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best EL34s tube for Marantz 8b and kef ls3/5a match??

A

andreas75

New Member
Hi guys i was wondering which brand or kind off EL34 tube fits best for my marantz 8b ??

Its known theres plenty and all kind off EL 34s in the market...As good as NOS or Todays recent tubes Production..

what u think fellows??

the other question is how good might be the marantz 8b driving a pair of the highly aclaimed Kef ls3/5a raymond cooke...Well known for being an extremely low EFF speak (82,5 db)...(You know the BBC Monitor also made by rogers,harbeth,spendor,stirling etc etc etc)

for those sweets 35 x 2 watts of the marantz 8b.

thanks in advance

Andreas
 
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I don't know what the 8B originally came with, but I have a feeling that it might have been GE-branded Mullards (OO) or Amperex (DD-getters) - those types have that classic varm and lush sound.
I've tried the OO's, single O's and the DD's and some fine TFK's (OO) and some Winged C's (=C=) and some RFT's. All of those tubes sounded great in my 8B, but with a lightly different "fingerprint" - and I don't really know what I like the best - The Telefunkens are great though- with a slightly lighter presentation, but the difference in my set-up is very small.
Sure the best bargain here must be the winged =c='s. But if money wasn't a problem I'd go for the DD's or TFK's.

The drivertubes / phasesplitters in my 8B is E90F (6BH6) and RCA cleartops
6CG7's. I'm about to do some experiments with different 6CG7's aswell.

I wonder what tubes the 8B was "voiced" with? - if it at all was voiced in respect to the tubes?

regards
Freddy
 
IMHO, you can make more of a difference for less money trying different driver tubes. Cheap, relative to the EL34's and more NIB to choose from. Again, contact Jim McShane.

What and how many driver tubes does it use? I may have a few kicking around that you could have if they are the right ones.


charles
 
The best 6FQ7's I've ever heard were Sylvania black plates, circa 1958 NIB. They were reasonably priced.

As for the EL34's, don't underestimate those newer Svet's. They sounded pretty darn nice. I've actualy had a few of the olf Mullard metal base ones that go for around $200 EACH. Trust me - you do have other options besides old Mullards.

Also what rectifier tube do you have. DO, I mean DO use a good one.

charles
 
It would be a good idea to change those out. Horror stories of toxic gas aside, how much does it effect the inherient value of the amp to change those?

That does seem to be a sticking point when dealing with highly valuable vinage gear. 100% true original or restored and loose value? What do you do?

charles
 
The 8B uses silicon rectifiers for the B+ in a voltage doubler configuration.
The bias supply uses selenium.

All these can be replaced by 1N4007 diodes or equivalent. I personally use Fairchild Fast Recovery UF4007 types. Same physical package but less switching noise.

For the selenium, I usually disconnect it and conceal the diode in shrink tubing to preserve the original look. You may have to change the value of the original series resistor to get the same range on your bias pots since the silicon diode has less voltage drop.
 
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By the way, I have heard that the 8B matches well with the LS3/5A's.
It has a 16 ohm tap that's ideal for them.

I used mine with Vandersteens but have been contemplating a pair of LS3/5A's.
 
I tried a quad of reissue Gold Lion KT77s in my 8B. And they indeed sound very nice. However, a set of NOS Siemens/RFT's from the 1980s, sounded just as good on the Marantz.
 

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thanks crooner...other question;does the Bias Supply seleniums need replacement??
About your speaks i love them......

my ls3/5as are hard they re just 82.5 db....

Im from Caracas Venezuela South America and here its hard to find u know spare parts for Overhauls etc etc

thanks a lot

Actually im buying an 8b from a good friend.Looks good but need to know and learn how to bias etc etc

Am a newbie bout tubes u know.....
 
Hi!

Yo tambien soy de Caracas, aunque llevo una decada viviendo aqui en San Diego. Encantado de conocer a otro aficionado venezolano del sonido de los tubos!

I started collecting tube stuff when I lived in Venezuela and you are right, parts are very hard to come by. Specially the high voltage electrolytic caps.

Back in the early 1990s, Telecuba stores still sold tubes. And then there was "Radio Florida" which had a great selection but quite expensive.

Is Arelca Radio Florida still in business? Telecuba stores were closing when I left Caracas in 2000.

Is your 8B completely original? If so then I would replace the selenium with a 1N4007 and leave the rest untouched. Unless it's not working properly.

The Vandersteen 2CE signatures are 86 dB @ 1 meter SPL efficient. A little bit more than the LS3/5A's. The 8B drives them with power to spare.

I think you should be okay unless your room is very large or has a lot of sound absorbing furnishings.




andreas75 said:
thanks crooner...other question;does the Bias Supply seleniums need replacement??
About your speaks i love them......

my ls3/5as are hard they re just 82.5 db....

Im from Caracas Venezuela South America and here its hard to find u know spare parts for Overhauls etc etc

thanks a lot

Actually im buying an 8b from a good friend.Looks good but need to know and learn how to bias etc etc

Am a newbie bout tubes u know.....
Click to expand...
 
hey !!

About the rectifier

let me ask the former owner which is a good friend of myne....Saludos...

No Arelca Radio florida ya no existe pero aun tengo el contacto mañana o el martes voy a ver que tubos quedan alli.

cheers!!

Andres
 
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