On 10/2/2026 at 8:41 PM, EuroPad said:

These will remove the upper end glare https://www.ebay.com/itm/206054272391?_skw=Sylvania+6sl7&itmmeta=01KH4MFC89JDXNGV84JRQFZWVM&hash=item2ff9caad87%3Ag%3A7BkAAeSwzotphp-7&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA8GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xCAYB2rLFHHOGOvSW0eR5ZEbeucCOEdItlNzTresL2PP6Z%2BejfBSPw1D5%2BXebM9s38pUkdDOLRgsunzav6MZZIjpUxWBgyxfUFQaEqEllHZowBZq2hqG9g7x7culPvwQPyEggUTYEsbAKfhdaRCXNeJbKWqWrJmvkLXnEIlMUOvJJtkNEuushVoMzFTfB%2Fj7hOTjkRztKkWLxdYwsHsYqRtWUNeYCw%2BZn%2BlAhnPaBf5zSIgkw%2B36VlBZk7ALAexLUWZgvOCZNt4rYhWMC%2FZ2blGskWROTzaGVowW8ATNUggCA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6TEvZSJZw&keyword=Sylvania+6sl7&sacat=0&relatedSearch=true

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Treerover
Error

On 10/2/2026 at 8:38 PM, EuroPad said:

For powertubes I can recommend https://www.ebay.com/itm/196627649881?_skw=6P3S-E&itmmeta=01KH4M4SMM1VNP3SA18QJYBWCZ&hash=item2dc7ebd559%3Ag%3ACLsAAOSwFCxm8983&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAAwGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xDjkA6WmqGcukd131ZrwJgIRFiG31Qa6bwnq7g31vjaPjpGoGzfk7vhJkIqbfHCD1yhKpbRh5tle68MurNUtuUQQIuyRnde0flco3h2fT%2F1yjJY6AbrU1tsFlOdhQ3czE%2FUe2Urae%2Bm3cLEk4w1tAdzj7Z1BBpxlnNvuCN%2FUKY3fFdwkR5T7NBwoPrl6hp4ToiEkk1WzopXrqsU3IxIOOfYS3ziBxdzwAnGbpvp7dROmw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7iak5SJZw&keyword=6P3S-E&sacat=0&relatedSearch=true

This from the supplier of these tubes. I think your recommendation comes with potential disastrous results !

1 hour ago, Treerover said:

This from the supplier of these tubes. I think your recommendation comes with potential disastrous results !

Hi. You just have to set the bias a bit lower. Search this tread and you will see that many people are using them.

@Treerover that advice from seller is wrong. I'm using them on my R8 right now. As @EuroPad stated, search this thread and you will find plenty info of 6P3S-E. I recommend that you stockpile more than one set as the price increases quite a bit, from $50AUD per set to over $120AUD in the last 5 years. Although @120Aud/matched quad, it's still a bargain.

21 hours ago, EuroPad said:

Hi. You just have to set the bias a bit lower. Search this tread and you will see that many people are using them.

Well that’s good news as I was facing having to send them back . They should be here any week .

How did you set your bias level ?

On 6/1/2026 at 3:53 AM, lulucas said:

@xinvisiblex since you're still running stock el34 and in case you want to try some new tubes, check out the Russian NOS 6P3S-E. I'm sure you will be in for a nice surprise in comparison to stock EL34. just make sure your bias is set at 29mA for 6P3S-E. I'm exclusively running 6P3S-E nowadays and I have in stock 10 set of quads before the audiophile tax kicks in. 😄

Can this be done without a separate bias meter using the stock bias meter ? If so where abouts on the dial should I be setting them ?

Many thanks

35 minutes ago, Treerover said:

Can this be done without a separate bias meter using the stock bias meter ?

That's what I did. People who did use a separate bias meter said the needle is alongside the letter "I" in bias

@Treerover Bias is set @ 27-29mA for 6P3S-E... This is equate to the first small marker to right of the centre marker on my R8. I recommend that you use a multimeter or external reader to do the bias reading, not all R8s are built the same. I wouldn't trust the measurement on my R8 to be the same as your.

1 hour ago, lulucas said:

@Treerover Bias is set @ 27-29mA for 6P3S-E... This is equate to the first small marker to right of the centre marker on my R8. I recommend that you use a multimeter or external reader to do the bias reading, not all R8s are built the same. I wouldn't trust the measurement on my R8 to be the same as your.

Thanks very much 🤗

19 hours ago, EuroPad said:

That's what I did. People who did use a separate bias meter said the needle is alongside the letter "I" in bias

Great info , many thanks 🤩

On 01/03/2026 at 3:35 PM, ThoFi said:

Thanx.

But, no, didn’t help with the R8

When you plan to end your listening session, stop playback and leave everything running for 1-2 minutes to allow the tubes to cool down. The pop noise should be reduced or completely inaudible.

I mentioned earlier that one of my EL34 tubes shines brighter than the rest, and obviously, on Friday the 13th, the tube must have momentarily shorted out. After the start-up procedure, crackling noises started coming from the speakers, and the tube shone brighter, but I managed to quickly turn the amplifier off. I took the amplifier to my "tube wizard," and the fused capacitor at V2, which he had installed earlier, blew. I don't know if I overdid it, because apparently in my R8 V2, the bias is supposedly 40 mV at the center, while mine was set near the letter S. The tubes were 700h old, and the rest are supposedly "has had enough" too. It's possible I set the bias too high and wore them out faster. I ordered a bias tester on Amazon, so I'll measure everything. Currently installed are the PSVANE EL34PHs recommended by jon96789. We'll see how they sound.

24 minutes ago, xinvisiblex said:

The tubes were 700h old

I think you've reached the lifetime for this quad set - anything over 500h would be deemed approaching end of life. Did the bias adjustment give any sign that the range of the pot had maxed out?

30 minutes ago, xinvisiblex said:

When you plan to end your listening session, stop playback and leave everything running for 1-2 minutes to allow the tubes to cool down. The pop noise should be reduced or completely inaudible.

Good point. It also helps to turn the volume down to zero once playback has stopped for the listening session. The tube will still be hot but it's the signal that counts. Stopping that and allowing 1-2 minutes idling before power off helps.

3 minutes ago, xlr8or said:

I think you've reached the lifetime for this quad set - anything over 500h would be deemed approaching end of life. Did the bias adjustment give any sign that the range of the pot had maxed out?

Really? I thought the EL34 would last 1000-1500 hours. Honestly, I didn't mess with the bias. Someone had previously checked their R8 V1 and found that the EL34 tube's mid-bias was 28 mA, while it was 35 mA at the S in the BIAS inscription, so I immediately set the bias higher and didn't mess with it any further. However, after my last experience, the service technician told me that his measurements showed the mid-bias was 40 mA, so he lowered it when he tested the amplifier with his tubes. For peace of mind, I ordered a bias tester on Amazon to check and test the specific bias values my amplifier produces at specific meter deflections.

All power tubes have different life expectancies... I find Chinese tubes have the shortest life spans, about 600-1000 hours... The New Sensor Russian tubes seems to last about 1000-1500 hours. Vintage tubes can last about 1500-3000 hours. They just don't build them like they used to.

Remember, the Willsenton is not designed for use with the 6P3S-E tubes. There could be something else that can be causing the failures. The seller already mentioned that the tube is not compatible with EL34s. You are using these tubes at your own risk. Maybe another quad will only last 500 hours as well. That is something to consider.

So the tubes have had their day, and that's it. Reducing the bias wouldn't help much. I was personally advised to buy RFT EL34s. Apparently, they're built like a "tank." They can withstand 600V and should last about 3000 hours. Unfortunately, I have no idea how they sound or what their sound signature is. We'll see how long the PSVANEs last. (I keep a notepad of how long each listening session lasts.) 😏

16 hours ago, xinvisiblex said:

Really? I thought the EL34 would last 1000-1500 hours. Honestly, I didn't mess with the bias. Someone had previously checked their R8 V1 and found that the EL34 tube's mid-bias was 28 mA, while it was 35 mA at the S in the BIAS inscription, so I immediately set the bias higher and didn't mess with it any further. However, after my last experience, the service technician told me that his measurements showed the mid-bias was 40 mA, so he lowered it when he tested the amplifier with his tubes. For peace of mind, I ordered a bias tester on Amazon to check and test the specific bias values my amplifier produces at specific meter deflections.

If you've purchased something like the one below you can also measure plate voltage using the same tube socket adapter. When you get it message me and I'll advise how to measure that value as well.

https://amzn.asia/d/0jbIZruZ

I got this one... It's pretty easy to use and is reasonably priced @ $80...

Edited 50 minutes ago50 min by jon96789