The BT are a more open and tonaly ballanced tube in my system than the Sophia's. But, the Sophia's are close.
I've tried every NOS tube on the market and finnaly settled on the Sophia. Then I tried the BT and my quest was over.
Do not buy the BT from Ebay. The ones from Grant Fidelity had much better tone and was much quieter.
I have no affiliation with Grant Fidelity other than a happy customer. |
I did "almost" the same thing as Zman. I started with the Black Treasures, then when to the Sophias in my LS100.
Had I started with the Sophias, I probably would have stopped looking, but I also really like the BT alittle more.
I bought my BT's, (and some Psvane for the phono stage) from Grant Fidelity. Excellent company to work with.
I tried alot of different 6SN7's too. |
My answer may be partially relevant. I have BT and Kenrad black tubes. The BT is more open and Kenrad is smoother. |
Both these tubes offer an improvement over regular new stock 6SN7's, however both are left in "the sonic dust" by NOS Tung Sol Blackplate Oval plate 6NS7's. They offer sonic beauty and give the illusion of sounding just like real music. If you want details on their sonics go to my review on the Flora preamp when I put these tubes in.
They are very hard to get and are not cheap by any means, but there worth every penny you would spend on them. You might contact Brent Jessee to see if he has any matched pairs for sale. |
"Best" is in the eye/ear of the beholder. There is no definitive "best" anything, it's all subjective. When you ask a question like this, the answers will always be what folks think is "best" to them in their system. |
I have the Tung Sol Blackplate that Teajay is talking about. It is a very good tube.
But the OP didn't ask about the Tung Sol, and it didn't take me off the quest for 6SN7's. The BT did. |
09-05-11: Tpreaves
"Best" is in the eye/ear of the beholder. There is no definitive "best" anything, it's all subjective. When you ask a question like this, the answers will always be what folks think is "best" to them in their system.
Disregard, I posted this to the wrong thread. My apologies to the OP. |
Are the Sophias and the Black Treasures made by the same factory but sold under different labels? I have a pair of Sophias for my ModWright Sony SCD-XA5400ES and have thought about trying the Black Treasures but they appear to be the same tube. If these tubes are made by the same factory how do they differ? |
They are not the same tubes. Or the same factory.
Completely different in every way. The BT is a much larger tube than the Sophia. |
Zmanastronomy is correct.
Black Treasure is produced by Shuguang, Sophia are relabeled Tianjin/TJ. I'm not sure if Sophia performs any additional verification or procedures on these tubes.
In speaking to Shuguang, they have repeatedly told me there are no potential benefits in terms of measurements, sonics, reliability, or longevity of Grade A/Premium over the "standard" tubes, as both are culled from the same production lots, with no prior knowledge as to what tubes should slot where. You are simply paying for different measurement procedures and packaging.
My own evaluations via testing, listening, etc. confirms the statement regarding sonics, though it's still too early for me to comment conclusively on medium - long term reliability and longevity.
From what I seen thus far, this "grade inflation" does not justify paying more for tubes. |
Hey Tube Gurus, your opinion please.
This is a bit off topic, but close enough, I think.
My VAC Phi 200 amp uses 6NS7GTs for the voltage amplifier/phase splitter, and drivers. The power tubes are KT88 and I just rolled the new Gold Lion KT88 reissue (BTW, Wow!).
So my question is, since these stages are less critical, is it worth it to replace all my 6SN7s with BT or Psavane 6SN7s? Does anyone have experience with how it might benefit the sound of the amp?
Of special interest is if anyone is running BTs, Psavanes, or any other high-end 6NS7s in the low level stages of their amps... especially (dare I dream?) if you're also running Gold Lion KT88s for power and even more especially (somebody stop me), if you've got a VAC Phi 200!
I await your tubey wisdom.
Cheers! |
The Gold Lion KT88 is a great tube. But to answer your question... yes. You will hear an improvement with the BT CV-181, even in the lesser stages of the VAC amp. You will be surprized at the difference you'll hear in the low level stages. |
The Telam 6N8S is WAY beyond anything mentioned here, easily the equal of the Swedish tubes which are virtually non existent. The Telam is better than anything I have heard.
|
