TUBE CHOICES FOR THE KOMET
CONCORDE
The Komet
Concorde was designed and voiced to utilize current production tubes to their
maximum potential. The stock power tubes are the
“
CE Winged Logo
“
JSC Svetlana EL 34
( Made in Russia )
. These are excellent sounding EL 34s and are reliable. This tube has similar
tonal characteristics to the great Mullard EL 34. The current stock 12AX7 pre amp tubes,
V1,
V2 and V3 -
( from the far left to right )
- are the
Sovtek 12AX7 LPS
or the re-issue
Sovtek
Mullard 12AX7
. The LPS is an excellent sounding 12AX7 and are used in all Komet amplifier
models. With this power and pre amp tube compliment, the Komet
Concorde sounds powerful,
complex and detailed. The distortion is balanced and harmonically rich. This selection is only a
recommendation and is our standard factory set up. There are several other tube types that can
operate in the Komet
Concorde. There are better tubes available than the stock and modern
available tubes. If you want more info, read on…..
In the Golden Age of tube technology
( 1950’s, 60’s and early 70’s )
, - virtually all tubes were
manufactured by European or American companies such as Mullard, Brimar, Amperex,
Telefunken, Valvo, Tung-Sol, RCA, and others. Unfortunately, all of these companies have
discontinued audio tube production. Very few of these brands remain available from military
stock, repair shops, etc. These tubes are generally referred to as “
New - Old Stock
” a.k.a.
N.O.S.
The best of the n.o.s. tubes are in every aspect superior to any currently modern
manufactured tube. N.O.S. tubes are very expensive and rapidly disappearing. You may decide
that they are worth the expenditure for your amp. The improvement gained by a proper tube
selection, in a refined amplifier such as the Komet
,
is quite noticeable. You may not want to use
them for practicing, but save them for recording and important performances.
Remember:
always purchase from a reputable n.o.s. tube dealer. The following contains brand
recommendations based on our experience.
Mullard EL 34
s
.
The yardstick most used to measure all EL 34
s
by. Again, these tubes were
manufactured with many different labels. Telefunken, Brimar, & Amperex are also excellent
n.o.s. choices,
( possibly with the exception of the Siemens EL 34, which is more reliable at lower plate
voltages )
. The American substitute for the European EL 34 tube is the 6CA7. Although they are
interchangeable, they look and sound completely different. Furthermore, it can be confusing, for
many European EL 34
s
are labeled 6CA7. A true American made 6CA7 looks much like a 6L6.
You can also experiment with
KT77
s in your amp.
ECC 83, 12AX7, 7025, and CV4004
are interchangeable. There are several excellent brands:
Telefunkens, Brimars, Mullards, Amperex, etc. These pre amp tubes, when operating at 100%,
can have an incredible lifespan. You can experiment with them in different “
V
“ positions in
your amp. You may find that the overall sound of your amp can vary among different pre amp
tubes, - including tubes of the same brand. This is why it is difficult for us to make a specific
n.o.s. tube brand recommendation
-
because -
every amplifier has it's own personality
- which
may be complimented by a specific selection of tubes. We suggest that you experiment and
choose what your ears like!
Note:
when purchasing, be careful not to confuse modern re-issue
audio tubes, like the re-issue Mullard, Tung Sol, Genelex, etc., with original and more expensive
n.o.s. audio tubes.
( continued )
Copyright 2000-2012, Riverfront Music, L.L.C. d.b.a. Komet
Amplification. May not be reproduced in any form without express written
consent from Riverfront Music, L.L.C. d.b.a. Komet
Amplification.
