Archon 25 and JJ 6V6S

[bsharpgrooves]

Hi has anyone try the 6V6S in the Archon 25? How does it compare to the stock 5881s sound wise?
They’re supposed to take high voltages very well. Thanks

 

[shimmilou]

I haven't tried them in that particular amp, but I have tried them in several amps with great results. They definitely are fine up to 500 VDC Plate. The JJ, GT 6V6 S (S version only, which are made by JJ), and modern EH 6V6, are the only 6V6 that can be used safely with higher Plate voltages.

In most amps that I've tried, the JJ are closer to a 6L6 than a 6V6, sound-wise, and definitely give the amp a different tone compared to 5881 or EL34.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I haven't tried them in that particular amp, but I have tried them in several amps with great results. They definitely are fine up to 500 VDC Plate. The JJ, GT 6V6 S (S version only, which are made by JJ), and modern EH 6V6, are the only 6V6 that can be used safely with higher Plate voltages.

In most amps that I've tried, the JJ are closer to a 6L6 than a 6V6, sound-wise, and definitely give the amp a different tone compared to 5881 or EL34.

This, exactly. Haven't tried them in that amp because I don't have it, but had good luck with them in other amps and they do sound closer to a 6L6 if that's what you want. More robust tube in general.

 

[bsharpgrooves]

Hi. I’ve got a pair of EH 6V6GT in and replaced the speaker to a WGS ET65 and it totally transformed the amp into a beautiful warm blues machine with the beautiful cleans and incredible low gain sounds with the ability to do heavy rock/metal too! Same experience with JJ6v6s. Super happy with this amp! Initially I wasn’t too wowed by it as I’m not a metal guy and to me the stock speaker is a bit fizzy and stiff. One thing is the 6v6gts need to be hotter rating otherwise you can’t get the bias up to what it needs to be. The amp has 340V plate voltage.

 

[shimmilou]

bsharp, is that 340 VDC with the 6V6? The Plate voltage of an amp normally raises when swapping to 6V6 from 6L6/5881.

 

[bsharpgrooves]

The plate voltage is 340V regardless of the tube. It’s what goes thru the amp no?
In terms of stock speaker the cleans were stiffer but still ok. The ET65 sounds more like a Fender tweed with nice natural compression. Much livelier. The drive channel is so much warmer and great natural compression at lower gain levels. Before it was very dry to me which is great for those heavy rock riffs but not so much for bluesy stuff. I play a lot of funk /soul and pop with Santana like solos everyonce in a while and this sounds amazing.
Question for u guys. I ran the gain maxed on the clean and I can’t get it to break up with a strat or tele. This was the case all stock and after the upgrades. Mine is a late 2014 model. Just curious if any of u can get your clean to break up in light overdrive? Thx

 

[shimmilou]

The plate voltage is 340V regardless of the tube. It’s what goes thru the amp no?...

No. There is an idle dissipation wattage difference between a 6V6 and a 6L6. So if the Plate voltage with a 6L6 is 340 volts, the voltage will rise when using a 6V6 instead. The higher current draw of the 6L6 will load down the power supply much more than the lower current draw of the 6V6. Be sure to properly bias when changing output tubes.

The extreme high of the power supply will be with no tubes installed.

 

[TroyBaer]

I put a pair of JJ 6V6s in my Archon 50 very briefly a couple years ago. They didn't blow the amp up, but I didn't care for how much low end they knocked off.

More details at https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/power-tube-rolling-in-the-archon-50.31677/#post-403903

 

[shimmilou]

IME, you must use both the Plate voltage and Plate current to accurately bias an amp, otherwise your results will not be dependable.

While there are certainly exceptions, generally I use this formula: (Max single tube wattage x 0.7) divided by Plate voltage = Plate current target for one tube.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I put a pair of JJ 6V6s in my Archon 50 very briefly a couple years ago. They didn't blow the amp up, but I didn't care for how much low end they knocked off.

More details at https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/power-tube-rolling-in-the-archon-50.31677/#post-403903

Did you leave your KT66's biased that high?

 

[TroyBaer]

Did you leave your KT66's biased that high?

That was where PRS recommended KT66s to be biased in the Archon 50 when I asked them about it. In any case, after a while I decided that the extra bass from the KT66s was actually too much (especially when playing 7-string) and switched back to E34Ls.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

That was where PRS recommended KT66s to be biased in the Archon 50 when I asked them about it. In any case, after a while I decided that the extra bass from the KT66s was actually too much (especially when playing 7-string) and switched back to E34Ls.

ha, that was going to be my next question. The "now that you've lived with it, what do you think" part.

 

[bsharpgrooves]

@shimmilou the plate voltage doesn’t change with tube changes. What changes is the current drawn by different types of tubes hence different bias readings. So I use the Weber Bias Calculator and put in the plate voltage choose the tube type and I get the bias reading. I set my 6V6s at 21mV. Ideally they’d be at 28mV but that’s as far I can go with them. They sound great. To me low gain sounds and beautiful cleans are more important than chuga chuga tight metal tones so YMMV

 

[shimmilou]

@shimmilou the plate voltage doesn’t change with tube changes...

If changing to the same basic type of tube, 6L6/5881/EL34, then the Plate voltage will not be very much different, but definitely will be much different when changing from 6L6 to 6V6, I've done it in several amps, so I can attest to that. In a Hot Rod Deluxe, the Plate voltage went from about 430 VDC with 6L6 to about 480 VDC with the 6V6. A 59 Bassman went from about 490 VDC to about 525 VDC (this was scary high for a 6V6 ) In the Bassman, I had to change the rectifier tube to a 5Y3 to lower the Plate voltage for use with a 6V6.

When you plugged in the number for the Plate voltage in the Weber bias calculator, sounds like you didn't actually measure the Plate voltage for a 6L6 vs a 6V6.

...What changes is the current drawn by different types of tubes hence different bias readings...

This is exactly why the Plate voltage changes, the 6L6 current draw when properly biased will be much higher that the 6V6, loading the power supply. You can even see slight changes in Plate voltage while biasing the same set of tubes.

It's kinda cool to check it out with a meter for yourself.

 

[bsharpgrooves]

@shimmilou that is very interesting what you found out in your amps. I’d have to double check and report back