Part II How to Spot a NOS EL34/6CA7 Vacuum Tube

More rare vintage EL34 vacuum tubes. These include the xf3 and xf4 types by both Mullard and Amperex, the xf5 type by Amperex, and the 1970s Japanese made versions. Shown for comparison are Russian, Chinese, and East German versions.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• EL34
• 6CA7
• xf3
• xf4
• xf5
• Mullard
• Amperex
• Philips
• Fat
• Boy
• Sylvania
• Miniwatt

[Satchmoeddie]

That is the Eindhoven plant you twit!

[audiotubes]

Better do your homework before you call people names. Dutch Philips Eindhoven used the following codes: T, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and %. They never used the L or the X. The L was M.B.L.E. Bruxelles (Mazda) plant, and the X was Sittard, both Dutch Philips owned.

[audiotubes]

The EL34B is a newer version of this tube. I don't have the specs at hand but believe they are a more powerful version of the EL34.  Check with your amp dealer to see if you can safely use them.

[johnnypigfinger]

@lostsurfer660 As long as you are replacing your tubes with tubes of the same type (eg in your case an EL34 or it's compatible variants) it will work fine. Different brands of tubes do indeed have different sounds though, sometimes it's more obvious, especially with NOS or old stock (in my experience anyway). Your best bet is to get a few and try them out and see what your ears like.

[lostsurfer660]

i am new to tubes, i am trying to learn as much as possible. my amp takes EL34's... does it matter what manufacture you buy it from? do they give off different sounds or tones?

[gregory1138]

is there a diffrence between el34 and el34b. someone said that bugera amps that are 150w use the el34b and thusly have a higher output as opposed to a marshal.