Review Notes - how we conducted the review Full reviews of the tubes we tested (click to go to its review): Gold Lion EL84 Mullard EL84 Electro Harmonix EL84 Sovtek EL84 Russian EL84M / 6p14p-EV/EB TAD EL84-STR Telam and Polam EL84 Tesla EL84 Review Notes Tube reviews written by John Templeton. For these tests I was lucky enough to secure the loan of some classic amps and some modern gear as well. The test amps used in this round included: 1961 VOX AC30 – No top boost Mid 60’s VOX AC10 – Twin Fender Blues Junior Fender Pro Junior All of these amps are combos and put maximum stress on power tubes when it comes to physical vibration and heat build up. The VOX AC30 should have a health warning for tubes since I have yet to encounter a harsher environment to operate in. I know that a lot of Boogie fans would like to hear how these tubes fared in the .22 Caliber and other smaller Boogies. Trust me, you can’t handle the truth. On with the show. There has not been a lot of space devoted to this tube in the past. The main reason was that current production provided a limited selection. Let’s forget about New Old Stock for the time being. They’re out there, they are expensive and sometimes represent the dregs of production. Back to top The Complete Reviews Gold Lion EL84 - Based on physical and listening tests the Gold Lion EL84 may be the best production tube in the EL84 market. The physical structure of the tube is only equaled by the NOS Russian 6n14p-EV/EB (EL84M). Extra heavy-duty spacers and very nice glass help them to reject microphonics even at punishing volume levels. All tubes in the EL84 family are tested in a cathode biased amp where they are really pushed and their harmonic content blooms. The Gold Lion's just sound great at any volume level. The plates look to have a different coating than anything else coming out of new sensor in EL84's and this, combined with a heavy gage crimped plate seems to really keep the noise down. Clean tones are chimey and sparkling with single coil pickups and a bit darker with humbuckers. The overdrive on these tubes is smoooth. No gritty, raspy tones, the tubes have just the right amount of compression to track with the overdrive and keep it beautifully controlled while blooming nicely as the note fades out. This produces a very nice organic sustain. I would take these over MOST NOS tubes any day of the week. If you figure in the extra cost of NOS, these are actually a better value. IF you can get Philips, Telefunken, or British Mullard then go for it. If not, try a set of the Gold Lion EL84's. Mullard EL84 - Blues guys will go crazy for the reissue Mullard EL84 tube. It has the least clean headroom and can be pushed into distortion with aggressive playing. When pushed into distortion the Mullard EL84 tube has a softer, creamier overdrive that is more musical than other EL84 tubes and is the tube to pick if you want dirt. Electro Harmonix EL84-EH - For most applications this is a good bet. The sound of these tubes is very smooth when biased correctly. Tonally, it’s hard to go wrong. They are pleasant to listen to and have the creamy overdrive most people look for in an EL84. They have a nice chime but it’s not overbearing. It looks a lot like the standard Sovtek but a closer inspection will reveal differences. The plate looks a bit more polished with a different coating and internally they feature precisely wrapped grid wires with a bright metal shine. The only problem with this tube is that like the Sovtek and TAD product, they are tubby. The fattest one I measured was .886 inches thick against the G.E. maximum width spec of .875 inches. For most purchasers this will not be an issue. If you have an amp that requires the tube to pass through a hole in the chassis before the pins seat in the socket you should measure the diameter of that hole. If you’re still unsure, the JJ EL84 is the closest in dimensional specs to NOS measurements and the G.E. standards for the 6BQ5. Sovtek EL84 - The Sovtek EL84 has been a staple for Fender, Boogie, Crate, Peavey and other manufacturers of tube amps using the ’84. This tube really is a good value. It is predictable, reliable and affordable. You can get good EL84 tone at a reasonable price. The Sovtek EL84 has been around a long time, and it has shown continuous improvement over the years. Using a matched set of properly biased tubes will yield a clear smooth sound that is fairly warm and transitions into a smooth breakup with that singing tone that EL84’s are known for. In cathode biased amps like the VOX they get a premium workout and will suffer some effects from heating and cooling. Being prone to mechanical noise in a combo amp, the EL84 is not recommended for amps with poor air circulation. The heating/cooling cycle inside an AC30 easy-bake oven seems to loosen up the mechanical structures within the tube causing them to become very noisy (mechanically) with time. This is true of any amp that uses an EL84 in a poorly ventilated chassis/cabinet arrangement, so if this is your rig, go for the JJ or Russian EL84M. In the Fender Blues Junior the tubes can really put out respectable volume and great tone for all types of music. The highs are not harsh, the mids are warm and the bottom end is not lacking. If you want to really scream try a Pro Junior with full volume. Very crunchy yet smooth with great singing sustain. I personally like my tubes biased at 60% or 70% of static dissipation and the Sovtek EL84 performed well in this range. Back to top Russian 6p14p-EV/EB (EL84M) - Some people will swear that the “M” stands for military but I’m not convinced. They look pretty much the same on the outside as normal Sovtek ‘84’s but there has to be something extra happening. The M’s seem less prone to mechanical noise and will do much better at surviving the VOX torture test. I loaded up the AC30 with a quad of EL84M’s and found that they could be run for a couple of hours without overheating. The Heat/Cool cycle still has some affect on life but the 84M lasted longer in this environment than the standard fare. A good choice if you have a cathode biased amp or like your tubes biased to more than 70% of idle dissipation. You do pay a sonic and financial price for the EL84M. They are more expensive than the standard EL84 but will last longer. Sonically they are a bit of a different animal. People refer to them as sounding stiffer or more strident with more headroom and may not like the breakup characteristics when pushed. It is really a personal judgement call. If standard EL84’s have been a problem due to heat or noise and you find they don’t last as long as you would like, try the EL84M and see what you think of the tone. In my opinion they are worth the extra money for reliability and the tone is still classic EL84. Back to top TAD EL84-STR - The STR designation tells us that this was a Special Tube Request by the Tube Amp Doctor. In all honesty it looks and sounds like a pretty radical take on the EL84. The dimensions of this tube deserve your attention. Most tubes made in the U.S., England and Germany were built to a standard size. I often compare the new breed of EL84’s to the 1964 G.E. Essential Tube Characteristics Handbook. The TAD EL84STR is about a quarter inch shorter than any EL84 on the market and falls below the minimum GE spec of 2.344 inches. You may have to modify or adjust spring and clip type retainers for the shorter bottle. These are beefy bottles as well, with a measured maximum width of .874 inches. The GE specification is a maximum value of.875 inches. The TAD EL84STR also has the largest plate structure of any EL84 you can buy. I won’t give any more specs. Just trust me on this one, it’s enormous! There is very little clearance between the plate and the bottle and they get hot! This tube has the deepest bass, the highest highs and strident mids. In short, they sound a lot like a premium 6V6. No smooth creamy distortion here but tons of rock and roll crunch. If your bored with your normal EL84 tone these are definitely tubes to consider. Not recommended for some VOX amps as well as some smaller Mesa Boogie amps due to size issues. Back to top Telam and Polam EL84 - Two wild and crazy tubes! I think for single coil guitars they are the best sounding tubes available. Fender amps love them. Pro Junior, Blues Junior two thumbs up. Mesa Boogie, VOX, Dr Z another two thumbs up. The midrange is very rich in harmonic content. JJ’s sound flat and one dimensional by comparison. The great mids transition into a smooth clear treble and the bass frequencies are solid with no flabbiness. I had a couple of players testing them and they had no problem in picking these tubes as their favorites. Numerous tube swaps were done and the boys would always be able to tell if Polam or Telam were installed. From a construction standpoint there is more good news. They seem to have stayed very close to the original bottle specification. A lesson that a lot of tube makers have not learned. I’m convinced that the Telam and Polam tubes are out of the same factory. The bottles are the same, the spacers, pins and internal connections all look the same. The only difference is in the stamping of the plate. Telam has a ribbed plate that is spot welded while Polam has a smooth plate that is crimped. The coating on both looks identical. Microphonics or mechanical noise doesn’t seem to care about the construction methods as both are excellent. Picking one over the other is difficult because they sound so much alike. Both tubes sound great clean and both have a beautiful natural overdrive sound with bite and a good aggressive sound. Back to top Tesla / JJ EL84 - This tube has been a personal favorite of mine so the review is not entirely unbiased. With the JJ you seem to get a compromise between tone and reliability. Nice mids, sparkling highs and solid bottom end characterize this tube. From a construction standpoint I think JJ has hit the mark. As with any EL84 they can be prone to mechanical noise in combo amps. However, they seem to take the heat and vibration in stride without any negative tonal effects. In the AC30 the JJ tubes really delivered the VOX chime with lots of swirl and shimmery harmonic content. In the little Pro Junior just crank it up and you get a great, nasty, overdriven sound. That’s not bad, it’s good. When pushed hard into the land of the square wave they remind me a lot of a good 6V6. If you have tried the OEM Sovtek’s that shipped in your amp it’s worth your time to try a set of JJ EL84’s. Many convert and never go back. In cathode biased amps you can generally plug and play for that hot creamy “woman tone” that so many desire. Back to top |
 Top of Page The easiest way to buy vacuum tubes. |