I bought my Peavey 5150 some time in the summer of 2004. It was a used item at Guitar Center, and I felt really lucky to find one for a good price, so I bought it immediately. I didn't know much about tubes in those days, and I wound up never retubing the amp. I was just happy to have the amp in my possession. I did have a small repair made to the amp in 2007, where one or two preamp tubes were replaced, but the power tubes, and most of the preamp tubes remained the same ones that had been there since I bought it. This means that this year, the tubes in my amp were over ten years old, and I have no idea how long they were used before I purchased the amp. So, I recently decided it was time to do some research, buy some new tubes, and hear the difference it made.
From my general powertube and 5150-specific research, I noticed that on the internet, people talk a lot about the sound differences between tubes they've tried, but I've never seen any well-done comparison clips to actually demonstrate any claims. So, I decided to make my own tests as scientific as possible, and record a shootout for everyone to hear. I recorded the beginning of a song (Carcass' "Heartwork") on drums (please forgive my lack of drumming skill), so that there would be some "full-mix" context to judge the guitar tones. I then recorded two guitar DI tracks, which I used to reamp through the different sets of tubes. This way, the guitar performance, amp settings, mic position, etc. would all be the exact same, and the only variable would be the tubes. This gives us the best chance at judging how the different tubes affect the 5150, with a more real-world context than just listening to lone guitar tracks. That being said, I did not include a bass in the mix, as I did not want to further obscure the tube differences, and the recorded guitar tones were left raw (no processing) in the DAW.
I bought two new sets of 6L6 power tubes, as well as a set of new preamp tubes (12AX7): A TAD RT080 7025WA for V1, three JJ ECC83S, and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS with balanced triodes for the phase inverter (V4). I put these preamp tubes in for the shootout.
For the test, I had three different sets of power amp tubes (6L6):
From my general powertube and 5150-specific research, I noticed that on the internet, people talk a lot about the sound differences between tubes they've tried, but I've never seen any well-done comparison clips to actually demonstrate any claims. So, I decided to make my own tests as scientific as possible, and record a shootout for everyone to hear. I recorded the beginning of a song (Carcass' "Heartwork") on drums (please forgive my lack of drumming skill), so that there would be some "full-mix" context to judge the guitar tones. I then recorded two guitar DI tracks, which I used to reamp through the different sets of tubes. This way, the guitar performance, amp settings, mic position, etc. would all be the exact same, and the only variable would be the tubes. This gives us the best chance at judging how the different tubes affect the 5150, with a more real-world context than just listening to lone guitar tracks. That being said, I did not include a bass in the mix, as I did not want to further obscure the tube differences, and the recorded guitar tones were left raw (no processing) in the DAW.
I bought two new sets of 6L6 power tubes, as well as a set of new preamp tubes (12AX7): A TAD RT080 7025WA for V1, three JJ ECC83S, and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS with balanced triodes for the phase inverter (V4). I put these preamp tubes in for the shootout.
For the test, I had three different sets of power amp tubes (6L6):
- The 10+ year old 6L6GCR "Made in China." I cannot determine the brand of these, but they were the tubes found in the amp when I bought it. They look, and feel quite old.
- The TAD 6L6GC-STR.
- The Sovtek 6L6WXT+, which are made in Russia.
 The TAD 7025WA Highgrade (RT080), three JJ Electronic ECC83S, and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS (balanced triodes) |  6L6GCR Made in China tube, TAD 6L6GC-STR, and Sovtek 6L6WXT+ tube |
I then decided on a favorite set of power tubes, left them in, and then put the original, 10+ year-old preamp tubes back into the 5150. These were two Sovtek 7025WA, and three totally unlabelled 12AX7 tubes. I then recorded a fourth take of the reamped DI tracks.
So, again, we have four different passes: Power Tube Set 1, Power Tube Set 2, Power Tube Set 3, and Power Tube Set Mystery + Old Preamp Tubes. These four different takes are randomly labelled A through D. Here are the files so you can listen and make your own judgements. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Clip A
Clip B
Clip C
Clip D
Can you tell the differences? Which is your favorite? Can you guess which is which?
So, again, we have four different passes: Power Tube Set 1, Power Tube Set 2, Power Tube Set 3, and Power Tube Set Mystery + Old Preamp Tubes. These four different takes are randomly labelled A through D. Here are the files so you can listen and make your own judgements. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Clip A
Clip B
Clip C
Clip D
Can you tell the differences? Which is your favorite? Can you guess which is which?
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