Joined: Apr Sat 30, 2011 2:14 am Posts: 225 Location: Mississauga, Ontario
I came across these tubes listed for sale as Russian equivalents to 6L6GC's and thought better to ask here before paying and being disappointed. I also did a search in this forum but came up empty, which surprised me. Can anyone shed some light on this for me as I am tempted by the excellent price! Thanks, Mauro
Post subject: Re: 6n3c = 6L6GC ??? Opinions wanted.
Posted: Jun Sun 24, 2012 4:36 pm
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 3851 Location: Rochester NY USA
Yes, I believe they are. There are some Russian ones with large bases which are closer to the GB version. These have been relabeled as "6L6GC" but aren't... The higher-rated ones have a thin "coin" or wafer base.
Post subject: Re: 6n3c = 6L6GC ??? Opinions wanted.
Posted: Jun Sun 24, 2012 7:11 pm
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 2978 Location: Cortez, Colorado
The 6P3S-E (6N3C-E) are the expensive ones that are close to 5881s. The printed specs are about worthless at 250V anode and 250V screen. Many 6P3S-E are ran at and above 500V. Just keep them at about 22W and they'll be fine.
The 6P3S are closer to regular 6L6s. They are rated at 450V anode and screen, but dissipate 19 watts.
Post subject: Re: 6n3c = 6L6GC ??? Opinions wanted.
Posted: Jun Mon 25, 2012 1:01 am
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Joined: Apr Sat 30, 2011 2:14 am Posts: 225 Location: Mississauga, Ontario
So from the information I gathered here I can assume that they would probably be OK in my application but that performance would be significantly less than a real 6L6GC. My application is a Jukebox PP amplifier that puts about 400v on the plates and puts out about 25 watts. I'm curious if anyone has noticed a decrease in gain or a different tone from using these tubes? Thanks for all the info so far, it's very educational.
Post subject: Re: 6n3c = 6L6GC ??? Opinions wanted.
Posted: Jun Mon 25, 2012 3:06 am
Member
Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 2978 Location: Cortez, Colorado
Just google 6P3S-E and see the reviews of them. Most rave about them. Alot of them are used in Dynaco ST-70s. I like the 6P3S, it works well SE or in pentode mode, they say not do much in UL.
You'll see the 6P3S-E is usually double to triple the price of a 6P3S.
Post subject: Re: 6n3c = 6L6GC ??? Opinions wanted.
Posted: Jun Mon 25, 2012 6:53 pm
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Joined: Dec Sat 12, 2009 3:03 pm Posts: 30
I've purchased these tubes from two sources: tubes-store.com, and ussr-tubes.com. They are about $4 each, and are supposed to be an equivalent to 6L6GT, except there is no such american tube I've ever heard of. Shipping was $20 and took about two to three weeks. I haven't used them, but I'd guess at the size of the plates, they will work ok for 6L6 applications through 6L6GB.
