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In Reply to: RE: I just bought a quad of JJ 6CA7 today for my Cronus Magnum posted by AbeCollins on March 03, 2023 at 09:39:09
They were America's answer to EL34s. Many people prefer them, and yes they supposed to be more rugged.
Enjoy,
Jack
Follow Ups:
Jack thanks for your comment on the 6CA7. Here's the long story on how I was introduced to them over 10 years ago.I owned a pair of very hefty Manley Neo-Classic 250 monoblocks that took 10 EL34 tubes each and I felt it was time to retube them. After the EL34 retube some of their plates started glowing red and ended up popping a handful 10-Ohm cathode resistors. Manley offered to take the amps in for repair free of charge but I really didn't want to ship these beasts at 80-Lbs ea boxed. Manley service [Paul in AZ I think] was kind enough to send me a batch of replacement resistors, a schematic, and more EL34 tubes.
I replaced the resistors and the tubes but a few resistors popped again as some of the tube plates glowed red. Paul commented that they've been having problems with EL34 tubes and said that it seems some of the manufacturers "lost the recipe" for making them reliable - funny comment but he then suggested I give up on EL34's for a while and try 6CA7 tubes instead.
I ended up buying 20 6CA7-EH [10 per monoblock] and never had a problem again. I eventually sold the amps as I wanted something much more compact. That led to my Class D journey but that's another story.
Manley Neo-Classic 250 Repair on my makeshift workbench in our previous home:
Edits: 03/04/23
Interesting. I've never been a huge fan of EL34s, but my experience is somewhat limited. They came with the original Rogue Cronus. My Jadis DA-60 amp could take them, but I preferred 6550s/KT88s. I actually have a fair amount of EL34s laying around. I'm sure they can sound good in the right amp. I didn't think to try 6CA7s though. There have been issues with KT-77s in the past as well, something to keep in mind.
I've been craving tubes again, not SE, but lowish powered PP. Looking into 6L6, EL84 or possibly EL34/6CA7s. Taking my time this time around.
Enjoy,
Jack
I'm no expert on tubes but in my recent experience with the Cronus Magnum and my more efficient Tannoys [vs the Thiels now in the closet], I think I prefer the 6CA7 over the more powerful KT120.
My EH 6CA7 and just plugged-in JJ 6CA7 sound more robust and rich, and a little more 'fat' compared to the KT120. The KT120 seem more neutral and tight, more top end. They're not 'thin' but relative to the 6CA7 they may seem so.
Is not a great sounding tube. I know they are standard issue with new Rogue amps and many others, but I think that is because of reliability and power output, not sonics. They are powerful, with good bass and dynamics, but dry sounding and lacking harmonic bloom through the midrange. Many people love them, but mostly because they have not tried something else.
I think KT66 has the best treble of these tube types, along with a holographic midrange completely lacking the upper bass bloat typical of KT88/Kt120 tubes. Definitely a more linear sound. Unfortunately you lose some bass heft (although the bass is tight) and about half the power.
The original Rogue Cronus came with EL34 tubes if I'm not mistaken. My Cronus "Magnum" came with KT90's but I'm not sure if those were factory tubes as I bought mine used.Although my old Cronus Magnum is electrically compatible with the KT120 [per Rogue] I needed to change the chassis top. The older chassis top hole cut outs were too small in diameter for the larger base on the KT120. I purchased a new chassis top from Rogue years ago.
I didn't have much choice but to run the more powerful KT120 with my Thiel speakers. Now that I'm back to my more efficient Tannoys [91dB 6 Ohm] I am able to experiment with a wider variety of tubes.
I have a quad of EH 6CA7 that sound wonderful, overall much nicer than the KT120 IMHO. On the other hand, I just got my fresh quad of JJ 6CA7. These JJ's are very robust and deep in the bass and lower freqs in general but they're not very detailed and lack top end. In a word they are rich and dark. Ok two words. I'm leaning more toward my EH 6CA7 which are more balanced sounding.
Edits: 03/06/23
I'm becoming a JJ fan. Glad to hear their 6CA7s are working out for you, knock on wood. I'll swap mine into the CMII in due course.
Slovakia for the win.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
I haven't compared any actual EL34 tubes in my CM, just the EH 6CA7 and JJ 6CA7. I received the new JJ 6CA7 on Sunday. In my short auditions of both tubes I found the EH to be more balanced.See my comments to Mendel .
Edits: 03/06/23 03/06/23 03/06/23
I just swapped the JJ 6CA7s in and have listened to one album only as of now. My initial reaction is very positive. They sound more robust and linear than the JJ EL34IIs and better overall if not quite as sweet. I'm not noticing a lack of high end detail, but they are darker. Of course that's JJ to JJ. And with Heresys. I don't have other brands to compare to in the EL34 family. Next will be my thoughts on the EL34IIs in the ST-70.I'll listen more, but so far I feel like I'd only change back to KT120s (or 6550s or KT88s) to preserve tube life and not for sonics.
EDIT: My tubes have now burned in for over a week of fairly frequent play time.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 03/07/23 03/07/23
My comparison may be a little different than yours. In my case:
- JJ 6CA7 vs EH 6CA7 vs Tong-Sol KT120
in the Rogue Cronus Magnum. I had the JJ 6CA7 in the amp for only a couple days then switched back to EH 6CA7 for a few days. I'm going swap the JJ 6CA7 back into the amp and listen to those for a few days. They DO sound good but my initial impression was that they were deep, richer, darker, not quite as detailed and softer up top. I'll give the JJ more break in time and see if my findings hold true.
And then there's the KT-120. I'm hesitant to go back to those as the 6CA7 tubes are sounding so nice!
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