Tube DIY Asylum Do It Yourself (DIY) paradise for tube and SET project builders.

---

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Tube DIY Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Re: swapping 5881's into an el34 amp?

Posted by stuck.wilson@gmail.com (A) on January 28, 2007 at 07:59:51

In Reply to: Re: swapping 5881's into an el34 amp? posted by Steve O on January 28, 2007 at 05:50:27:

thanks for the advice steve-

things i didn't mention-- this amp is triode strapped.. i dunno how much difference that makes..

TONALLY.. i tried some big bottles and loved 'em.. figured it musta had something to do with the beam tetrode layout-- and the only reliable source o' those seems to be the 5881.. at least affordably.. i'd LOVE a stash of GE big bottles.. but they're SO expensive, and finding quads.. just seems like a big 'good luck, sucker' proposition... my figuring, like yours.. was definitely keep em well below 500v-- and i'm not exactly sure what mine are drawing currently (no pun intended..).

output isn't a problem.. my speaks are nigh on 100db efficient- so i don't need to worry too much about that.. just plain tone- and when i ran 6ca7's last (til one went gassy...), i had SOLID bass and still great mids.. i ran mullards a while, loved the mids(!!), but the bass was soft. and now i've got some flying c's, and the midrange is bland.. but it's even tempered top to bottom. but utterly uninteresting..

i figured i'd ask first.. the last thing i want to do with an extensively modded 87 is hurt it... it's chock full o' vitamin q's and a beautiful set of vt231s and a tele 12ax7 splitter.. so it's lush central.. but i'd love to find power tubes that complement it, and not be financially demolished every time i retube (and it's biased hot- absolutely right.. so that's about once a year)! i know of the EH 6ca7's, and they sounded great.. but only lasted a few months.. mebbe i got dogs. that's why the recommendation came down for another beam tetrode-- and the tung sol reissues are reasonably priced (about $80 a quad)- as opposed to the $140 a quad for groove tube 6ca7s.

any of that info change stuff?

thanks again for the speedy response and prudent advice!

yrs

d

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---