| Author | Message | ||
     Ian McLaren (evilcat) Username: evilcat Registered: 10-2006 |
This is my first post. I just bought my first amp (112RD 65) and wanted to see under the hood. I popped out a tube and it reads USSR, 5881/6L6GWT. I don't think this is the original as the amp had an overhall in 03 by local amp guru Gar Gillies (founder of Garnet Amps). So my thinking is these may be NOS tubes from back in the day. I can find very little on these other than they may have been from "Audio Glassics). Does this seem right? If they are replacements by Gar I am sure everything was set up well as he is a legend in these parts and does the best work. If anyone can add any insite I would appreciate it. | ||
| Mike Kaus (mm210) Username: mm210 Registered: 05-2006 |
THose are Sovteks, which are to my not real good in a MM amp. I'm sure the reason he put them in there is that that's what he carried. I'm NOT a fan of sovteks but that being said, there are millions of them out there. They sound too brittle and harsh for my taste and that's something that MM amps DON'T need since they have a clean quality almost to a fault. For 6L6 type tubes, the SED's, JJ, and Ruby seem to be the winners in my opinion. I personally am using JJ 6L6's in my bassman head, my twin(that's NOW a head!) and the JJ E34L's in my MM 2-10 65. The JJ's seem to hold up better to the high plate voltages of MY MM(700v) and sound great. JJ also has a really tough 6V6 tube that's getting great reviews but I don't have anything that uses them. I don't want to sound like I'm trashing Sovtek tubes but their track record with me is not so hot and Groove Tubes isn't much better. OOPS-did I say that? Mike | ||
| Ian McLaren (evilcat) Username: evilcat Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks Mike. I did find out more about the tubes. You were close. They are not Sovteks. They are NOS (1970's I believe) Svetlana tubes. He tried a few tubes but he liked these the best. | ||
| Edward Solberg (edward_solberg) Username: edward_solberg Registered: 05-2006 |
an NOS svetlana is a very nice tube, indeed. beware though, a modern svetlana (if not labled SED-- with the winged "c" logo) is just another sovetek with the svet lable. it is my understanding that svetlana was absorbed by the industrial group manufacturing soveteks and now only the tubes coming out of the original plant in petersburg are of the former svetlana quality and tone. congrats on getting a "nice" pair of tubes, ed s  | ||
| Ian McLaren (evilcat) Username: evilcat Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks. I have heard the same about the modern tubes. These ones are pre-fall of USSR comunist block. To be honest I am not that woried about what they are because I know I will most likely never find anouther set and the ones I have now sound GREAT to me. |