Hello Martin
Chill out, dude.
If you look at the post where I compare a 5e3 to an 18-watter, you'll notice I mention there are many differences in the circuit, not just the power tubes.
Everything you say is correct, and I've tested all that out to my satisfaction already.
Now I'm playing with tubes. So I set this champ up so I can use either a 6SL7 or a ECC83 in the same circuit. So I can hear if there is any difference based on the tube itself (and I think octal preamp tubes look cool). The Other Martin convinced me to put a parallel EL84 socket in, which I will do, so I can compare the two tubes in the same circuit. With appropriate support components. What's better than a small, simple champ to do something like this? Why is it so wrong to play around with this stuff? This is just something I enjoy doing, so if I want to see what difference there may be between two tubes, so what?
When I built my 5e3, I spent a week doing nothing but checking out different values for Rk, not just measuring current and calculating dissipation, but also listening to what the amp sounds like. My conclusion there was the standard value sounded best to my ears. In my G5, I did the same with single-ended 6V6, 6L6, and EL34. I did the calculations. I understand what is going on.
I suspect people hear "EL84" and they think "AC30." They hear "EL34" and think "Plexi." They hear "6V6" and think "Deluxe." De facto synonyms. This is of course inaccurate. One of the finest jazz amps ever built (Benson) used EL34s, for example, and didn't sound anything at all like a Plexi.
But if I or anyone else here wants to experiment with different tubes, so what? We all find our own path to knowledge, and decide ourselves how much knowledge is enough.
der heute etwas annoyed
steven
