Tube rolling BeePre 6BQ5/EL84

[Lee Hankins]

I can not believe that there has not been a BeePre tube rolling post.

I do have an ST-35, but have never accumulated many 6BQ5/EL84 tubes for some reason.  Usually go overboard in purchasing driver/output tubes.

I have some Russian 6P14P-EB, mullard EL84, JJ EL84, and several odd ball singles.  Have Telefunken(3), Valvo(1), and Siemens(1) on order to match singles that I have in house.

Did not like the sound of any of the Russian tubes (the 6P14P-EB did sound OK in the ST-35).  The Mullards are in the BeePre at present, nothing to compare them to at this point.

Alternating a pair of GE 6A3 with Shuguang Treasure 300B-Z tube at present, the 300B-Z sound very nice, they were in the Paramounts before getting some EML 300B-XLS.  Have TJ 300B's (do not seem to work in the BeePre (believe one tube is going bad), but they do work in the Paramounts???); and the standard electro-harmonix 300B's.  Need to get an 8 pin to 4 pin adapter inorder to give the bunch of 6B4G's that I have a try.  The 6A3's also sound nice.

I have EML 300B-XLS in the Paramounts, and EML 45's and 80 in the Yamamoto A-08s.  Trade back and fourth between the Paramounts and Yamamoto.

So far with the Shuguang and mullard tubes the BeePre is the best sounding preamp that has ever been in my main system.  Highly recommended.

Cordially,
Lee Hankins

[STURMJ]

Are the Mullard el84's nos or new production,  I have new ones, and they are working out just fine for me.

[Paul Birkeland]

We noticed here that Doc B's TJ 300B's took a very, very long time to warm up (a fresh pair of EH's work alost immediately after throwing the power switch), but these tubes are nearing the end of their lives.

-PB

[johnsonad]

I have a pair of new TJ's in need of a home if anyone needs a pair.

[Lee Hankins]

The Mullard's are NOS.

Lee Hankins

[Lee Hankins]

Made a pair of octal to 4 pin adapters this mourning, immediately installed some Tung-sol 6B4G's in the BeePre.  The BeePre is such an outstanding preamp that anything that one installs sounds good.  Waiting for the EL84's to get here so that I can roll the driver tubes, in my experience the driver tube usually has a larger effect on the sound than the output tube.

Cordially,
Lee Hankins

[Doc B.]

BeePre is a single gainstage circuit. The EL84s are not driver tubes, they are part of the shunt regulators. They do seem to have an effect on the sonics, but it is much more subtle than the preamp tube.

[Lee Hankins]

Sorry Dan, I did know that, just having too much fun with the BeePre.  I now have three different wire types on the inputs (flat silver, silver/gold, and UniCrystal