Carvin V3 EL34 VS 6L6 : sound on sound comparison.

Sure, there are sound comparisons all over the youtube's. But they all seem to be recorded with some cheap camera speaker. So here you have it, as little sound on sound comparison I threw together for all you curious audio geeks out there. Seriously though, I am the type of guy who likes to know what I am paying for before I buy something. Unfortunately, when it comes to an individuals set up, it is almost impossible to find an example of the desired sound based on limited gear. I needed new tubes, have been wanting to experiment with a different type of tubes, and thought I would bestow upon the world wide web a bit of friendly information based off my experiences. FUN! Right?
I threw this together rather quickly, so things are a bit sloppy. Heck, I came up with and recorded the intro diddy in a few hours. I thought "self, wouldn't this video be a bit more tantalizing with a cool intro song... like all the other professional tutz out there?" and VWA LA, sweat music!

[@dcaudio1]

No comparison if you ask me. The 6L6 is much more present with great chime. I did the same exact thing. Don’t neglect the preamp tubes though as they make an even bigger difference. Im sure you biased that amp correctly..its pretty easy to do. Bob at Eurotubes is great at explaining that...

[@nateclark8037]

What i heard was actually a light tube breakup with the the EL34's clean. It didnt sound fizzy to me, just edgier than what you wanted. The 6l6's werent broken up, and sounded warmer and muddier in your clean settings. 6l6's tend to be harder to break up than EL34's too. the 6l6's on the gain channels were definitely more articulate and defined. The EL34's sounded more mid-highs oriented and thrash-metal/ typical 80's metal tone kinda thing.

[@jg1772]

I am SO SO glad you did this video. TREMENDOUS help. I love my carvin v3 but it sounds a little brittle at times and now I see why. 6L6’s may be the way to go. I’m waiting on the yet to be famous Tim Land’s feedback. He is a loving and kind man with sharp wit and cunning cleverness.

[@CallSignJammer]

Watching this in 2022 because after 15 years my JJ 6L6s finally blew and its time to replace them. I remember the hiss when I first brought home the 1st generation V3 in 2005. The EL34 sounded like acid in this particular amplifier(and not in a good way). When I swapped out to 6L6 it became so buttery smooth. After that I never looked back. I think its fair to say that the issue is specific to this amplifier. One of my pals runs a Triple Rectifier with EL34s in it and it sounds fabulous. Keep that in mind folks...if anyone ever reads this. lol

[@ArphaxadX]

Definitely the best comparison video I've seen for tubes. Thanks!

[@marshallman7550]

Great demo/comparison. I like qualities of both. clean goes to 6l6 but I like some of the crunch character of the EL34. thanks for the video.

[@petarbursac76]

Thanks Mate, very good review

[@LeifTheWarrior]

Eurotubes was the first place I went to shortly after purchasing this amp. I will need to look into my preamp's as well as my speaker's. However, I think the 6l6's tame the 5k+ region and evens out the low-upper mid-range. I love the sound now!

[@LeifTheWarrior]

I would like to continue trying new tube comparisons, as well as other hardware comparisons. Including pickups, speakers, outboard hardware, ext. The problem is, I am broke! But aren't we all?! Thanks for the feedback man!

[@StacySaythany]

Good test! Both have good properties. 6L6 is a classic tube

[@LeifTheWarrior]

Wow! I haven't kept up with my youtube account. Seeing the unexpected reaction I received from other enthusiast such as myself has left me humbled and thankful! I did not expect to receive many views or comments, so logging on and seeing everyone's feedback is simply amazing. I will try to respond to some of your replies! To all of you, thank you so much!

[@heero2219]

Great Vid! Wow it looks like when I buy this amp I am going to need to get both because I actually like the sound of both, but I would have to put the 6L6's in for most of the time. The 6L6's sound more like a British style tone and the EL34's sound vary American. I'm just not sure because I like a lot of gain but I also don't want to lose the sharpness of all the highs that the EL34's have. I just wish I could mix the 2 preamp tubes together to get the sound I want.

[@nealixd.3011]

I think it is very much subjective for the tones and styles of music you are trying to achieve, but being a guy who likes the Fender clean tones a lot, I lean to 6L6, which is more of a fuller, higher output, true fidelity kind of tone. I would rather start with a good full, fat, well rounded clean tone and overdrive or distort the tones from there, ha. The EL-34 is more of a raw British compressed tone that breaks up earlier and easier, but you can achieve it with 6L6s by adjusting your bass and mid controls to thin out the tone a little and then boost your treble and gain/overdrive, etc. If I buy a Carvin V3 one of these days, going to request 6L6 from the git go if possible. although they normally ship with EL-34s. Looks like a great amp, but I am also attracted to the Bugera TriRec with its new Infinium circuit, varipower and three way rectifier. Hard to beat Carvin's USA engineering quality though, but I am in no hurry, got four good Fenders in the meanwhile until I figure it all out.....

[@nealixd.3011]

Thanks for a decent demo, Mr. Leif D.

[@A.WebbAndFriends]

Watching this 8/2022 - I agree with "wolfman". My Carvin V3 currently has EL34's but I much rather that buttery smooth tone I get from the 6L6's.

[@theseekerndestroyer]

Cool comparison , 6l6 kick ass. Thanks mate.

[@ARayMaddy]

Kewl idea for a video...thanks for this upload!

[@srficarra]

I own a killer hand wired jmp 50 with a duel rectifier so you can get a kinda jtm vibe also. It came with jj 6l6gc’s. I put a set of nos xf2 el34’s in it and the amp came alive. And I’m not talking a subtle difference. It completely transformed the tone and feel. The 6l6gc’s sounded cold and stiff by comparison. Also it smoothed out the fizz and became much more touch sensitive and dynamic. I realize that it probably would have been a much fairer comparison if I used jj el34’s considering nos Mullard xf2’s are arguably the best el34’s ever made. Now for a high gain preamp or pristine cleans I could definitely see how 6l6gc’s would be the way to go cause el34’s can get in the way or color your tone. But for crunch, classic rock and blues it’s el34’s for me based off my own experiences

[@LeifTheWarrior]

A person can find these amp heads for a great price anymore. I am thinking about picking another one up in the future, If I do, I will consider trying out nos xf2's for that purpose. Thank you for the recommendation!

[@fargenvonwitbier]

EL34s are far superior. I like highs to be present with defined and articulate bottom end. It's just not there with the 6L6s. I am going to be putting EL34s in my Rivera KR100.

[@MoNsTa4DuB]

I agree but guitar pickups also are a factor in my opinins 6l6s are better with single coils but im kust saying there's a bunch of opinons it's all really subjective

[@Elassar72]

JJ are typically more aggressive than other brands, that's were the difference is. typically 6L6 are better on cleans, while ER34 are more punchy on distortion, and that's not the case here, ER34 sounds very "poor" (also working voltage is different, so it needs to be adjusted as well)

[@dantramble5766]

The 6L6 was set for the amp better. The EL 34 is a grey valve but I think the amp was not biased up properly for them. The 6L6 was more in range hence the clear boomy tone. Nice vid!!

[@guitarslinger6168]

nice but you still owe me the money for the cabinet!!! I suppose your going to make me come to your to get it are you!

[@guitarslinger6168]

your house! !

[@MosheAlvarez]

Wow, it's like night and day. The 6L6 sounds so much better!

[@jeffmclowry]

Well I would like to thank you for the comparison. The 34's seem more articulate: more - how can I say this - detailed, I think that describes what I am hearing. But the 6L6's have more balls. More of that distortion we all like. They see more "Rock" to me. But in all honestly, I think they both sound great! And changing nothing in the setup except the tubes and bias is a must better comparison than using two different amps. And for me, what I am hearing is obviously biased by the system I am listening through. On a different system I may hear something different. But your comments at the end of the video lend themselves to the same conclusion I have arrived at so maybe I would feel the same way no matter what system I was hearing this through. Thanks again!

[@arjunkaul]

Dude you have an amazing voice (y)

[@leifd2486]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@IamtheActionman]

Both have there place no doubt. However in this particular case I like the 6L6 tubes.

[@LeifTheWarrior]

I am still learning about tubes. I must have misunderstood my information or was misinformed. I thought el34 had a more classic 80's type sound and that the 6l6 I purchased were a more modern high gain sound? Either way, thank you for your knowledge and input. It helps a lot!

[@arjunkaul]

Yeah man. You dont need an amp. Just a microphone and you're a star! (y)

[@jhnm156]

Awesome demo! Now all you need to do is a shoot out with 5881's, KT66's and KT88's in the mix. (That way I don't have to) HA!

[@HerdingDogRescuer]

Tung Sol, IMHO are the way to go.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

It’s hard to compare 6L6 to EL34 because if you optimize a transformer for one tube it won’t be optimized for the other tube, and re-biasing doesn’t get you all the way there, these tubes want to see different loads

[@OneHappyPotato]

Not only does the 6L6's make a warmer sound, it sounds more full and makes a bigger sound. IMO

[@jp6l6]

Following the amps I play, EL34's or 6L6's sound better and it's interesting to try KT66's and KT77's too. I'd be curious to hear your opinion about your amp featuring KT77's.

[@ronnieparfait]

To my ears the 6l6 has a more flat response and should be a lot easier to eq and fine tune the nature tone they produce.

[@PokemonGlitches123]

EL34 ftw, even though they didnt sound very well biased, it was still nicer to my ears than the 6L6s

[@hectikmgj]

You just have bad EL34s, poor quality control issue or something. I run 2 heads, 6l6s in one and el34s in the other through a mesa cab and gotta say the dynamics and broad range I get out of my set up is amazing. I play in 3 bands and only need one rig to do it all

[@jp6l6]

This is it , sure ! Maybe one of the EL34's is becoming microphonic ? I don't like 6L6's clear tones here but in Fender amps I do.

[@hectikmgj]

Yeah my 6L6 head is a Fender, and that could be the issue. Try replacing one and interchange them all.

[@Ariel-oo1nc]

Great comparison. I prefered the EL34s. Maybe a little more EQing would help?

[@277southtombob]

I just swapped my Carvin Legacy 3 over from EL34s to 6l6s for pretty much the same reasons. I'm thinking about trying the JJ or EH big bottle 6CA7s they're making now that are true bream tetrodes like the original Sylvania and GE U.S. made ones. I've always heard they sounded like a 6l6 with more EL34 type mids, which seems like the perfect compromise.

[@iviaverick52]

The EL34 top end doesn't distract too much on the clean channel to me, sounds like it has more air (though the fizziness is there) but the 6L6 cleans seem kinda muddy. The 6L6 distortion is worlds better though, way chunkier.

[@ItsDrewsif]

the volume level between the two is inconsistent. the 6l6's are much louder, so everyone is immediately going to prefer them, louder is better subconsciously!

[@lollmees]

ouuuu now i want EL34 amp!

[@Northernmight]

Mate, something is up with your EL34's. I agree they sound horrible, but they don't usually do that :p They are pretty much the "British" sound. You don't hear every Marshall amp hissing like that. Get some new EL34's :P

[@jgmopar]

I agree, i don't have that issue with my EL-34's

[@Braunsk1]

Did you rebias the 6L6's? That could be part of your residual problem.

[@jubjub905]

6l6's they just sound clearer here and will some faintly added lows

[@arjunkaul]

Good voice dude

[@soundknight]

6l6 clean el34 dirty solution? 1 preamp - selector switch 2 power amps and 2 speaker in cabinet

[@MrAnders1976]

I suspect one of your EL34 is not well.. But anyways.. I would definately check the bias of your tubes.. I know that there is a switch in the back that changes the grid bias voltage from a EL34 range to a 6l6GC range but it is not very accurate.. There is a bias pot in the amp.. Get a multimeter and a pair of clips and bias it properly.. Carvin recommends a 100mA draw over the standby switch.. (the PDF bias guide for teh V3 is easy to find on google). But 100mA is total current draw (power tube plate/screen and the preamp tubes)... 100mA is less than 25mA pr tube or around 22mA pr plate on those EL34 (i assumed a 12% screen draw related to plate draw as EL34s screen are current hungry mofos) The plate voltage should be between 455V and 465V according to the schematic. So that is a plate dissipation of 10.25W or 41% of max plate dissipation (25W). Far too low, as you have to be above 50% to avoid nasty crossover distortion even on your clean sound... The JJ 6L6GC tubes are a 30W tube (max plate dissiaption), if you aim for 55% with them you can reverse calculate.. 0,55 x 30W = 16.5W , divide with plate voltage which i just assume is 455V (best to read the plate voltage from the correct tube pin to be sure your are using the right value in your calculation), resulting in 36.3mA pr plate or 145mA for four tubes.. The screen draw is very low in a 6l6GC tube so you can neglect it in this calculation..

[@nealixd.3011]

Yes, I kind of wondered if the EL-34s were ailing myself.

[@nealixd.3011]

Good info on the bias. You sound like you know your stuff. I would have to visit a tech, ha.

[@gwenparker7843]

hm

[@gwenparker7843]

hmyj

[@dcaudio1]

Carvin is using PM tubes in there amps now....much different than the GT tubes...

[@LeifTheWarrior]

Yes, I made sure to write the settings down in case something got tweaked!

[@SlickD217]

Happy Leif Derrickson day!!!

[@LeifTheWarrior]

Thanks man!

[@MrUltraworld]

I prefered the EL34's as well. The 6L6's had more high end fizz. Your tone was much nicer with the EL34's

[@kustomhooligans]

Just sounds like the el34's are breaking up and the 6L6s have more headroom. I have a Dr. z ezg 50 that uses 6L6's, best amp ever!!! I never owned any pedals before I bought my Dr Z, now I own over 200 and have boufgt and sold over 300 mote because the amp is so fantastic with them! It doesn't sound like my amp with a pedal running through it, it sounds like an entirely different, new amplifier. I've never hurt an amp sound the way it does with overdrive and distortion. I also had a Divided by 13 that was switchable btwn EL84 & 6V6, the EL84 side was like a punchier blackface tone but it was as "round" as a blackface and a little less compression. It was an amazing country lead amp and had a great "clean" and transparent overdrive to it, not a ton of breakup though. Unfortunately it developed this shitty thin AM radio quality with most ODs and ALL distortions and fuzz pedals.

[@MrNebauer]

How did you have your bias set? Were the EL34's at factory setting? How about the 6L6's?

[@burningred73]

Some kind of verible is taking place here.. Ive never heard 6L6's sound MORE clear than EL34's

[@jeffmclowry]

The 6L6's don't sound more clear in this video, the 34's do. Which seems backwards to me. But I have never done a side by side like this.

[@leifd2486]

Hey guys, thanks for the input. Maybe the more correct term to use would have been 'Tighter'? The 'fizz' in the upper range on the 34's is what sound dirty/unclear to me. Especially listening to the second example comparison. Though darker, the 6l6's sound tighter and clearer, due to the lack of fizz. Thanks again though for your comments, I really appreciate them!

[@andrewmiller4979]

Leif D Mr. Leif thank you for doing this I just bought a used V3 it sounds good except the tube as nine years old and it needs new ones after being on for a while it will start to sound like the clean channel is breaking up or trying to give up so I am going to replace them with six ell six's hey if you like carvin stuff try the carvin PM twelve's they are listed as good speakers for pa systems or bass guitar the fact is there the best guitar speaker that carvin sells they go from fifty to forty five hundred cycles and that is exactly what you and I like when it comes to making the highs fat and creamy instead of offensive and over bearing the cool thing is they cost fifty nine bucks and they sound better than anything with the name celestion or eminence printed on it.

[@MrBaileyguitar]

I definitely like the sound of the EL34s better. Like jbstorck said, the 6L6s sounded like they put a blanket over the amp. Not good at all, to me.

[@1989Goodspeed]

6L6, they sound more "oldschool" to me and the EL34 more contemporary modern. I think i would prefer the 6L6 becaus of there "not 100% clean sound", but that´s just personal preferens.

[@rondeveau7240]

Don't know what guitar you used but the 34s sound like humbuckers and the 6l6s sound more single coil

[@leifd2486]

Hey! I used the same guitar and pick-up configuration on each A-B test. This was done years ago, so I don’t remember entirely, but I’m pretty certain I used a Seymour Duncan TB-4.

[@IamtheFerryMan]

Carvin notoriously biases their amps cold. especially this one. that said, I own an older V3 and I definitely prefer the 6l6's myself. mines in the shop right now. been there two weeks even :-( kinda sad

[@troeteimarsch]

Speakers: WGS Veteran 30 !

[@xdx2653]

6I6 better clean for sure and more aggresive for high gain.

[@jmcwd]

EL34s have a more british tone, the hiss at the top is supposed to be there.

[@thestan2941]

jmcwd its probably the tone stack

[@bluesleonard]

From what I have heard Groove Tubes are absolutely not what they used to be. The quality control is not there.

[@277southtombob]

I'd like to hear some comparisons with 6CA7s and kt66s too. I used to run kt66 tubes in a Soldono Lucky 13 50w and really liked them in it and I wonder how they'd be in my Carvins. Maybe even kt77s. Anyone tried these in Carvin v3/Legacy/x100b amps?

[@huntinglife5202]

Yep 6l6

[@kornelious1]

EL34's are suppose to give you a marshall tone, 6l6's are suppose to give you that clear fender tone. The Mesa boogie uses 6l6's, Marshall gives you that mid's type sound that bluesy mid range tone. But also the speakers and cab your using will make a huge difference. Add in the wood tones and pick up's you using.

[@leifd2486]

I would really like to try out a couple of different cabs with this amp. From what I have read, the stock cab (with celestian vint. 30s) is of poorer build quality. Using cheap woods. I wouldn't mind trying through a few other cabs, Mesa/ orange/ Marshall ext

[@kornelious1]

I'm using a b-52 cab with vintage 30's and the amp sounds amazing. B-52 didnt last long in the guitar amp business. But they do a amazing job with cab building that's their primary business. And i have to say i'm not in the slightest disappointed int he cab construction, or sound. But unfortunately i went to buy a new one recently and they are out of the guitar business. Which is too bad but their subsidiary is egnater. so same build constructions i just don't like the appearance of the egnater products. Too vintage looking for me.

[@datacadman]

A Mesa has a bias switch for whatever power amp tube you want to use. They say the preamp section is much more important even though they use 6L6s. Some Carvin amps have bias for both but I wouldn't change tubes and fry and amp without the bias being correct.

[@coldandhomeless]

same settings on amp and everything?

[@fustosierra]

wow thankss

[@MsToobz]

wow... I liked the EL34s better. The 6L6's seem to be missing highs - preference I guess. It would be cool to see what a spectrum analyzer "thinks".

[@coldandhomeless]

so far my favorite are ruby el34BSTR

[@rareform6747]

El's are Tight Harmonics & 6L6 are more open lose sounding . Did you have to change the screen resisters or was there a switch for two different kind of tubes ?

[@LeifTheWarrior]

Thank you for the reply. The v3 has a bias switch to select between el34 and 6l6.

[@datacadman]

You are liable to screw up your V3 as I don't think it has a bias setting for 6L6 but I think their older amp has a bias setting for whatever tube you want to use. Also, you didn't test both at high gain.

[@leifd2486]

Yeah, I have the older V3. Purchased it back in 2007 I think. It's bias options are either El34 or 5881/6l6gc.

[@datacadman]

The new ones don't have that although you can take it apart and do it.

[@nealixd.3011]

David Ramey no, the new V3's still have the optional bias setting switch for either EL-34, or 6L6/5881 power output tubes, if you check it out on their site.

[@ben156]

Sounds like you just had a bad EL34 bud ;)

[@Millo1868]

I heard many demos of this amp when it came out, and usually, it was rather buzzy with either power tube. In general, it's like the buzz moves to a higher frequency with 6L6's, and with EL34's it's buzzier in the high-mids.

[@zerep11]

The 6L6's sound DEAD & TINNY compared to the EL34's. No way I'd run 6L6's. I run JJ ECC83S's and E34L's from Euro-Tubes in my beloved Carvin MTS-3200H pushing a 4X12 Cab loaded with 2 WGS Retro 30's and 2 ET-65's, and my rig shines big time no matter the style. Next...!

[@angeleduardodigiandomenico841]

Whatever, i feel more like the 6l6´s, they got meat inside. The EL34 are "midddies" i think.

[@TheFanOfMyself1]

6L6 = Muddy EL34 = Fuzzy

[@burningred73]

I guess everyone is using different term analogy to talk about the same thing lol

[@tman6495]

More "color" in the El34's

[@vroberts1976]

I think you may just have had bad el34's in that amp. There is definitely a noticeable hiss/fizz on the clean channel that should not be there. The gain stage hides it a little but it is still there. Personally I like the 6L6's with pedals to push the tubes. That said el34's break up easier and do give you that "british" tone which is awesome for stuff from Hendrix to AC/DC to Black Sabbath. But yeah your el34's sounded like garbage.

[@datacadman]

Well the noise is from lack of bias.

[@dcaudio1]

Trust me on this....If your playing a Carvin Cab with Vin 30’s...get another cab. Those cabs just don’t sound good to my ears. Even doing a side by side with a Mesa cab with Vin 30 speakers will demonstrate this. Carvin uses the Chinese version and Mesa uses the British version. There is a difference. A much better cab to both of those is a Marshall with G12T-75 in it...much brighter sounding and much more defined...

[@regondi]

get some Sovtek el34s... problem solved.

[@MisterTee]

Both sound pretty bad. Maybe a better amp will help