Sovtek EL84 / 6BQ5 Power Vacuum Tube (Matched)
From our review of this EL84 vacuum tube: "The Sovtek EL84 power tube has been a staple for Fender, Boogie, Crate, Peavey and other manufacturers of tube amps using the EL84 tube. This EL84 tube really is a good value. It is predictable, reliable and affordable. You can get good EL84 tone at a reasonable price. The Sovtek EL84 tube has been around a long time, and it has shown continuous improvement over the years. Using a matched set of properly biased tubes will yield a clear smooth sound that is fairly warm and transitions into a smooth breakup with that singing tone that EL84 tubes are known for. In Cathode biased amps like the VOX they get a premium workout and will suffer some effects from heating and cooling. Being prone to mechanical noise in a combo amp, the EL84 tube is not recommended for amps with poor air circulation. The heating/cooling cycle inside an AC30 easy bake oven seems to loosen up the mechanical structures within the tube causing them to become very noisy (mechanically) with time."
Note: These tubes have a slightly larger diameter than other EL84 tubes so they can not be installed into some '90's era Marshall DSL201 or DSL401 amplifiers, some '90's era reissue Vox AC15 amps, and Bad Cat amps.
Other Sovtek tubesEL84 Tube Types
Additional Information and Downloads
Reviews:
EL84 Tube Review
Tube Matching Information:
Power Tube Matching FAQ
Perfect Pair System
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 3 monthsAll our tubes are guaranteed for 3 months from the date of purchase. (Any exceptions will be noted on that tube's Warranty tab)
If you receive a tube that does not perform to the manufacturer's specifications, please do the following:
- contact us to get a return authorization
- return it via regular mail within 90 days from when we shipped it, and we will provide an exchange or refund of the full purchase price of the tube.
Returns not related to warranty or defect will be considered at our discretion, and are subject to a 15% restocking fee.
We can not accept returns that don't have an authorization, are past 3 month, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
3 reviews
Excellent
by x
Great
Durable for sure....
by Bill
I have acquired some 20 year old amps... and low and behold, these are in there as stock tubes.. 4 of them together in a 50 watt amp. Well.. after being well well played for 20 years... they hold up and sound pretty darn good.
I can't fault Sovtek's on build...
No surprise these are the OEM choice
by Jeff
Pretty consistent and reliable - at the very best price! Low noise comparable to all but the most premium offerings; tone could be just a little bit brittle in some amps but pretty good overall; a little more 'scooped' sounding than the JJ EL84. Many amps ship stock with these and will sound great with them - especially higher gain amps with powerful tone stacks (in my opinion). Simpler circuits can benefit from richer sounding tubes.
I have not had the noise issues suggested in the Tubestore's review after regular use in a few different amps; though some amps are rough on almost all tubes.
3.5 for overall solid, great price, good but perhaps unexceptional tone.