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PSVANE EL34C - any good?
- Thread starter maxhifi
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Big-L
Member
This was from a few days ago
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...4-uk-tubes…have-any-of-you-tried-them.993938/
I know there not the EL34C, but about a month ago I'd gotten a quad set of matched KT88-TII MKII that sound unbelievable right out of the box !
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...4-uk-tubes…have-any-of-you-tried-them.993938/
I know there not the EL34C, but about a month ago I'd gotten a quad set of matched KT88-TII MKII that sound unbelievable right out of the box !
maxhifi
Addicted Member
The UK isn't making tubes anymore and jj is out of stock everywhere.
juliet lima
Well-Known Member
Relax. JJ is still making tubes. The panic buying is mostly over and stock will be back. It’s toilet paper and covid all over again.
The PSVANE EL34C are pretty nice tubes. Sound good and will hold up as long as your amp does not run the plate voltage at the design limit of the EL34 or higher.
My Favorite sounding EL34 is the Shuguang EL34 -Z Nature sound. Now out of production, but they would rival or surpass the sound of the original Mullard UK EL34s.
My Favorite sounding EL34 is the Shuguang EL34 -Z Nature sound. Now out of production, but they would rival or surpass the sound of the original Mullard UK EL34s.
baretta
Active Member
Yes I played some Shuguang made Ruby BSTR EL34s that sounded fantastic. But then the next day the amp blew a fuse and I didn't want to use them again. So the warranty replacements that Ruby sent me are still just sitting on a shelf.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
I've seen that happen with all brands of tubes, including NOS. Good thing it was only a fuse!
baretta
Active Member
I agree.
jsg1469
Member
My opinion only. The EL34C is a great sounding budget tube. The EL34UK sound equally as good as my 69 Mullard xf2's at a 1/3 of the price and I just ordered the EL34PH. Can't wait to hear these as they have received awesome reviews. I'm definitely sold on Psvane's power tubes. May try the preamp tubes down the road but ive got a lifetime of Sylvanias that i really enjoy.
yes would agree. the only drawback to PSVANE or any of the Chinese made power tubes, is they do not hold up well to being run at or near the design limit for B+ and screen voltage.
But those UK varieties and the PH models do sound really good.
Jon S
Super Member
I have a set of Psvane EL34PH tubes and they do sound sweet. Better than the Electro Harmonix EL34 or their 6CA7 tubes. My only issue is that the bass. The bass is there but definitely not tight nor as good as the Psvane KT88-T MK II being more laid-back. Unfortunately the KT88-T MK II sounds more like a solid state sound and is not as smooth as the EL34PH. Everything is a trade-off.
Jon S
Super Member
I now have two matched quads of the Psvane EL34PH tubes and bought a MaxiSwitch II tube tester as well. I tested the two quads and am disappointed with the test results. One quad scored average but the second quad score about 30% lower than the other quad. Here's the rub. Both quads have decently matched sets so they can truthfully claim they are matched sets. But this gives me the conclusion that Psvane does not make consistent quality ranked tubes. Other issues are that the tubes tend to drift a bit on their bias settings and that their sound still sounds thin after a couple hundred hours of use..These tubes are their "premier" EL34 tubes selling about $400/quad. It seems that Psvane is packaging all their EL34PHs that they produce whether they are good or bad. This reinforces my thinking that Chinese manufacturers do not let anything go to waste. For the amount of money you are paying, you should expect better performance.
On the other hand, I have reverted back to the Electro Harmonix 6CA7EH tubes. After breaking them in for a couple of hundred of hours, they have turned out to sound superior to the Psvane EL34PH tubes. I liked them so much, I bought two more quads of the tubes. And here's what I really like about these tubes. All twelve tubes score pretty close to each other, matching close in gain as well. Not only that, once i set the bias on these tubes, they do not drift at all. Finally, all the EH tubes score better when tested than the Psvane with higher gain and Gm scores. To top it off, the Electro Harmonix 6CA7EH tubes are a bargain, $160/quad compared to the Psvane's $400 average price.
On a side note, I have a set of Psvane KT88-T MK II tubes. When tested, they also scored consistently lower compared to other tubes that I own. The KT88s are also supposedly their TOTL tubes and the performance does not match Russian reissued Electro Harmonix or Gold Lion KT88 tubes which are also better matched and higher scoring. This gives me pause when considering buying new tubes from China. I also own a MaxiPreamp II tester and tests bear out the fact as well. My collection of Chinese-made pre-amp tubes perform lower than Russian reissued tubes and a LOT worse than old vintage American-made Sylvania, Tung-Sol and RCA tubes. Caveat Emptor.
On the other hand, I have reverted back to the Electro Harmonix 6CA7EH tubes. After breaking them in for a couple of hundred of hours, they have turned out to sound superior to the Psvane EL34PH tubes. I liked them so much, I bought two more quads of the tubes. And here's what I really like about these tubes. All twelve tubes score pretty close to each other, matching close in gain as well. Not only that, once i set the bias on these tubes, they do not drift at all. Finally, all the EH tubes score better when tested than the Psvane with higher gain and Gm scores. To top it off, the Electro Harmonix 6CA7EH tubes are a bargain, $160/quad compared to the Psvane's $400 average price.
On a side note, I have a set of Psvane KT88-T MK II tubes. When tested, they also scored consistently lower compared to other tubes that I own. The KT88s are also supposedly their TOTL tubes and the performance does not match Russian reissued Electro Harmonix or Gold Lion KT88 tubes which are also better matched and higher scoring. This gives me pause when considering buying new tubes from China. I also own a MaxiPreamp II tester and tests bear out the fact as well. My collection of Chinese-made pre-amp tubes perform lower than Russian reissued tubes and a LOT worse than old vintage American-made Sylvania, Tung-Sol and RCA tubes. Caveat Emptor.
Have been down the same path and have had a similar experience on tube testing.
What folks must realize is every tube the Chinese manufacturers make, gets sold no matter how good or less than optimal it is; would guess even the rejects get sold.
If you are going to buy Chinese tubes you have to go to a tube dealer that sorts through them and sells only the better testing tubes such as viva tubes. Have used quite a few of the PSVANE mk 2 KT88s as well as the EH KT88s. Would say the EH tubes last much longer but the sound of those PSVANE KT88 mk2 tubes are really something special. Just keep in mind you will need plenty of spares since you will have some ELFs with them (Early Life Failures).
