nice clean defined sounds. I think I liked the Mullard too, but unfortunately it was a bit microphonic. For whatever reason, the TeleFunKen sounds better in my Champ then the Blue Angel.
Tonight my Eurotube's JJ complete retube arrived. I pulled everything and put in the JJs. Just like Bob says, the 6V6 is a world apart. Great musical break up -- I think people call this 'more focused'. These are much less 'flabby' (pooping out in the lower frequencies) then the Mesa 6V6. The EL84s have great chime and a wonderful classic rock & roll sound - good classic break-up when cranked.
Overall, I'm very happy with the tube upgrades. I'm keeping the JJs in but will keep the Tung-Sol 12AX7 and the SED 6L6s in the back of the amp for quick tone modding.
Just thought I'd share...