Anyone try modern 6sn7 Shuguang WE type vs NOS RCA,Ken Rad

I’m off this week so I took out the Shuguang WE plus 6sn7’s today and put in RCA gray glass let them run for most of the day.

The RCA’s sound very smooth nice detail and bass. Put Shuguang back in and have to admit it’s a very nice tube. The RCA did not embarrass it at all. There just different Shuguang is a very refined tube. RCA more relaxed. 
 

I’m a little surprised. It’s a very natural detailed tube and could be happy with it. I haven’t tried my other 6sn7’s,

I do have some quads of Shuguang KT-88-T and WE Plus that came with amp that have never been used, brand new and I hear these Shuguang go out and red plate there first few hours in the amp. I’ve heard they have quality control problems. That may be okay in a signal tube but a power tube is another story. That is a concern. That’s not something a NOS Mullard xf2 EL34 would do. It could but doubtful.

The Shuguang is definitely more lively than RCA. In a strange way I prefer Shuguang as much as RCA but for different reasons. If I want a slow relaxed darker presentation RCA is my choice.

I’m not good with audiophile words but the Shuguang is clean, transparent, fast, kind of like the focus has been adjusted correctly on a lens. I think it’s very well balanced, neutral with nice air nice bass. Very musical tube while still being transparent which can be hard to pull off sometimes. If I was to think new production tube this is not what I would have imagined.

I’m going to compare my other tube to Shuguang but I don’t think any of them will put Shuguang to shame. 

These are stock tubes Don Sachs provided with his amps, best stock tubes I’ve ever received. They all have about 500 hours on them.

At its wides point exactly 2 inches, if bottles touch you can sagger an adapter between every other tube if space allows.

lowrider how far are closest outside diameter on your tube sockets from each other if that makes sense? My power amp has 3 6sn7 tubes up front and I have to use an adapter on the middle one. The OD of sockets is maybe a little less than 5/8 or 5/8 of an inch from each other and the adapter works to fit fat bottle between the other 2 mounted flush, it’s close and they almost touch.

I put Ken Rad vt-231 in it only ran in for a couple hours maybe it needed more time. I took them out added Shuguang and everything was airy with bass sounding correct. Ken Rads had reseeded highs bass was exaggerated just dull.  I’m going to run Ken Rads again but let them run all day they have been sitting up for years. The more I do this I may like this Shuguang better than all my other 6sn7’s. Maybe the Sylvania vt-231’s will change my mind. Glad when I find best tube and can leave it alone.

I let Ken Rads run a couple days they have come back to life from being dormant all these years. Ken Rad is more relaxed compared to the Shuguang. RCA more relaxed than Ken Rad. I may need to put Shuguang back in to see if memory is right but seem Ken Rad has more weight/body on instruments very natural highs.
 

Again memory may be off but Shuguang may have more solid state highs but I need to try them again. Maybe brighter, thinner, cleaner and faster, maybe lose a little tube magic, but not in a bad way. I play jazz and have a lot of new and old hand hammered ride cymbals and I did notice the Shuguang can make a heavy ride cymbal sound very realistic with weight, like you are there sound. That was the first thing that impressed me with the Shuguang for a modern tube. It’s a toss up between all three. They all do good for what they are and have there place. For an all rounder the Ken Rad is nice. The Shuguang has a more modern sound if my memory is correct. I’m going to put Shuguang back in this weekend and see what happens. I’m just going to enjoy Ken Rads for a while. Then I’m going to try Sylvania vt-231’s and pick one and leave it in for a while.

After flipping through all my vintage vt-231’s and others over the last couple weeks I’m back with Shuguang WE plus 6sn7’s in the amp. All had there special sonic signature but the Shuguang’s just have a jack of all trades sound. I feel the Shuguang had the best transparency, refinement and speed out of all the 6sn7’s I tried and not to a small degree. Most important I enjoyed the amp much more once the Shuguang’s were back in the amp. 
 

lowrider57, I know a guy that has a stash of the Shuguang WE plus kt88’s and 6sn7’s. I’m going to buy some of them in the next week or so he is a couple hours away and I’m going to go pick some up. If he has extra’s would you be interested, these are new never been in an amp. He has switched gear and has no need for them.