Topic: EL84M SE (Triode mode)

[efren_]

I decided to play around with these Russian tubes after my vintage 6F6G SE finally retired. Against doctors orders to take a rest, 2 hours a day seems fine . here are some pics (unfinished yet but already "singing"). I have really no plans yet of parts purchase as I have tons still lying around the work area. So "borrowing" the OPT's from my old amp and have the JLH gutted out I have the ps more than enough to power a quad of 6L6! as per sir Edrel's advice a n oil can is the main filter.

now driving my altec lansing full ranger (3") in a DIY enclosure

up close(pardon the low resolution pics)

top cover removed

with the top cover(originaly intended for 6V6GT)
These "komrads " however hates 50mA up, they run hot, so I replaced the 150R cathode res to 220R giving me about 38mA at 285VDC main rail, at first they were a bit bright so i experimented with the grid res starting from 150R and settled at 1.1k, now the Altecs were given justice,... the Sovteks were purchased at AMX (do I have other choice? )
Be it vocals, jazz, solo guitar, classic ....these EL84M swept me away, they are clean but not clinical, silky high's, amazing mids, a little laid back on the lower bass though, middle bass is tight, over all impression is it flows freely, caught my attention specially when i played solo guitar by FALLA's DANZA ESPANIOLA, & NARA LEAO's rendition of How Insensitve.

[JojoD818]

Really great job Efren! 

Parang carbon fiber yun cover mo sir dun sa circuit board? Ganda sir...

[efren_]

thanks sir Jojo, heat resistance plastic lang po, sprayed w/ heat resistant aerosol paint spray

for those who are not familiar or just starting to trek the tube world, pareho po siya ng 6BQ5, or 7189, ang isang variant ng EL84M ay EL84, M stands for Military, I just dont have the idea what part of Russian military service they were in use, maybe communication, or maybe the generals just want to enjoy good tubed audio while eating caviar and sipping highly flammable Vodka while listening to Borris Rubaschkin in Siberia, who knows , EL84M according to specs has higher plate voltage, more durable and cleaner tone that is why it is highly recommended for hi-fi applications, compared to EL84 which is more prefered by guitar amp enthusiast who desires that classic distortion effects, Tama ba ako sir JojoD ?

[JojoD818]

thanks sir Jojo, heat resistance plastic lang po, sprayed w/ heat resistant aerosol paint spray

nice sir, I really like the look nun ginawa mo sa plastic, hindi na po mukhang plastic sa picture...

for those who are not familiar or just starting to trek the tube world, pareho po siya ng 6BQ5, or 7189, ang isang variant ng EL84M ay EL84, M stands for Military, I just dont have the idea what part of Russian military service they were in use, maybe communication, or maybe the generals just want to enjoy good tubed audio while eating caviar and sipping highly flammable Vodka while listening to Borris Rubaschkin in Siberia, who knows , EL84M according to specs has higher plate voltage, more durable and cleaner tone that is why it is highly recommended for hi-fi applications, compared to EL84 which is more prefered by guitar amp enthusiast who desires that classic distortion effects, Tama ba ako sir JojoD ?

Ang sigurado lang po ako sir is yun Vodka and Caviar...  and of course the Russians still employ vacuum tubes in their military service long after the West has deemed it obsolete because it is immune from EMP from a nuclear blast.

[efren_]

Ang sigurado lang po ako sir is yun Vodka and Caviar...  and of course the Russians still employ vacuum tubes in their military service long after the West has deemed it obsolete because it is immune from EMP from a nuclear blast.

  ! now i know why they even make the glass envelope more durable, long after every living thing on mother earth is vaporized or obliterated, they made it sure that it is still glowing and conducting

[JojoD818]

Sir Efren,

When I was in school it was rumored that even the Russian MIG25 that defected and landed in Japan still employ vacuum tubes. Them comrades really love using their tubes. 

[JojoD818]

btt Sir Efren, kung ano-ano na nasabi ko nakalimutan ko tuloy yun tanong ko hehehe...

paano niyo po nai-bend yun plastic that covers the boards?

[ATJr.]

Sir Efren,

When I was in school it was rumored that even the Russian MIG25 that defected and landed in Japan still employ vacuum tubes. Them comrades really love using their tubes. 

hindi rumor yan, 6C33 triode ang ginamit ng mga russo sa avionics ng mig25, and the rest was history, nakauna ang mga japanese dahil doon naglanding yung defector....

pero halos lahat ng nakausap kong russo walang alam tungkol sa vacuum tubes, laos na raw ang tubo sa kanila.....

[efren_]

@ sir Jojo- hindi po nakabend, it was hacksawed to desired size, stick together w/ instant glue then as final fix epoxied for stronger joints, the slow drying type for greater durability, as you have said before..."slowly but surely "
eto  sir ang raw material



@sir Tony- thank you sir for the info di lang technical matutuhan dito, pati mga trivial questions answered straight from the Masters

[efren_]

hindi rumor yan, 6C33 triode ang ginamit ng mga russo sa avionics ng mig25, and the rest was history, nakauna ang mga japanese dahil doon naglanding yung defector....

pero halos lahat ng nakausap kong russo walang alam tungkol sa vacuum tubes, laos na raw ang tubo sa kanila.....

siguro nga sir unless nasa military service ang isang ruso, wala nga po talaga alam sa tubo

[ATJr.]

Hi Efren, 6P15P is also very simmilar to the EL84/6BQ5 tube.....

[JojoD818]

hindi rumor yan, 6C33 triode ang ginamit ng mga russo sa avionics ng mig25, and the rest was history, nakauna ang mga japanese dahil doon naglanding yung defector....

pero halos lahat ng nakausap kong russo walang alam tungkol sa vacuum tubes, laos na raw ang tubo sa kanila.....

so totoo pala talaga yun? napanood ko kasi sa Discovery Channel iniwan ng MIG25 yun F4 Phantom, full afterburner na yun F4 pero iniwan lang hehehe... ok din pala gamit ng mga russo sa military.

baka hindi na din sila talaga gumagamit ng tubes, pero sarap ng weather diyan diba laging minus freezing? sarap naka all tubes 

@ sir Jojo- hindi po nakabend, it was hacksawed to desired size, stick together w/ instant glue then as final fix epoxied for stronger joints, the slow drying type for greater durability, as you have said before..."slowly but surely "
eto  sir ang raw material

ayun ok sir Efren kuha ko na  so pinutol ang dikit mo pala... galing and very nice ang pagkagawa hindi ko halata naka epoxy pala. thanks

[efren_]

Hi Efren, 6P15P is also very simmilar to the EL84/6BQ5 tube.....

Thank you sir TonyT, I fell in love w/ EL84M so much that I ordered another match pair as a spare or maybe for
another SE triode mode project in the near future, meanwhile i'll finish the wooden side/bottom covers while enjoying the amazing sonic qualities of this very simple yet outstanding tube amp

[shrek7]

6c33 tubes are very nice sounding ah! some says it is comparable to 300b, but with higher power at 15 watts per channel. haaaays, although they run really hot, sa wakas, nakuha ko na yung 6c33 na pinapangarap ko! sorry, OT yata!

[ATJr.]

Thank you sir TonyT, I fell in love w/ EL84M so much that I ordered another match pair as a spare or maybe for
another SE triode mode project in the near future, meanwhile i'll finish the wooden side/bottom covers while enjoying the amazing sonic qualities of this very simple yet outstanding tube amp

i have a few pairs of 6P15P's if you are interested...

for the money, 6C33 beats 300B's hands down.....

[efren_]

i have a few pairs of 6P15P's if you are interested...

for the money, 6C33 beats 300B's hands down.....

sayang sir nabayaran ko na ( but am really interested) just in case pm me the price baka sakali
btw sir Tony ano yung 6c33c power tube or driver?

[shrek7]

sayang sir nabayaran ko na ( but am really interested) just in case pm me the price baka sakali
btw sir Tony ano yung 6c33c power tube or driver?

i believe its the same as 300b, power tube, (tama ba?) but it is cheaper to acquire, though hard to find, only one manufacturer, (russia) the bad thing is that they had stopped producing these fine tubes, manufacturing plant already closed years ago. but they said that there is still enough of them for audiophile use.  

history of the tube!
http://www.6c33.com/eng/product/6c33/6c33.htm

[efren_]

i believe its the same as 300b, power tube, (tama ba?) but it is cheaper to acquire, though hard to find, only one manufacturer, (russia) the bad thing is that they had stopped producing these fine tubes, manufacturing plant already closed years ago. but they said that there is still enough of them for audiophile use.  

history of the tube!
http://www.6c33.com/eng/product/6c33/6c33.htm

Thank you shrek7 sir for the info, the tube sure look mean & alien w/ those protruding top suspenders. I also made some research myself, & according to specsheets these bottles are not the type to play around with.
I think i'll stay with el84 & all of its variants for awhile, for the moment I am much very happy with the performance of these flea powered amps.

[shrek7]

Thank you shrek7 sir for the info, the tube sure look mean & alien w/ those protruding top suspenders. I also made some research myself, & according to specsheets these bottles are not the type to play around with.
I think i'll stay with el84 & all of its variants for awhile, for the moment I am much very happy with the performance of these flea powered amps.

you are right sir! medyo mahirap yta ang design ng 6c33, you should have a very nice transformer to run these babies. but regarding el84, these tubes are the sweetest sounding tubes ive ever owned, nagsisisi nga ako kung bakit ibinenta ko pa ung amp na yun eh, swerte ng nakakuha, coz ive already replaced the tube caps with 4 pcs mundorf supreme, up to now, I still miss the sweet sound of the el84! congrats sa el84 build mo sir!  

my previous el84 amp...

[efren_]

you are right sir! medyo mahirap yta ang design ng 6c33, you should have a very nice transformer to run these babies. but regarding el84, these tubes are the sweetest sounding tubes ive ever owned, nagsisisi nga ako kung bakit ibinenta ko pa ung amp na yun eh, swerte ng nakakuha, coz ive already replaced the tube caps with 4 pcs mundorf supreme, up to now, I still miss the sweet sound of the el84! congrats sa el84 build mo sir!  

my previous el84 amp...

Glad to know sir you're a fan of el84/6bq5/7189/6p14p/6p15p....

[efren_]

work on the last finishing touches last night, the heat resistant plastic idea was scrapped after it begins to warp after about 2 weeks so i use marine plywood.



pardon for low quality pics and my poor carpentry, anyway thats why they call it DIY & thats the very essence of it
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL PINOYDVD MEMBERS & FELLOW DIY'ers!!!!!!!

[shrek7]

work on the last finishing touches last night, the heat resistant plastic idea was scrapped after it begins to warp after about 2 weeks so i use marine plywood.



pardon for low quality pics and my poor carpentry, anyway thats why they call it DIY & thats the very essence of it
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL PINOYDVD MEMBERS & FELLOW DIY'ers!!!!!!!

looks good with speakers! ternong terno! im sure it really sounds sweet! it have a vintage look! congrats sir! 

[efren_]

looks good with speakers! ternong terno! im sure it really sounds sweet! it have a vintage look! congrats sir! 

Thank you sir shrek7 for your kind comments

[mhore]

Si!r Efren,

Nice work sir efren. Mukhang vintage talaga yung dating. Sked ko ang punta diyan para ma-audition

[efren_]

sige pre, may ipadala daw sakin 1 crate ng australian reds, ewan ko kung totoo, masarap yun habang nakikinig he he  

the sound is comparable to listening in a high quality (& costly like sennheiser or grado) type of headphones, at conversation level is where the sweetest spot is, specially during at night listening sessions when everybody is asleep

[JojoD818]

Congrats on the make over sir E!

[edrel sison]

after this project i think efren will buy a new camera...
am going to buy one for my daughter efren for school use, worth 3,500 lng. the basic panasonic point and shoot..

[efren_]

after this project i think efren will buy a new camera...
am going to buy one for my daughter efren for school use, worth 3,500 lng. the basic panasonic point and shoot..

oo nga sir, about time na, may pambili ng tubo walang pambili ng murang camera

btw mga sirs, after 3 wks of use averaging 3-4 hrs/day, this el34m ay lalong nadefine ang sonic qualities nya, nung bago i noticed compression when cranked all the way up, lately halos negligible na, I don't believe in break in electronically before, ang alam ko it only applies to mechanical, even sa SS wala ako na-observe na break in period, pero sa tubo well it surely yielded excellent results

played Michael Giachinno's epic orchestra original soundtrack of "Medal Of Honor" game (i remember this game gave me a lot of sleepless nights in the 90's, PS1 attached to a HT front, rear, sub & all ) But now its like the whole orchestra was playing in the 30 sq/m room, and of course it has the detail & purity that that my former HT never had

[JojoD818]

Sir Efren, Happy New Year Po! 


May you have more tube projects this 2011 sir! 

[efren_]

Sir Efren, Happy New Year Po! 


May you have more tube projects this 2011 sir! 

same to you sir Jojo, may u have more baby (G,s as well ) to come!
may the JD Lab prosper more in the years to come