Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 12AX7 CORE Vacuum Tube
$45.00 - $99.00
Description
CORE EL84
The CORE EL84 delivers everything you know and love about tube audio. With modern production and uncompromising selection processes ensuring reliability and consistency, the Ray Tubes CORE Collection is all you need for years of audio bliss.
Hand selected and tested, the Ray Tubes CORE EL84 vacuum tube is manufactured with modern production and selection processes for reliability and consistency. The CORE Collection leaves the uncertainty of the New Old Stock market behind and makes uneven performance and tube failures a thing of the past.
The EL84 is a power pentode vacuum tube introduced in 1953. Its original purpose was to eliminate the need for a separate drive tube in cheap radio equipment, but it quickly found a place in music history as a component in guitar amps like the legendary Vox AC30, favoured by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and countless other bands.
Sound Characteristics
The CORE EL84 offers a natural and clean sonic experience, ideal for users who value vocal clarity and tonal balance. It pairs well with a variety of low to mid-power systems.
Bass Performance
Relatively tight, with a decent sense of speed and moderate quantity. While it doesn’t emphasize deep bass extension, it delivers a clean and punchy response. Well-suited for rhythm-driven genres like pop and light rock.
Midrange Performance
Smooth and warm, with clear definition and an intimate vocal presence. It brings out the charm in female vocals and small ensemble instruments.
Treble Performance
The highs extend moderately, presenting details in a straightforward yet non-fatiguing manner. Overall, smooth and easy on the ears, making it ideal for long listening sessions.
Dynamics and Soundstage
Dynamics are moderately elastic, with decent microdetail performance, a good fit for simpler arrangements. The soundstage is focused and precise, making it suitable for near-field listening environments.
The CORE Collection
The entry-level CORE Collection delivers everything you know and love about tube audio. With modern production and uncompromising selection processes ensuring reliability and consistency, CORE is Ray Tubes' essential offering.
Looking to get more out of your existing system? The SELECT lineup of tubes can take your amp to the next level thanks to its more involved production and stricter selection.
Everything You Love Without the Hassle
The tube marketplace is a bit of a minefield. 70% of new production isn’t intended for audio applications, which means inconsistent sound. Meanwhile, New Old Stock (NOS) is seen as a hallmark of quality, but it’s tough to source, expensive, and old enough to collect a pension. Even quality tubes are hit or miss after the better part of a century.
That’s where the Ray Tubes CORE Collection comes in. Here’s how it works: we produce batches of brand new tubes. Then, we identify the tubes that are suitable for audio. (The rest go on to fulfilling lives in other, less demanding applications.) Thanks to our rigorous selection process, you get a tube that sounds as good as NOS and lasts as long as NOS did when it was young. Win-win.
At the end of the day, the CORE Collection is about one simple thing: delivering the tube audio you know and love, without the hassle of navigating a confusing marketplace.
Modern Selection Equals Consistency
Most of the time, buying new production tubes is like entering the lottery. Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot—that once-in-a-lifetime tube that sounds better than you ever expected. More likely, you’ll get a tube that’s only okay, or that’s actively bad.
The Ray Tubes CORE Collection takes the gambling out of new production. We measure each tube’s amplification factor, internal resistance, and other critical parameters to ensure it’s suitable for audio applications. We also make sure it’s not prone to excessive microphonics. Finally, our audio engineers sign off on each tube. The end result are tubes that sound the way they should, every time.
We think consistency is the most important quality a tube can have. Think of it this way: even if you hit the lottery with one tube, what happens if your amp needs two? Unmatched tubes won’t live up to their capabilities. Our meticulous selection process allows us to offer tubes in our CORE Collection as matched pairs.
Modern Production Equals Reliability
Vacuum tubes are delicate electrical components. Books have been written on the myriad ways they can fail — books with names like Getting the Most Out of Vacuum Tubes and first chapters titled Catastrophic Failures. We read them, and then we used that knowledge to make sure our tubes wouldn’t fail.
This is where new production has a big advantage over NOS. Our tubes haven’t been languishing for years while their components slowly deteriorate. Instead, they’re fresh out of our factories, built to our exact specifications—and we check our work. Each tube is inspected to make sure the vacuum seal holds and put through an extended burn-in period to weed out early failures.
Our thorough quality control is why we can offer the Ray Tubes One Year Warranty. If you buy a NOS tube that turns out to be a dud, there’s nothing you can do. With the CORE Collection, you’ll have peace of mind.
More Details
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. Click here for details.
Compatible Amps
Click here to explore Ray Tubes' Tube Amp Compatibility List.
Package Contents
- Set of two, or single vacuum tube
- User handbook featuring burn-in guidelines
- Certificate of authenticity and warranty
Technical Specifications
- Tube Type: EL84 / 6BQ5
- Tube Socket: 9-pin
Heater
- Heater Voltage: 6.3 V
- Heater Current: 0.76 A
Maximum Ratings
- Anode Voltage: 500 V
- Anode Dissipation Power: 12 W
- Screen Grid Voltage: 300 V
- Screen Grid Dissipation Power: 2 W
- Cathode Current: 65 mA
- Control Grid Voltage: –100 V
- Heater-Cathode Voltage: ±100 V
Grid Circuit Resistance
- Fixed Bias: 0.3 MΩ
- Self Bias: 1 MΩ
Interelectrode Capacitance
- Input Capacitance: 10.8 pF
- Output Capacitance: 6.5 pF
- Transfer Capacitance: 0.5 pF
- Grid-to-Heater Capacitance: 0.25 pF
Misc. Operating Parameters
- Anode Voltage: 256 V
- Screen Voltage: 256 V
- Cathode Resistor: 120 Ω
- Anode Current: 48 mA
- Screen Current: 7 mA
- Transconductance: ≥9 mA/V
- Internal Resistance: 38 kΩ
- Amplification Factor: 19
Specs
Dimensions
About Ray Tubes
Warranty
The Ray Tubes One Year Warranty
This warranty covers manufacturing defects for twelve months after purchase. We believe that everyone who buys our tubes deserves at least a year of quality, hassle-free sound, and if our tubes get in the way of your bliss, we'll make it right. Click here for more details.
You May Also Like
Browse these similar products.
Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 12AT7 CORE Vacuum Tube
$59.00 - $139.00
Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 12AU7 CORE Vacuum Tube
$45.00 - $99.00
Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 12AX7 SELECT Vacuum Tube
$119.00 - $579.00
Ray Tubes
Ray Tubes 300B RESERVE Vacuum Tube
$579.00 - $2,499.00
Personal Attention, Expert Advice
We’re here to answer your questions and help you make the right choice.
Service Department
Our advisers and technicians are standing by to assist after your purchase.
