When Only the Best Will Do
The Ray Tubes RESERVE EL34 isn’t for everyone. It’s the distillation of decades of experience. With a bespoke design, small-batch production, and meticulous selection, the Ray Tubes RESERVE Collection reveals audio details you never knew were there.
Hand selected and tested, the Ray Tubes RESERVE EL34 is designed specifically for hi-fi audio applications. Featuring gold-plated pins and our monocrystalline carbon Magic Coating, the RESERVE Collection easily outperforms New Old Stock and new production alike. Fewer than 5% of production meets our standards.
The EL34 is a power pentode vacuum tube that was introduced by Mullard in 1955 and is usually found in an amplifier’s final output stage. Befitting its British origins, the EL34 was commonly used in amps built by companies like Marshall and Vox—as such, it became associated with British music of that era.
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Sound Characteristics
The RESERVE EL34 offers solid and powerful low frequencies, balanced and full midrange, clear and bright high frequencies, and excellent resolution. Its wide dynamic range and expansive soundstage with rich layers make it ideal for dynamic and complex compositions.
- Bass Performance
Solid and powerful, able to clearly showcase the layering of low frequencies. It is suitable for dynamic and complex music compositions like rock and electronic music. - Midrange Performance
Balanced and full, with excellent detail reproduction, especially in vocals and string instruments. The sound is clear and natural, with rich layering and warmth. - Treble Performance
Clear and bright, transparent and delicate, with excellent resolution. Presents more audio details while avoiding excessive harshness or interference with other frequency ranges. - Dynamics and Soundstage
Wide dynamic range, effectively capturing the contrast between loud and soft passages. Expansive soundstage with rich layers and a good sense of space, especially suitable for large-scale compositions and complex sound design.
Technical Specifications
- Tube Type: EL34
- Tube Socket: 8-pin
- Max Anode Dissipation Power: 25 W
- Max Screen Dissipation Power: 8 W
- Output Power in Class A1 Amp (Single Tube): Greater than 10 W
- Output Power in Class AB1 Amp: Greater than 35 W
- Max Anode Voltage: 800 V
- Max Screen Voltage: 500 V
- Max Grid Voltage: ~15 V
- Heater Voltage: 6.3 V
- Heater Current: 1.5 A
- Transconductance: 11 mA/V
- Amplification Factor: 11
- Internal Resistance: 15 kΩ
Tetrode Connection
- Screen Voltage: 250 V
- Anode Voltage: 250 V
- Anode Current: 140 mA
- Grid Voltage: 15 V
- Grid Current: 3 mA
- Internal Resistance: 12 kΩ
- Amplification Factor: 8
Triode Connection
- Anode Voltage: 250 V
- Anode Current: 143 mA
- Grid Voltage: 15 V
- Internal Resistance: 670 Ω
- Amplification Factor: 8
Package Contents
- Set of four, two, or single vacuum tube
- User handbook featuring burn-in guidelines
- Certificate of authenticity and warranty
The Ray Tubes One Year Warranty
Most vacuum tubes are notoriously fickle. That’s why warranties are rare. But we trust our products and we’re proud to offer our One Year Warranty against manufacturing defects. For more details, check out our warranty page.
If you give this tube 50 hours, all of a sudden you’re not in Kansas anymore.
My impressions have been consistent in every listening session since their arrival: the RAY Tubes imbue everything that plays with a perfect balance of analogue delicacy and impressive dynamics, with every listening session providing an almost ethereal experience.
Forget about the inconsistency buying NOS tubes. These Ray Tubes EL34 RESERVE tubes took my system to a level I had struggled to achieve previously.
Where to Buy
Local retailers are the heart of audiophile communities around the world, which is why we believe they’re best positioned to help you with your purchase. Ray Tubes are available from our retail partners worldwide—click the button below to find one in your region.