Electrohome Lorainne 40 Push Pull EL84 tube amp

Another piece of fine audio equipment came home from the same place as the EMI 630 speakers, this 20WPC Electrohome Lorainne 40 push/pull tube amplifier.

This unit has had some previous work done to it with separate volume pots, handles on the side and feet attached to the bottom.

The 12AX7 tubes are Mullard/Amperex tubes that flash upon start up.

So I now have the best of both worlds with an Electrohome Marseilles Single Ended tube amp and this Electrohome Push/Pull.

On first impressions the Electrohome P/P is much louder and can drive all my speakers to a pretty decent decibel level where as the Electrohome SET can only push my most efficient speakers to the 98-100db level, which is plenty loud.

I was expecting more bass from the  and the bass that is there is well controlled, the mids and highs are clean and transparent along with the imaging. Where I find the biggest difference is the open and luscious mid range and highs that the Electrohome Single Ended offers up, it just can not be beat. Once the mids and highs are this good the three dimensional imaging is spot on with a single ended tube amp.

There is a fantastic write up called "Single Ended vs. Push Pull: The fight of the Century" by Eddie Vaughn, it is a good overview of both amplifiers.

Just like the analogue vs. digital, New England vs. West Coast, solid state vs. tube and single ended vs. push pull you will get diehards defending either argument.

So, where does my bias lean towards? I seem to like the pure Class A sound of a single ended tube amp more than the Class A/B of the push pull, both are great but the Single Ended just nudges out the Push/Pull with the open mid range and sparkling highs.

TubeCube 7 tube amplifier

I picked up this little desktop tube amp for my son's Christmas present this year, replacing the Realistic System 11.

This fully assembled unit was well packaged and the fit and finish is really nice. It feels like a solid little amp in your hands.

I am just listening to my Electrohome Marseilles tube amp for the past few months as my only source of amplification. I was pretty excited to see what this 3.5 watt would sound like in a comparison. I burnt the amp in for 12 hours before giving it a serious listen.The Tube Cube 7 can be found on the Tube Depot site and runs for $179.95 with free delivery in the USA.

I first had a listen with the stock Chinese Sino EL84's with the Sino 12AX7B connect to a pair of Tannoy Oxford Gold's. The Tannoy's are very efficient so it was best suited to the 3.5 watts per channel.

The sound was very clear and transparent in the mid range and high's. The midrange and highs were not warm even having a bit of shrill at times. Although imaging side to side was excellent, back and for depth of the sound stage was not as deep as the Electrohome.

I also tested the TubeCube 7 with the Sound Dynamics Concert 500's, these are another efficient horn loaded speaker that pairs really well with tube amps. The sound was a bit better in the bass along with the same traits in sound as with the Tannoy's. Last up were the NAD Model 30's of which this little unit was striving to drive with clarity, the bottom end was very muddy.

I opted to replace the Sino tubes over to J/J EL84's and a J/J 12AX7B

The change over in tubes had an instant impact on the sound this little amplifier could achieve, it was like a veil was removed from the sound. Back where the sweet luscious mid's and high's with the bottom end filling out. The Tannoy's had their shine back, the warmth was there along with the depth of sound, next was the Sound Dynamics, where the bass was clearer and much more refined. Any shrill associated with the original Sino tubes was gone.

Overall this is a pretty cool entry into tube amps for a small space, we still have them hooked up to the Minimus 11 speakers. When trying to fill a larger room with bigger speakers this little amp tries and does a surprising good job, I found this amp best suited for a smaller office or bedroom. The output transformers are obviously not as robust as you would find in higher power units, I found it shy on the bottom end.

My wish list that I had for this amp is a headphone jack being a priority, it would be great to listen to through headphones. Two inputs would be nice too, but I would take the headphone jack first.

I would recommend one of these units as a starter into the tube world. I had mine shipped to a US address which help keep the cost down with the exchange rate.

The TubeDepot will also supply better tubes for this amp which I would step up to the J/J tubes all around.

The TubeCube 7 can be found here and the tube upgrades here.

Tube: Shuguang EL84 2pcs, 12AX7B 1pc

Power Output: 3.5W+3.5W @ 8 ohms

Frequency Response: 30-40Khz (+-1db)

Input Sensitivity: 500mV

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: -80dB / 3.5W

Residual Noise < 1mVac

Input AC Voltage: 100-250Vac

Power Consumption: 38W

Input Impedance: 50K ohms

Output Impedance: 8/6/4 ohms (Japan Z11-EI48*24 Output Transformers)

Dimensions: 130mm (w) x 130mm (d) x 130mm (h)

Weight: 2.6KG

Input: RCA Jacks

Output: Banana Jacks

AC: Standard IEC Jack with Fuse protection (2A Fuse)

Color: Black

 

Single Ended Tube Amp

A little update on the Electrohome tube amp that I recently picked up, first off it is a Single Ended tube amp as opposed to a Push/Pull tube amp. There is a tone of debate on which sounds better and for the price I paid for my amp there is no debate.

The 6BQ5 tubes run around 5.7 watts per channel of pure Class A power, plenty of power for very efficient speakers at a normal to semi loud listening level.

I have run the gauntlet of speakers through this amp and only two pairs really shine and bring out the best in the audio signal and believe me this amp is extremely revealing, open and absolutely clean and clear, so much I hear things I never heard before.

So, which speakers sounded best with this amp?

Tannoy Oxford Gold, hands down winner....

There is something about the horn loaded tweeter that is spot on with this amp. The Oxford Golds are 93db efficient and the 10" woofer rounds out the solid bass perfectly. The tweeters are nearly time aligned with the woofer, so the sound is great. The highs sparkle, the mid range is spot on as if you are in a studio with the musicians and instruments right in front of you, it really is amazing to listen through these speakers. When listening to my audio sources through solid state equipment, the Tannoy's do not shine as well as they do with tubes.

Another great speaker to run with the tube amp is the Sound Dynamics 10S, once again a very efficient speaker at around 96db, the bass is much fuller with the Sound Dynamic but the overall sound is more like you are at an 1000 seat concert room.

The recessed horn loaded tweeter throws out a wider sound stage and is not recording studio precise as the Tannoy's. These speakers are time aligned due to the recess of the tweeter, smooth across the mid range and deep in the bass. Like I said these are like you are at the concert where as the Tannoy's you are in the studio.

I am absolutely  awe struck in what I am currently listening to and feel that I have reached a peak in performance and I will find it hard to top this set up.

Electrohome Marseilles tube receiver

My first tube receiver was found today inside a console stereo, an Electrohome Marseilles unit.

When tested it fired up in the store and it is a stereo unit so I was in luck.

I see there is a growing trend in some areas in restoring old console stereos but locally there is not.

I managed to safely remove the receiver unit from the wood coffin, the turntable did not look worthy of saving.

I do not have the space for a full console stereo and if it was more of a mid century piece perhaps I would refurbish the unit.

The receiver is out and resting on top of the Marantz 2270 and now I know what tube sound is all about...smooth, detailed and warm.

This unit is currently powering the Braun L830's.

This unit is missing a few knobs so I moved the knobs from the tuner section down, I do not plan on using the tuner portion of this unit.