Are you looking for the best EL84 tubes? Then, you have come to the right place.
The tubes are a vital component of vacuum tube amps, but you need to replace them quite often because they wear out or blow out quickly.
Sometimes they do not work as they used to during the initial days, and thus you need to change the tubes for getting the sound you want. When you change the tubes, they tweak the tone and color of the sound produced by the amp.
There are varieties of tubes available on the market, and finding an ideal replacement tube is difficult. Therefore, it is critical to know the best one to fulfill your requirements. Therefore, we have compiled some of the best EL84 tubes offered by different manufacturers so you can get one of your choices.
The 5 Best Sounding EL84 Tubes
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| JJ Electronic EL84 Tubes (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Mullard EL84 Tubes (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | Genalex Gold Lion EL84 Tubes | Check Price |
 | Sovtek EL84 Tubes | Check Price |
 | Tung-Sol EL84/6BQ5 Tubes | Check Price |
JJ Electronic EL84 Tubes (Editor’s Choice)
The JJ EL84 is a perfect tube replacement for amplifiers and available in matched pairs, quads, and singles. This gives you the great combination of reliability and tone that you want. In addition, due to its design and high-quality construction, this tube has a long lifetime and a low failure rate. These features make sure that these tubes work for long without failure. As a result, JJEL84 tubes are reliable and enhance the amplifier’s sound in no time.
All the amps that support the EL84 tube format can use JJEL84 tubes. When it fits the amp, you can see the improvement in sound performance. Vocals become smooth without any static or distortion. Highs, mids, and lows are delivered as required. This tube enhances the sound performance in all music genres ranging from metal to blues. Thus it offers practical sound variety. These tubes are constructed well, which makes them robust. They satisfy the requirements of musicians who want to upgrade their sound quality.
JJ Electronics tubes are cost-effective with amazing features. These are fantastic and unique tubes supplied by the brand. They stand up easily to heavy usage without fail. Within the entire frequency range, they offer well-balanced sound. During long sessions, these work perfectly with smooth performance without breaking in. In addition, JJEL84 tubes do not heat quickly and form an adequate upgrade to the existing amplifier.
Pros
- Matched tube set provide smooth and clear sound
- The ideal amount of gain
- Smooth vocals at high volumes
- Burning time is short
Cons
- Tube is delicate
Mullard EL84 Tubes
This Russian-made tube is a reissue of EL84, and it is a duplicate of the original. This is a mainstay of cost-effective quality amps. Initially, this tube was made for radio, TV, and audio usage. However, Russians always preferred these tubes, and they perform the best when it comes to sound.
These are great overdrive tubes, and you need not waste time trying in headphones or stereo amplifiers. Instead, just use it into guitar amps for which they are made. Using this tube removes rough spots and adds a creamy touch to vocals with a wide range of sweetness. In addition, it yields a thick sweet, warm tone and rich sustain.
The tubes improve the sound of little amps. You can experience enhanced sound quality as soon as you install them. Very noticeable improvements can be seen. These are ideal for rehearsals and recordings as they deliver mild harmonics. Once in overdrive mode, these tubes produce edgy and hard music.
These provide improved sound that is perfect for any genre. The tubes are selected and sorted carefully to ensure that only the best ones are delivered to the public, ensuring reliability and satisfaction.
Pros
- Throughout the lifespan, it offers consistent sounds
- Dynamic soundstage and tones
- Clear and amplified sound
Cons
- None we could find
Genalex Gold Lion EL84 Tubes
When you want a broad and amazingly open sound stage with pristine sound, you can consider Genalex Gold Lion EL84 tubes. With this tube, you can experience sound improvement. The burning time is less. With the rise in lower frequencies, Genalex tubes are more dynamic.
These tubes are great for dark voice music or Jazz. Legendary guitars use Genalex Gold Lion tubes as they are known for clarity, power, resistance to feedback, and more. Crafted and engineered in Russia, this tube is outstanding. These premium tubes are a great replacement and are a fantastic way to upgrade your amplifier. You can equip the amp with this tube to get the most from your guitar amplifier.
These highly reliable tubes can handle high power easily. Your search ends here for high-quality, robust tubes because the engineering involved in designing these tubes is top-notch. You get the perfect sound from your guitar without spending a lot. You will be surprised by their accuracy and construction details.
We are sure you will like them after using them in your guitar amp. These tubes will meet expectations undoubtedly. They perform amazingly when it comes to sound. Strong built and superior sound characteristics make it a popular choice. You get deep sound and high performance with this tube. Guitarists all across the globe praise this tube as they can take lots of abuse when used roughly.
Pros
- Great Sound Stage
- Amazing sounding tube
- Excellent upgrade
Cons
- None we could find
Sovtek EL84 Tubes
These little gems are fantastic. The manufacturer has given much attention to the details, making it worth investing in. They are offered at a great price, and all the readings are provided on the boxes. It provides more excellent headroom at a high volume without going muddy. Your amp will run for hours with this tube. These power tubes offer pleasant distortion with a warm and smooth tone.
You cannot compare the fantastic sound quality to any other tubes. These are ideal for VOX amps.
Reputed manufacturers like Fender, Peavey, and Crate use Sovtek EL84 tubes. The matching process must be followed during installation, including a twenty-four-hour burn-in period and measurement of bias current in milliamps. The three breakup modes include hard-rated tubes with a clean sound; soft-rated tubes easily break up and yield hard and heavy distortion. Medium-rated tubes are in between hard and soft.
The tube provides an accurate and balanced tone giving you an improved sound experience. Excellent quality materials are used in making the tube. These are perfect for those who require superior quality tubes at an affordable cost. The depth and sparkling sound make it popular among guitarists. These sound incredible and take to the universe of perfection. When you want to get high performance from your amp, it is one of the best ways to achieve it. Enjoy fantastic tone with this EL84 tube in no time.
Pros
- Improvement in sound quality
- Easier to install
- Get the sound you want with three break up modes
Cons
- Tubes quickly overheat
Tung-Sol EL84/6BQ5 Tubes
These tubes are popular among guitarists as they offer an aggressive and powerful sound edge. The brand is known for its reputation for quality, and music enthusiasts have used the product itself for a long time. Tung-Sol tubes offer you a bright tone with little high output compared to other brands.
Together, these features translate adequate sound for heavy genres such as hard rock or metal. Depending on the amp, some players find that the tone is harsh. These tubes can give what you want if you look for the edge. They are valued for money.
The punchy sound with lots of gains makes the sound more articulate. EL84 power tubes have no mechanical noise and low noise floor. Humbucker-equipped guitar achieves crunch easily and sparkling shine with single coils. These tubes give excellent harmonics when pushed into clipping and allow you to get controlled and excellent feedback.
The rugged construction of this tube makes it a reliable choice. These tubes are an ideal replacement for hi-fi audio amps. For fine and clear sound, these tubes are an excellent choice. You will be amazed by the bold tone throughout the entire frequency range.
They are highly responsive and made for long-lasting performance. These premium tubes are a great replacement and are a fantastic way to upgrade your amplifier.
The affordable price of tubes makes them an easy choice for musicians. They do not lose detail and sound texture. The tight, full, and high-end sound make it a popular choice. You will love these tubes when it comes to sound quality. These amazing-sounding tubes are a popular choice among guitar enthusiasts.
Pros
- Clarity of music is improved
- The burning up process does not take too much time
- Sound quality is enhanced
Cons
- None we could find
Best Replacement EL84 Tubes
EL84 vs. EL34
For low-wattage amplifiers ranging from 15 to 30 watts, EL84 tubes are used. These tubes have similar sonic characteristics to that of EL34 tubes. EL84 tubes are commonly used in class A amps like AC30 and Vox AC15.
Class A amps deliver warm saturation and sweeter tone in exchange for low output volume. These tubes have a simple output design and provide bright and chimney high end with powerful lower-end sound. At medium volumes, amplifiers with EL84 are perfect for providing excellent tube saturation. These are ideal for practicing and gigging.
The EL34 tubes are among the most popular tubes used in guitar amplifiers. These have excellent headroom, high output watt, and a pair that can push 50 watts in Class AB configuration. They are associated with British guitar amps like Orange, Marshalls, and Hiwatt. Due to these tubes, British amps offer a classic crunch tone with too much low end and beefy midrange.
A larger amp design uses EL34 tubes, and they sound fantastic in loud volumes, making these amps unsuitable for studio apartments. EL34 and EL84 tubes have similar sound characteristics. EL84 is scaled down EL34.
The most crucial difference between these tubes is their headroom and output characteristics. EL84 is low wattage and lower headroom tube, so they are commonly used in smaller amplifier designs. On the other hand, high output power and wattage are required to get a good sound.
EL84 vs. 6V6
The two most famous guitar amp tubes are EL84 and 6V6. These have been used for decades in the production of guitar amps. These tubes have distinct features, are suitable for the particular playing style, and deliver a specific tone. EL84 tubes are commonly used in small-wattage amps; however, sometimes, they are used in high-wattage amplifiers. Additionally, these are used in high-end amplifiers such as Peavey Classic 30, Fender Blues, and more.
EL84 tubes dominate the guitar amp market. Specifically, these tubes are used by Fender and other low-wattage amps. When it comes to tone, described as Snarly Sound, these boast exceptional qualities and offer high-end brightness and midrange punch. In addition, they enter saturation territory effortlessly and break up quickly compared to other tubes of the same category. The headroom of EL84 is slightly limited but produces a responsive and tight tone with lots of attitudes.
6V6 tubes were initially made for commercial radios and considered less quality than EL84. These were firstly installed in low-cost radio devices. They are associated closely with California or Tweed sound offered by Fender amps. The power consumption is lesser than its larger predecessor, but it does not mean of less impressive tone.
6V6 provides an incredible headroom, and breakups occur when a specific volume is reached. They sound warm and smooth on a cleaner channel. 6V6 tubes have a noticeable top-end sparkle characteristic. They provide low-end controlled and strong complements with brightness at high frequencies.
EL84 vs. EL6L6
6L6 can be your first choice when playing country, blues, or rock music. These deliver a warm and cleaner tone making them appropriate for different music styles. They associate closely with the Fender sound and are commonly used as stock tubes in many amps. The 6L6 power tubes are related to the California sound. They are used in American-made amps. Fender amps have used 6L6 tubes for over 70 years and are the gold standard for cleaner guitar tones.
6L6 has lots of headroom and does not break as quickly as EL84. They have a much brighter tone and top-end sparkle. They produce a high mid-range tone and break up history for unique distortion sound.
Many guitarists prefer these tubes more into metal or heavy rock style.
EL84 tubes are known for Marshall Sound, and these are stock tubes on popular amplifiers. The Snarly sound is its distinct feature. It is usually found in smaller watt amps and quickly breaks up with the least headroom. EL84 is bright and has a lesser low end. These are also known as 6BQ5 in America and were initially produced for radios. They assisted in eliminating the requirement of driver tubes and offered a cheap alternative to large audio tubes of that era.
EL84 vs. 7189
7189s are a very close equivalent of EL84
7189 tubes are versatile and high quality with lots of power, clean headroom, harmonic content, and dynamics. These are known for high plate voltage and power and longer life, making them superior amplifier upgrades. 7189 has solid construction featuring heavy glass, which reduces microphonics. This is a perfect option for the Hi-Fi crowd.
EL84 tubes are used commonly in small tube amps and widely used in Fender guitar amps. In addition, the company uses them in low-wattage valve amps. These boasts of distinct qualities when a tone is considered, and the Snarly sound offered by these tubes is bright with increased midrange punch. These tend to break up quickly and enter the saturation terrain effortlessly.
EL84 vs. 6BQ5
6BQ5 is a North American type and designation name for EL84. So don’t be fooled when somebody tells you that it’s a different tube. EL84 and 6BQ5 have no difference except the name.
These tubes were developed to vanish the requirement of driver tubes in radios having more gain than in common power pentodes. EL84 is bright and has a lesser low end, and is known for Marshall Sound, and these are stock tubes on popular amplifiers.
The Snarly sound is a distinct feature of EL84. They enter saturation territory effortlessly and break up quickly compared to other tubes of the same category. The headroom of EL84 is slightly limited but produces a responsive and tight tone with lots of attitudes. EL84 tubes are commonly used in small-wattage amps; however, sometimes, they are used in high-wattage amplifiers.
EL84 tubes are commonly used in class A amps like AC30 and Vox AC15. Class A amps deliver warm saturation and sweeter tone in exchange for low output volume. These tubes have a simple output design and provide bright and chimney high end with powerful lower-end sound. At medium volumes, amplifiers with EL84 are perfect for providing excellent tube saturation. These are ideal for practicing and gigging.
Conclusion: The Best EL84 Tube Is…
EL84 tubes offer a sweet and smooth tone with outstanding sustainability. Due to their classic sound, these tubes are commonly used by Vox. Today these tubes are used by American manufacturers, including Fender models. These tubes have focused treble and mid with great overdrive.
Each tube discussed above will add unique color to the sound as these branded tubes can provide the desired sound performance. The JJ Electronic EL84 tube is the top choice in terms of durability. However, other options are good choices to consider.