Linlai E 6sn7 tubes

I have purchased mine from an eBay  vendor from China. I don’t want to offer advertising on the forums. PM me and I will be more than happy to share. I just don’t want to come across as anything other than a hobbyist. This I will share,when I first purchased from this vendor,they had 100% positive feedback.  It has since dropped.  I did however,purchase the new pair from them. 

Grant Fidelity are sold out. I put myself on there waiting list, if the Viva tubes aren't legit. Also Linlai website states, 6 /9 working days for delivery. Which isn't bad.

@danmar123

I am with you there too. I am expecting a pair of the Linlai E 6SN7s tomorrow as well. Will see what they look like when I receive them. Based on comments so far, not to optimistic that they will in fact be the real Global Elite series as the Viva ones say Globe, not Global on the tube. 

What is Vivas tube return policy?

@audioquest4life ; 

All of our tubes are 100% guaranteed to arrive as described, test as described and to be void of any sound defects including microphonics and noise. We offer a 30 day return window from the day you receive the item for all vintage tubes and 90 days for new production tubes. PLEASE NOTE - While we accept returns for basically any fault, we DO NOT accept returns for buyer's remorse which includes buyers who decide they don't like the subjective tonal signature of a tube.

All Psvane branded tubes receive a special 1 year guarantee

Any returned tube must test within 10% of the original value. Any larger variation would indicate many hours of use or abuse and voids our warranty. Email us before you return your item. We will email you a pre-paid return shipping label and will issue your refund / replace the item once it arrives back. 

I found Viva to be responsive and very willing to accept my tubes back. They arrived there today. They emailed me a return label via USPS.

The Ebay seller I used was very willing to send a replacement set that were much better and he did it quickly.  amptata_audio

It looks like my new tubes will be leaving China soon.  I rethought my reluctance to name the EBay seller, as @bugredmachine stated above,  amptata_audio. They shipped very fast the first time. They also worked flawlessly until my little mishap. 

Google them and you'll see a nice looking Ebay storefront. Linlai E-6SN7's matched pair in gift box at a fair price, free shipping. Much cheaper than I paid from a Chinese dealer.

I don't know if this was said, it looks like the originals have the logo from top to bottom & the copies are written from right to left. Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

The global ones have the logo vertical and the eastern ones have it horizontal, but the internal structure looks the same, except for the ones from viva tubes.

@invalid I’m sending mine order from Viva back!

I just ordered from LinLai.

The global ones have the logo vertical and the eastern ones have it horizontal, but the internal structure looks the same, except for the ones from viva tubes.

I don't think you can use that as a reference any more. Mine came from Don Sachs's distributor and have horizontal lettering. And the amptata_audio website has horizontal lettering on all tubes.

My E-6SN7's have a serial number inside the bottle. All authentic Linlai's do. I wonder if Viva's tubes have it.

This is the email I received from Viva tubes this morning;

Hi Dan, they are indeed legitimate. We import them directly from China. Thank you for your order. We hope you like them.

On 5/26/2022 2:44 PM, Dan Mar wrote:

I called earlier, with no response. I’d like to know if these tubes are legitimate, or are they copies? Dan M.

From: VIVA TUBES
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 9:49 AM
To: dnocca@hotmail.com
Subject: Your VIVA TUBES Order Has Been Updated (#21504)

@danmar123 

I just sent them an e-mail too. They are not taking calls: 

"Good morning,

I have a question after reading that Grant Fidelity was also selling the new Linlai E 6SN7 Global tubes. They look different and have different branding than the ones you are selling. Are the Linlai E 6SN7 that you sell the same tubes but have different batch manufacturing which makes them look different?  I want to ensure that I am receiving the new Linlai Global tubes as depicted in the manufacturer's site: Linlai™ Global Elite E-6SN7 Vacuum Tubes (pair) – LINLAI™ Global Vacuum Tubes (linlaiglobal.com)

If these are not the same tubes, then I would like to return them as I thought I was ordering the Global Linlai edition, and not the Globe version which you are selling. It seemed to me a little confusing because you sell these with the word Globe in the selling title, which I assumed also meant the new Global versions. If these are not the same, I would like to start the return process based on me ordering the wrong tubes. Thank you. 

I use these tubes for the output stage of my CD player. They replaced a set of insanely-expensive Brimar CV-181 tubes that were damaged in a tragic feline accident. Probably 1/3 the price and equally-wonderful sound quality.

Not wanting to deal with eBay and China, I bought my first pair of Linlai Elites from Grant Fidelity. Then came the tube crisis and huge price increases so I took a chance buying a pair Psvane UK's from China off eBay since they were just for the buffer stage of my Freya + which is my first tube preamp since an AR SP3 in the 70's. They are fine. One of Elites from GF went bad, so while waiting for a replacement from GF, I bought a pair of Elites from China. They came and are fine also, so two good experiences with eBay and China, who knew! Now with my replacement Elite back from GF, I've replaced the Psvane UK's and now have Elites in all positions. I didn't think it would make a huge difference having the Elites in the buffer but it did, hugely better especially in the low end both in quantity and quality and definitely worth the additional $$ and this is with only about 15 hours on the new Elites.

Also I think there is confusion about the Globes, not Global's,  sold by GF. They are not Linlai, I believe they are Shuguang iirc.

eBay dealer names upon request as I may have just gotten lucky so I can't really vouch for them.

Hi All

Came across this forum when I was researching about  Linlai E 6sn7 tubes.  There is not very much info on these tubes apart from this forum. I have gained good insights from your experiences. From the reviews thus far, the Linlais do seem like a good investment albeit with long hours of burn in.  

I just bought a Schiit Freya +. It comes with stock JJ tubes. The tubes have still not broken in yet.   With streaming, the sound is still a bit raw with sharp edges in the music. Bass is average, however the soundstage and clarity are pretty good. Its quite transparent.  Some songs seem to have some siblance though.

My Freya runs into an XTZ A2-300 power amp. For streaming I use Node 2i. My CD player is a Marantz 7007. With my CD player, the sound seems too recessed, warmer but  with a loss od details. Overall its  not good at all. Total lack of bass.  Strange cause the Marantz 7007 is quite a good unit.  Streaming wise, the stock tubes sounds raw as explained. My speakers are Klipsch RP 6000f, very easy to drive and quite forward in its presentation.

I am considering the Linlai E 6sn7 for the gain stage of my Freya + and Sylvania GTA or GTB  (blackbase chrome tops, green letterings ) for my  buffer stage of the preamp. Do you think this will be a significant upgrade? Will the Linlais match Sylvanias? Or should I match the Linlais with my current JJ tubes. The third option is to wait for the stock JJ tubes to break in ( not sure what the sound signature of JJ tubes are after breaking in).  Many of you have a lot of experience here and I really appreciate your views.

OK here goes; The 4 tubes came today & I let them burn in about an hour. They definitely didn't sound like the tubes that @bugredmachine sent me. To me the sounded a little stronger then my Psvane  MKll that are in my pre now.

There is no difference between Linlai and Linlai Global. They are the same. Linlai Global is what you get when you buy direct from China. For whatever reason they decided to use a different brand for the export market. 

Our Linlais do indeed have the serial number stamp on a plate inside of the tube.

The E-6SN7 is an incredible tube and we hope that they conitnue to expand their line. 

Every single tube that we sell is genuine and we go through great lengths to ensure this. Though, I haven't ever seen a fake new production tube. Ever. There are fake vintage tubes floating around which is where the myth came from.

It's particularly silly when talking about the E-6SN7. I am unaware of a globe style 6SN7 ever existing previously, and such a tube was never even made back in the day. There isn't a tube to even fake.

There are only a few factories in the world that produce tubes. Do you really think the manufacturers would silk-screen a competitor's brand onto their own product?

If someone does have an example of a fake new production tube I would love to hear about it. 

@vivatubes ...The E-6SN7 is an incredible tube and we hope that they conitnue to expand their line. Every single tube that we sell is genuine and we go through great lengths to ensure this...

What is your testing process and procedure before sending them out to customers?

Vivatubes the picture on your site of the Linlai elite 6sn7 tube doesn't look exactly the same as some of the other tube sellers, it may just be the picture.

@ram18 

My counsel is to let the JJ tubes burn in for a while. 

Based on the information you've shared about your system I think it is too early to attribute any specific aspects of the sound to the JJ tubes. There are so many aspects of the system that could affect the sound. Rolling tubes can be fun but can also be "throwing money at a problem". 

I notice that there are folks on the internet who like to state their opinion as if it is a "fact". My experience is that the impact/signature of a particular type of tube on a system can be affected by many variables above and beyond the tube. "Expectation" and popular opinion can be major influences here. For instance, if there's a thread on the 'net in which many folks are jumping on the bandwagon there's a temptation (at least for me) to join the party and hope that my experience mirrors that of the others on the thread. It's human nature. It's not a big deal. IMHO it does suggest that there's no reason to be in a hurry to roll tubes. Instead, maybe, play with speaker placement. Or adjust the trim pot on a tweater (if your speakers have them). Or unplug/re-plug your interconnects and dress your cables. Try a "non-critical" listening session. Have the music on while you're working, reading, puttering around the house. Let the system settle and burn in. Give it a month before you do any critical assessment.

Just my .02 and other's mileage may vary...

I received my Viva purchased Linlai E 6SN7s and they look fantastic. They have a nice gold text label, the serial numbers inside the glass, and the insides look identical to Global and Grant Fidelity Linlai 6SN7s. Through conversation with Viva it is my understanding that the manufacturer has done a couple of in-production changes, therefore, some batches may look slightly different. I am installing these this weekend and will more than likely enjoy what I hear. I am keeping them. Enjoy. 

Hey @vivatubes, thanks for clarifying.  Can you let us know why your company is not listed in this Reseller Locator page at the Linlai Global website?

@markusthenaimnut  Thanks for your wise counsel.  I doubt its speaker placement or twitter issues as I had a musical paradise 702 Mk 2 preamp before purchasing the freya+ and it did sound pretty decent. You are perhaps right. I just need to let the JJs burn in before investing other tubes. Maybe its just early now and the tubes need to be seasoned. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Last night I was listening to music, and decided to do a little experiment.  I shut everything down,and waited a few minutes.  I then preceded to put the Linlai’s back in the system to verify the bad tube and mark it.( since I had failed to do so the other evening.)   After putting them back in,they have worked flawlessly.  I am thinking in my haste,I didn’t seat the tubes correctly?? They have about two hours on them since trying them out again. Not a peep out of them, but great music.  Anyone care to speculate what the heck is going on over here?  At this point,all is not lost,as I have a back up pair on the way.

@rocray a bit after I first got my 6sn7/cv181-TII psvanes, something similar happened. 1st time I tried them, fine out of the box. Later had removed them with barely 10-12 hrs on them. A few weeks later I re-installed them, at startup for about 45-60 seconds I heard this fuzzy sound, grainy, mildly static, as if some of the internal coating had flashed off or something, maybe barely arching with small particles floating around. Went away after 3-4 minutes of warmup at startup. Same thing happened with some small signal/driver vintage true NOS tubes from Brent Jesse. Intermittent static, a few pops. He had me pull them, tap them on the counter bottom/pins side down, 3 taps, and put them back in - and cured, gone. He shared maybe some micro burned off particles floating around with these new/un-played tubes would settle at the bottom of the tubes, fwiw. No issues since on the new output tubes or the older nos input tubes since. No clue if anything like this is related to yours, sharing a similar type experience. Pull, lightly tap-tap-tap, re-install. Happy listening. 👍

@xcool We should be. Thank you for brining this to my attention.

Hi @vivatubes, that's great.  That would definitely help erasing some doubts and speculations for many of us here.   Thanks!

Does it come down to silkscreening and nothing else?  Or??

Look close, those two tubes are made and shaped differently too.

-Flatter and wider top on the first one.

-Rounder curves, top corners, on the second one.

-Notched base on the second one. Smooth base on the first.

-internal top section looks a little different.

-different print obviously.

Hey @decooney, great observation there.   I guess the mystery continues...

Maybe the best thing to do is the send a message to Linlai Global and ask them if both are authentic Linlai tubes.

After re-reading their Buyer Beware page.  I'm beginning to think the lower picture posted by @twoleftears might be a copy.

@xcool The thing is, that second pic is from the Viva Tubes site.

Maybe @vivatubes can clarify why there are physical differences beyond just a branding issue.  

I know Linlai says there is a difference between eastern and western bound tubes, but I bought mine from a Chinese dealer and they look identical to the ones from Grant Fidelity, besides the logo is a little different, so maybe viva got some early issue tubes or later issues. I would be surprised if they weren’t both Linlai elite tubes.

@decooney, thank you so much for bringing up that issue with your signal tubes. After reading your post,I remember that I read about that phenomenon some time ago. I am going to give that a try.

I had an issue today that my power supply tubes were not firing up. I contacted Aric. Buy the way, what absolutely wonderful customer service!! He responded within 20 minutes,on a Saturday,on a holiday weekend, on a product I bought used.
He had  me replace the fuse, and the rectifier tube. The Motherlode II is now up and running. I put the Linlai’s back in,and got that distortion”grunge “ that @decooney mentioned. Now to try to tap that grunge away.

Received my Grant Fidelity Linlai Globes today. Superb tubes.

They are extremely quiet, more quiet than the best Linlai I have had so far and as quiet as the CV181’s I have in the hiss/tube rush category.

I did have to use an extender on one to keep them from touching front to back on my preamp.

One whole hour so far. Very happy with the purchase.

@bugredmachine  Good for you! Tell me; do they have the same sound signature as the ones you sent me?

Yes. You should have kept those.

I didn’t think that was an option.

I ordered a set of 4 from Linlai of China, & they told me they’re on lock down. They sent me an email yesterday stating that they would be coming from G/F. When I went to their web site (G/F) they stated they were out of stock, so that's why I ordered from Linlai themselves. I'm assuming they shipped to Canada before the lock down. your guess is as good as mine.... 

Well you sent them back so fast we never had a chance to discuss my terms🙏

I ordered my Linlai's E-6sn7's from viva tubes.

The delivery was fast and have had zero issues.

Viva is very responsive and professional.

My Linlai's match the 2nd photo and came via Don Sachs's vendor. Either the 1st pic shows the Chinese version or it's an earlier construction.  In fact, I now have 2 pairs, both match pic #2.

@vivatubes 

Thank you for corresponding. In the past, I've only had excellent transactions with you.

My suggestion regarding your Linlai's for sale, use the same name as the Linlai factory. Globe-Balloon Black Plates is different terminology than all other sellers. Linlai website states the name as Global Elite E-6SN7 Vacuum Tubes.

Bugredmachine I left a message to them never return my call. I bought from them before via amazon.

I think my gold lion 300B was bought from viva via amazon  4 tubes.. 1 6sn7 Tube I think pavane brand via amazon.

Their phone no one answer I called maybe max 3x. Iam not angry but I won’t buy from them .Plus prices way to high for me.

@jayctoy  They're not going to answer the phone, email is a lil slow, but they will get back to you.  I returned the 2 sets on Fri. & went w/ Grant Fidelity. Delivery is mid June for me.

I am burning in the new Linlai E 6SN7s. These are in my Aesthetix Io phono stage. so far, so good. I am liking what I am hearing and what I am not hearing, bland, rolled off or muffled sounding, etc. 

I can’t say these are a night and day difference to the Russian 6SN7s that came from the factory but the soundstage and imaging are great and frequency response seems to be even handed, nothing bloated or exaggerated. Bass still feels deep and taught and midrange vocal resonance sounds extremely realistic. My impressions thus far are that they are a decent replacement. Perhaps I might experience more profound changes after some tube burn in. At the end of the day, if you are looking for a modern 6SN7 tube, this may be it. Now, that being stated, my system sounds superb as is with the tubes I am using and these tubes contribute to maintaining the same sound qualities I cherish. Can’t go wrong there.