NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

[Gtrjunior]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

I actually probably want darker sounding tubes with lots of headroom?

I'm getting most of my gain from the preamp, and the SL-X has a lot more gain than I'll ever need. I can only imagine cranking the volume up in a bigger venue. It will be glorious!

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I think you want the JJ EL34 or E34L(slightly more headroom).
I also find the Chinese Sino to sound really, REALLY good.

 

[dystrust]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

I think you want the JJ EL34 or E34L(slightly more headroom).
I also find the Chinese Sino to sound really, REALLY good.

I have JJ EL-34s in both of my Marshall Jubilees. IMO they're like a best-of-both-worlds mashup of an EL-34 and 6550.

 

[fretburner]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

Have you tried the JJ EL34 II?

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[dystrust]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

Have you tried the JJ EL34 II?

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I haven't. They're supposed to be a lower headroom version for earlier breakup, and that isn't something that I'm after. The Jubilee's magic mostly lives in the preamp IMO, and they tend to get a bit compressed and mushy if the power amp breaks up too much.

 

[Ascension]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING sounds better in those amps than a good matched set of real Svetlana Winged C El34's! Not the New Sensor junk they call a Svetlana but the real winged C tubes. Played JCM 900 Dual Masters and SL-X's all through the 90's - early 2000's and know these amps very well.
A really good Sl-X is one of the absolute baddest high gain metal monsters on the freekin PLANET!
Congrats!

 

[dystrust]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING sounds better in those amps than a good matched set of real Svetlana Winged C El34's! Not the New Sensor junk they call a Svetlana but the real winged C tubes. Played JCM 900 Dual Masters and SL-X's all through the 90's - early 2000's and know these amps very well.
A really good Sl-X is one of the absolute baddest high gain metal monsters on the freekin PLANET!
Congrats!

Agreed that they're great tubes, but they're getting pretty expensive on the NOS market. They're a lot cheaper than NOS Mullards, but still a lot more expensive than JJs. Depending on where they OP is located, they may not be available at all.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

Agreed that they're great tubes, but they're getting pretty expensive on the NOS market. They're a lot cheaper than NOS Mullards, but still a lot more expensive than JJs. Depending on where they OP is located, they may not be available at all.

Plus from what I understand, much of what is out there is B stock (for lack of a better term). And many online retailers are selling them only as singles.
My last duet is in my 2204

 

[fretburner]

Re: NAD: JCM 900 2500 SL-X

Agreed that they're great tubes, but they're getting pretty expensive on the NOS market. They're a lot cheaper than NOS Mullards, but still a lot more expensive than JJs. Depending on where they OP is located, they may not be available at all.

I'm in Manila but I usually get my tubes from the US. I bought some Mesa-Boogie branded ones in Hong Kong before, and they might actually be winged Cs.

JJ's are still my reference though. My experience with them have been great so far, and if something is going to be a lot more expensive than the JJs, then they better be that much better.

I found this in youtube, and it seems like the ad is right in that the EL34 IIs have more low mids without losing their highs:

https://youtu.be/lZPnRuJr4pk

Btw... I don't like the guy's tone. Too thin and too ice picky for me, not enough mids. But, you can hear the difference between the two tubes.

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