jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

[bluesfloyd]

hi guys,
any of you guys know about JJ preamp tubes ECC83S and the upgrade ECC803S, is the upgrade better ???? i read the upgrade is not suitable for comb amps ???? thanks for your help guys,

all the best, bluesfloyd,

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

The 803S is not an upgrade, it is a different type of ECC83, modeled after the Telefunken ECC803 'long plate' triode.
The 83S, to my ears is leaner sounding with more gain and upper mids/high frequencies. The 803S is warmer (aka 'duller') and emphasizes midrange only.

I typically use either an original Telefunken 803 or the JJ 803S in the V1 slot and then 83S's everywhere else.

[ken361]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

803 are a decent warmer tube v2 tube, dont like the 83's rather use a Tungsol in the v1

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

803 are a decent warmer tube v2 tube, dont like the 83's rather use a Tungsol in the v1

I think it depends on what V2 does in your amp. I am not a fan of the 803 on the tone stack, for example.

[bluesfloyd]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

hi guys,
thanks for the above replies
my vox AC15HW uses 2x el84's and 3x 12ax7 what tube would you use to get a super clean sound ?????

all the best, bluesfloyd

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

I would use a JJ ECC832. It is half ECC83 and half ECC82. As the first half is the 83, the tone and voicing remain in tact but the overall gain is lowered significantly by the 82 side.

[bluesfloyd]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

I would use a JJ ECC832. It is half ECC83 and half ECC82. As the first half is the 83, the tone and voicing remain in tact but the overall gain is lowered significantly by the 82 side.

hi,
do i replace my three 12ax7 with three ecc832 ???? and what about el84's there are cool/normal/ hot/ types???? thanks for you time to reply,

all the best, bluesfloyd,

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

Sorry, I know nothing about EL84s.

I would start with the ECC832 in the V1 slot and ECC83 for the other two. I think that will give you the clean tone you are looking for.

[zzmoore]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

There are not. simple, black and white, answers to these questions you are asking.
Much of it is just conjecture.....opinion.
Do yourself a favor and delete the word "upgrade" from your vocabulary.
The best thing for YOU to do, would be to buy some preamp tubes, and see what you think. Replace them one at a time, and see what (if any) difference you notice.
Buy a 12AT7 and use that in the phase inverter (V3) and see if that helps your cause at all.......you can always switch back to an AX7 later.
TAD sells pretty good tubes...you just have to buy and try a few brands.
Biasing power tubes is going to be beyond your ability at this point...so just be aware...different power tubes of the same brand will draw Different Amounts of current... and may sound-play-feel quite a bit different within the same brand. Some companies will have a grading system...some will not.
Getting into THAT might be overwhelming at this point.
Bottom line.....buy some different brands and give it a shot.
Do not assume that the tubes in the amp now are any worse than another you might buy.
good luck

[bluesfloyd]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

hi zzmoore,
big thanks for your reply, preamp tubes for V1/P1 positions are sold balanced or unbalanced, why???? can i use balanced or unbalanced pre amp tubes in the V2 position ?????

all the best, bluesfloyd

[zzmoore]

Re: jj valves, ECC83S/ ECC803S

The "why" of balancing is more relevant to the PI. There are theoretical reasons for it. Some designs unbalance the plate resistors to off-set the gain difference and assume the tube will Not Be balanced. It goes on and on.
I would say you do not "need" a balanced tube...I never worry about it. But what is the up-charge...a few dollars.?
You could easily just buy one and (again) see what YOU think. If you do not hear/feel a change, you have only "lost" a few bux.....and you still have the balanced tube that is fine to use anyway.
But yes...you can use balanced or unbalanced tubes anywhere in the preamp.
good luck