Egnater M4 tubes

[chrismilne]

I'm reposting my question from the M4 manual thread:

I can't find my manual and i've never changed the tubes in the preamp itself, it looks like there are 3?

Which ones are which, and any recommendations?

I seem to have an issue with a strange sound especially at low volumes like a blown speaker, but unless they are all blown in my marshall 4x12 it's not that. Also it doesn't seem to be any particular module.

 

[webrthomson]

Is it a single channel M4?

3 Tubes would normally mean that it's got an effects loop which my dual channel M4's don't as they only have 2 tubes?

If it's got 3 tubes I think the layout would be the same as the Randall RM4

 

[MarcoR]

Three tubes? Then it's an older M4 with the effects loops so it's like an RM4:

V2 V3

V1

V1: V1 / input tube
V2: Post loop / output buffer tube
V3: Pre loop / loop buffer tube

 

[chrismilne]

Yeah i bought it when they first came out...i haven't been playing much for the last few years (kids

It has a parallel and serial effects loop.

It just sounds really weird, so i'm thinking either the preamp tubes are bad (most likely) or my Peavey Classic 50/50 tubes are bad (I have a Carver solid state i'm going to try tomorrow) .

I have never changed the tubes in the preamp or any of the modules...

 

[chrismilne]

I didn't even know they made a dual channel M4

 

[chrismilne]

Mine looks like this one (that is not my actual unit).

This is the front (this is my actual unit):

So what kind of tubes would you recommend? Oh, and do the covers pull off or twist off?

 

[chrismilne]

So i pulled the tubes out they were:

Sovtek 0103
7025/12AX7WA

Should i replace them with the same thing, or is there a better option?

 

[Mattfig]

So i pulled the tubes out they were:

Sovtek 0103
7025/12AX7WA

Should i replace them with the same thing, or is there a better option?

Any fresh tubes will yield good results. JJ Tubes are very accessible and inexpensive and work well. There are many tube varieties but to be honest, this discussion is best left to using fresh tubes of your choice... Your best tube should go into V1 so if you splurge, that is the one to splurge on....

 

[chrismilne]

Thanks. I haven't been playing in many years very much, and honestly i'm not very tube savvy. I noticed that in my old ADA MP1 preamp i had put JJ ECC83S which seem to be some of the cheapest tubes out there (maybe why i bought them at the time).

I have never changed the tubes in my M4 (or any of the modules) but i see that it came with the Sovtek, although in a post from Bruce Egnater he said he was putting EH tubes in them...so who knows.

Also open to suggestions on where to buy as well...seems to be a lot of places, not sure which ones are the best price/most reliable.

 

[webrthomson]

Thanks. I haven't been playing in many years very much, and honestly i'm not very tube savvy. I noticed that in my old ADA MP1 preamp i had put JJ ECC83S which seem to be some of the cheapest tubes out there (maybe why i bought them at the time).

I have never changed the tubes in my M4 (or any of the modules) but i see that it came with the Sovtek, although in a post from Bruce Egnater he said he was putting EH tubes in them...so who knows.

Also open to suggestions on where to buy as well...seems to be a lot of places, not sure which ones are the best price/most reliable.

JJ are pretty good - some people think they are a bit dark but I like them - pretty reliable too. I'm not a fan of the newer Sovteks, but I do kinda like EH.

Ruby, Tung-sol and Mullard are all worth checking out too - in the states I used Laura at ValveQueen:

http://www.valvequeen.com/

She tests her tubes well and stands behind them if there are any issues - class act!

Preamp tubes are not that expensive and you don't need to match so I'd buy a few and find out what your ear likes, in what position

 

[chrismilne]

Thanks for all the info