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Post by StonySparrow on Nov 21, 2019 16:59:17 GMT -7
My Maz had JJ EL84's when I bought it a couple of weeks ago and, last night, I installed 6n14n's. The tonal differences were noticeable. The 6n's have slightly less headroom, more complexity especially with breakup, more highs (but not in a bad way), and far more sustain. The JJ's were more punchy and didn't seem as loud. Maybe the volume difference was because of the room because I would expect the JJ's to be louder. The 6n's are noticeably more complex than the JJ's with more subtlety, especially in the trebles and upper mids. As the saying goes, it was like taking a blanket off the speaker. I did miss the punchiness somewhat but 'you can't have it all'.
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Post by southmusic70 on Nov 21, 2019 17:46:35 GMT -7
Hmm...
Sounds like I might need some JJ el84s for what I do.
Good information.
Thanks!
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Post by mickey on Nov 22, 2019 0:25:08 GMT -7
6N14N is the way to go, they sound better, are more reliable and last longer.
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Post by easyed on Nov 22, 2019 12:36:20 GMT -7
When I got my MAZ 18 Jr a few years ago, I chose to follow Dr Z's specification for tubes (except for V1 & V2).
The tubes that came in the amp were Sovtek EL84M. When I plugged in the set of 6p14p that I got from PerryR, it was like taking the blanket off of the amp. I've never experienced such a dramatic change from tubes in any position.
I was so impressed that I bought a second pair should I ever need replacements - after all, the 6p14p qualifies as NOS in my book and they aren't being made any more.
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Post by digs57 on Nov 22, 2019 14:47:56 GMT -7
Lots to love about the 6n14n's,with so many iterations of reflek's though...had pairs that meh.Other pairs that man I wish this could clone these.
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Post by StonySparrow on Nov 22, 2019 17:20:08 GMT -7
I may get a spare set as well. Good idea!
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Nov 22, 2019 21:53:58 GMT -7
I need to do some A/B tests. I haven’t had the EL84’s in since it came back from getting the MKII done.
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Post by Seńor Verde on Nov 23, 2019 2:33:47 GMT -7
The only NOS tubes I use these days are preamp tubes. I've bought NOS rectifiers and power tubes, including 6N14N that didn't last as long as new tubes, sometimes far less. I'm not blaming the tubes or suppliers because sometimes you just get a bad tube. I did like how the 6N14N sounded better than JJ EL84, but the high price and short lifespan aren't worth it to me.
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drsam
New Member
Posts: 31
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Post by drsam on Nov 23, 2021 19:25:53 GMT -7
The only NOS tubes I use these days are preamp tubes. I've bought NOS rectifiers and power tubes, including 6N14N that didn't last as long as new tubes, sometimes far less. I'm not blaming the tubes or suppliers because sometimes you just get a bad tube. I did like how the 6N14N sounded better than JJ EL84, but the high price and short lifespan aren't worth it to me. I know its been a few years since you posted, but for any future readets' sake, I'd recommend giving the 6n14n another try. Maybe you got a rare defective tube. They're fairly well established as being generally more reliable and longer lasting than standard EL84's, especially JJ's. They really aren't very expensive and (despite your one odd experience with them) the value of their usual longer life far outweighs any small price difference for an individual set. If you like the tone, They're really a better value. The cost bears out over time as being significantly less than JJs.
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Post by Seńor Verde on Nov 24, 2021 9:36:38 GMT -7
The only NOS tubes I use these days are preamp tubes. I've bought NOS rectifiers and power tubes, including 6N14N that didn't last as long as new tubes, sometimes far less. I'm not blaming the tubes or suppliers because sometimes you just get a bad tube. I did like how the 6N14N sounded better than JJ EL84, but the high price and short lifespan aren't worth it to me. I know its been a few years since you posted, but for any future readets' sake, I'd recommend giving the 6n14n another try. Maybe you got a rare defective tube. They're fairly well established as being generally more reliable and longer lasting than standard EL84's, especially JJ's. They really aren't very expensive and (despite your one odd experience with them) the value of their usual longer life far outweighs any small price difference for an individual set. If you like the tone, They're really a better value. The cost bears out over time as being significantly less than JJs. I did but a few sets of them and a pair are in my Maz 18. I didn't realize how many sets I had bought. I have another set in reserve. Once these are done, we'll see.
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drsam
New Member
Posts: 31
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Post by drsam on Nov 25, 2021 6:03:57 GMT -7
I know its been a few years since you posted, but for any future readets' sake, I'd recommend giving the 6n14n another try. Maybe you got a rare defective tube. They're fairly well established as being generally more reliable and longer lasting than standard EL84's, especially JJ's. They really aren't very expensive and (despite your one odd experience with them) the value of their usual longer life far outweighs any small price difference for an individual set. If you like the tone, They're really a better value. The cost bears out over time as being significantly less than JJs. I did but a few sets of them and a pair are in my Maz 18. I didn't realize how many sets I had bought. I have another set in reserve. Once these are done, we'll see. I highly recommend that you do reevaluate. The experience you describe is highly atypical based on most people's experiences. They've been widely available for quite a long time now and their reputation is well established by now. Dr Z has also extensively tested them. The informed consensus is that they generally last long enough to be a better value than the less reliable/durable JJ's that only cost a couple of bucks less per tube. Good luck
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Post by telejas on Dec 12, 2021 17:58:00 GMT -7
6N14N is the way to go, they sound better, are more reliable and last longer. ^^^ This ^^^
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Post by Coleye on Jul 2, 2022 8:31:21 GMT -7
Interesting to read other people's experience with these tubes. I bought a set to try in my Maz, got them in December, and had to change them a few weeks ago as they were both well down on power. They'd only been used in rehearsals too, never gigged. I did like the sound of them, and I've put another set in, so I haven't written them off altogether, but was disappointed as they wouldn't have even had 40 hours play time on them. Maybe just got a dud set, I'll see how the new set lasts, I'm hoping it was just bad luck as I liked the tone.
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Post by sharkboy on Jul 2, 2022 15:29:13 GMT -7
I’ve used 6N14Ns in a few of my amps for _years_. One of those amps is pretty much used every day. For higher voltage amps, like the ZWreck, they are the only tubes I would use. They sound very good- maybe not the best but the best that could last this long.
In the past, my favorite EL84 in other amps was the early Ei grey plate. Those are hard to come by and are not terribly robust. The Shuguang ones surprised me in both sound and longevity, having had a set in my previous every day amp for ten years (before I bought my first Z.) I wanted to like JJs but I wasn’t super happy with their EL84s (or most power tubes- I still like their KT77s and sone of their rectifiers.)
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