Do vacuum tube test values reflect sound quality?


I recently ordered a pair of output tubes to try in my LTA MicroZOTL preamp. Two Sylvania 6SN7WGT tubes, Gold Brand. I’ve had good luck with Sylvania 12sn7gt bad boy tubes, so I thought I’d give them a try.

After I bought them, I saw a similar pair for more money that had slightly higher test values. Does that mean they might sound better or that they just have more life left? What properties do you look for in tubes?

Below are the values of the tubes that I bought.

 

Tubes are matched for dynamic gain and structure, testing at 3000-2750 and 3000-2750 where pass/fail is 1625 micromho. They have the same structure inside and out, having matching date codes of "922", the 22nd week of 1959

sls883

Showing 1 response by gs5556

You really cannot tell anything about sound quality from test numbers. In fact, test numbers can be misleading. For example. if you test two tubes of the same type and one has a higher transconductance than the other, it is assumed that tube will have more gain. But only if the plate resistances are the same, otherwise the tube with the higher gain will be the one with the highest combined Gm and plate resistance.

To further complicate things, if two different tube tester are used... do they both have the same voltage parameters for plate, screen and grid to cathode? Your best bet is to purchase tubes from reliable sellers such as Vintage Tube Services or Upscale audio where they test their stock against each other with the same testing equipment. This way you can compare tube readings among the tubes they sell. Getting different readings from different sellers -- especially eBay -- is futile IMO.