kevinmi Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I took out my VTA-ST-120 amp which has vintage Tung-Sol 6550 tubes in it, and replaced it with my Decware El-84 mono block amps. The sound is obviously different, going from 60 watts/channel to 5 watts. This got me thinking about how different tubes and amp designs might sound. I know the sound is completely subjective, but I was just wondering what other people have found out to be the most pleasing tube sound. I'm using the amps to drive my modded K-Horns. Please chime in with your opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I bet the Decware is much easier to listen too for hours on end. What Decware exactly are you using that is 5 watts? I thought the EL84 triode amps they produced were less than 3 WPC ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 19 minutes ago, NOSValves said: I bet the Decware is much easier to listen too for hours on end. What Decware exactly are you using that is 5 watts? I thought the EL84 triode amps they produced were less than 3 WPC ? Hi Craig, the Decware units are the SE-84 kits. I built 2 of them and have them bridged to put out about 5.8 watts each. I've never had any listening fatigue with either setup, but I don't usually listen to music for more than an hour or two at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Have ever tried dumping the bridge configuration and just run one of those Decwares? I myself have never been a fan of bridging two channel together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 56 minutes ago, NOSValves said: Have ever tried dumping the bridge configuration and just run one of those Decwares? I myself have never been a fan of bridging two channel together... I've done that before, but I think I'll try it again since I don't remember how it sounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbtwsp Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I would lean toward true SET using 45's, 2A3's, or 300B's. They should work well with K-horns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik2A3 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Agreeing with Craig, here. I've used the above triodes in different configurations for a long time, and yeah, they can be great -- but consider also the circuit; there is more to just the output device used. Single-ended EL 84s can sound amazing with Klipschorns. I did that for a long time too, and IMO gives the far more costly big triodes a real run for the money. I have some insanely expensive 2A3s and 300Bs, and love the the El 84. PS: my wife bought me a Decware mini-Tori a few years back, one of the few amps I didn't build myself. It uses single-ended 6V6s (or others in that family), and while a great little amp, I recently bought some nice OPTs with UL taps at 40%, and also mades some other small changes, including feedback removal (just my preference). Those old triodes are nice -- particularly in a parallel-feed application -- but consider some others too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 You are headed in the right direction with decware. I have owned tube amps from cj to quicksilver and everything in between. My Torii is one of the most pleasing amps I've ever heard. Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubeHiFiNut Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Currently have SET Amps that use 845, 300B and 2A3 output tubes and a SEP amp that uses the EL84. The SET amps are beautiful sounding amps - each in their own way.. The Almarro A205a SEP EL84 amp also sounds wonderful and can definitely run with the big dogs. I would try using one unbridged Decware EL84 amp, as was suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 I've decided to go with a single ended design amp that I can roll all the octal tube families to get a taste of the different tubes out there. Reviews to come after the unit arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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