Grant Fidelity Treasure Globe 6SN7 SE

I do not have any experience with these tubes.

However, I have been interested in new production 6SN7 tubes for about three years, dating from when I purchased my tube preamp. When I first started tube-rolling in my preamp almost everything I read was about the various flavors of old production US tubes, and some of the older Russian tubes.

I guess I kind of got lucky because I ended up with several pair of the reddish/brown-base military spec tubes (why is my brain failing me tonight? You know the ones I’m talking about - they have the extra copper support rods...), Ken Rad VT231, Sylvanias, a Tungsol round plate and a bunch of old Russian tubes that sound pretty good. All at fairly decent prices. So I’ve never pulled the trigger on any of the Shuguang, LinLai or other new production 6SN7s.

A few years ago, when Grant Fidelity was distributing Shuguang tubes they went through various what I will call "boutique" design 6SN7s. IIRC the globe tubes came in a blue glass version and the clear version they sell now. Then there were also the so-called CV-181 Treasure series tubes. Then the so-called Western Electric (hah! pure marketing) 6SN7 plus tubes that were really tall and had an orange anodized metal base. According to what I read here and other places on the 'net, all the Shuguang variants sounded very, very good. I only ever read very positive comments on all those tubes. Now it's the same with the Lin Lai. People rave about them.

You've possibly seen the thread somewhere where a reviewer praised the Shuguang Treasure series and said they displaced his secret favorite Brimar tubes. He loved them. Those tubes are still around. 

Don’t recall where it is, but somewhere around on this thing they call the internet there’s a "reference 6SN7" thread that extends for years and years and has lots of comments, especially about the vintage US tubes. And the uber-rare British, Italian and European variants. $$$.

Sorry to say I can’t really help you. I will say that they guy that designed my tube preamp kind of scoffs at the idea of tube rolling. His faith is in the circuit he designed and built and he used to ship his tubes with non-boutique run-of-the-mill Russian tubes. They sounded great.

@pinwa Sorry for that. My preamp is a Supratek Cortese. Note that I did not say that different tubes don't have a different sound. I think they do. Hence my preference for KenRad VT231s. Or red-base 5682s. I have enough tubes that I've always been on the fence for spending the $$$ on new production tubes. But I'm very curious about how they sound and how they might compare to the vintage tubes.

And it is probably more accurate to say that, in my email exchanges with Mick, the owner and builder of my Supratek, that he places more importance on the circuit, tube reliability, predictability, avoiding microphonic tubes, consistency/close matching between the two sections of the dual triodes and a reliable source of supply than on stating which old production tube is the best. As a builder his needs are different than an owner/user. He needs tubes in *quantity*. I think nowadays he's building with the LinLais.