Amp Sounds Great

[Nonvintage]

But will it be compromised? I have a matched set of 6V6GT tubes that were in my 1970 SF Deluxe Reverb Amp. They are one gray smoked bottle RCA 6V6GT and an older EH 6V6GT, they were biased at 417 PV @ both are @ 26ma in my Deluxe. I have a new amp that came with JJ 6V6 tubes that the manufacturer says are biased at 26ma. I replaced the JJ's which generally I've never liked, with my known matched pair and the amp really sounds much better to my ear. Can this cause problems in my new amp? I don't want to reveal at this time what my new amp is. Thanks.

 

[Jeff Gehring]

And the non-JJs were rebiased (or at least the idle current checked) in the new amp? Biasing is not an adjustment of the tubes, but of the amp they are installed in.

 

[Nonvintage]

I was told by the builder that the 6V6 JJ's were Apex Matched for 26ma, and were replaceable without bias if I need a new pair as long as they're rated the same.. Since my old matched pair were set at 26ma I figure they should be fine. The new amp does not to my knowledge have a bias pot. I can check the plate voltages of the two amps to see if they are similar.

 

[Jeff Gehring]

As long as it sounds good, and there is no red-plating going on, you're probably just fine.

"Apex matched at 26mA" doesn't really convey any info to me other than the two JJs are probably matched pretty well in performance. How you operate those tubes is up to you, or the person who adjusts the bias setting of your amp. When you remove the tubes from the amp that was bias adjusted for them, the only thing you can be sure of if you put them in another amp is that both tubes will be performing similarly. Might both be too cold, or they might both be red-plating, or anywhere in between.