PSVANE Discussion & Impressions Thread

I would like to hear feedback form folks who have compared the 12AU7 Art Vs Horizon series. And I hope this is their personal experience and not their friend's or brother's uncle's friend, etc.

If the new Psvane comes 80% or more close to NOS sound from highly regarded brands, then I would look forward to getting them in the future.

@alightronics  is el34-UK durable enough to use in marshall JCM800 amplifier?
 

"no relationship with Shuguang at all?, @alightronics? doesnt your own press state psvane was founded by ex-Shuguang  personnel? 

@alightronics 

I forgot to say that I purchased the preamp from an individual, not a company.

Jim

@alightronics 

As I have said before, I bought the preamp used. The original tubes that came with the preamp were Gold Lions and are supposed to last 2000-4000 hours.

The new tubes that were in it were12au7’, PSVANE and the new tubes in the boxes were PSVANE boxes with VivaTube sticker on one side. Because I don’t have any documentation, I never called VivaTube.

Thanks again for your help.

@cey Thank you for your kind words. 😄

I kindly suggest that you may try our newly launched HORIZON series 12AX7.

@cey 

@benanders 

I can state with full responsibility that although we are both based in Changsha, HuNan province. PSVANE has no relationship with Shuguang at all.

PSVANE is a completely independent vacuum tube brand and factory, and we have been established for over ten years. We produce approximately 1.6 million vacuum tubes annually and employ over 300 staffs.

Regarding TJ FULLMUSIC: I can disclose that a few years ago, we acquired some of the assets of TJ FULLMUSIC in Tianjin, China. 

Additionally, as far as I know, Shuguang is entirely a state-owned enterprise in China, and at this level, we cannot have any relationship with Shuguang.😉

@chenry 

Thank you for your appreciation of our products!

To make purchasing and after-sales service more convenient for our customers, we have opened an official store on Amazon. This ensures a better and more reliable shopping experience for everyone.

@curiousjim 

Hi Jim,

May I kindly ask if you have already tried contacting the dealer for after-sales service?

If you are unable to receive support from the dealer within the warranty period, I would be happy to assist you in resolving any issues.

I" have used PSVane tubes for two amplifiers, both in preamp and power sections. They are very good quality. It is a big advantage to be able to get matched sets easily rather than relying on NOS suppliers where matching and even availability are uncertain."

@chenry  only 2 of the main 3 NOS tube dealers are in business, but there is no undertainty about matching and availbility with andy or brent jessee. 

there are a next-tier sellers where theres no undertainty about quality. 

there are plenty of reputable person-to-person sellers where qualirty carries no uncertainty as well. 

availability? yeah. the current feeding frenzy has driven a few formerly-common tubes into near-extinction. 

happy listening!

"In my opinion, I believe the EL34-UK has a full and natural sound with powerful bass, so your initial choice was excellent!"


@alightronics  this tube does have an excellent reputation. is it durable enough to use in marshall JCM800 amplifier?
i think the art series 12AX7 is quite good, as well. 

"In my opinion, I believe the EL34-UK has a full and natural sound with powerful bass, so your initial choice was excellent!"


@alightronics  this tube does have an excellent reputation. is it durable enough to use in marshall JCM800 amplifier?
i think the art series 12AX7 is quite good, as well. 

@alightronics demand appears to be quite strong. tube manufacturers can barely keep up with demand, and both linlai and psvane are new manufacturers. 

i have  a few questions my friend:

what province and city is your facility?
do you manufacture tubes for rebrand by "apos ray" as well? some of their tubes bear a strong resemblance to psvane. 
do you manufacture tubes for rebrand? by whom?
 

"@benanders Your information is correct, and your understanding of the costs is accurate as well.😁

With fewer manufacturers, the price of upstream raw materials has increased due to reduced demand, which has also led to higher production costs for us."

@benanders

psvane is an offshoot of shushuang, and their stuff doesnt resemble tj fullmusic.

that was linlai and northern electric relabel and rebrand leftover tj full music.

@alightronics 

Hello,

The seller says the tubes in preamp only had a couple hundred hours on them and the hour meter in the preamp confirmed it. He also said that the other four tubes were new. When the first tube started clicking, I swapped the left and right tubes and the clicking switched sides. Over the next couple weeks, the same thing happened with five of the six tubes. The preamp originally came with Gold Lion’s, so I ordered a pair and they have been working just fine for four months now.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jim

I have used PSVane tubes for two amplifiers, both in preamp and power sections. They are very good quality. It is a big advantage to be able to get matched sets easily rather than relying on NOS suppliers where matching and even availability are uncertain.

It would be nice to have a real KT66. :-)

@dogearedaudio 

6L6 and KT66 can be interchangeable in certain situations (depending on the amplifier you are using). Our Horizon series also includes the 6L6WGC-AT.

The bias voltage requirements for KT66 and 6L6 are different. When interchanging them, it is necessary to readjust the bias voltage to ensure the tubes operate within the correct range. If the bias voltage is incorrect, it may cause the tubes to overheat or distort.

@curiousjim 

@jetter 

And we will also investigate the after-sales rate of tubes from Viva to identify the exact issues in the transportation or production process. 
We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.

@jetter According to our warranty policy, tubes can be returned or exchanged within the warranty period. If you encounter any issues, we can provide assistance.

@curiousjim Since you purchased a used item, may I kindly ask if you had a chance to check the quality to ensure everything was in good condition? Additionally, it might be helpful to contact the seller to inquire about the previous condition.

I will add that if Viva had a particular pair of tubes I was interested in I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from them.  I’m not sure what happened to the tubes after using them about 8 months in my preamp.  But I think it was something to do with the tubes, whatever.

They were current production priced so no big deal in the scheme of things.  Viva is a good tube store and resource.

I would love to see a KT66!

@jetter 

Who knows,@alightronics might be able to help us out? Either way, I just ordered some NOS RCA clear tops from Brent Jesse to try.

@curiousjim 

Viva told me they thought it was either new production problems or was caused in shipping.  Of course, there aren't a lot of other possibilities as these are the only new tubes that ever self-destructed in such a short period of time as my preamp is easy on tubes.

@jetter 

Viva tubes is where mine came from as well.

Sigh

I had purchased several pairs of Psvane 12ax7-TII from Grant Fidelity with excellent results.

So much so when the Psvane 12ax7 art series came out I ordered 6 from Viva tubes. My preamp uses 4 and I ordered 2 extra. Within 6 months all of the tubes were unusable.

@alightronics 

I just bought a used PS Audio preamp that came with three pairs of PSVANE 12au7 Art series tubes. One pair was in the preamp and the other two pair were still in their boxes. All of the tubes were noisy and within a few weeks, 5 out of the six tubes started making clicking noises. There is nothing I can see happening and there I can see wrong with the tubes, but I know that doesn’t mean much.  Anyway, I bought a pair of Gold Lions and they have been working fine for almost four months now.

@perkri Hi！We have just reviewed the after-sales data for this product and found very few issues. It is likely that there was a problem during the transportation of this batch. Regardless, if your product is still within the warranty period, we will assist you with the after-sales service.

I am on my 3rd quad of EL34PH tubes being run in my Cary SLI-50.

Fantastic sounding tube. While having a different presentation than the Winged-C’s, they are very similar from a qualitative standpoint. The Winged-C’s have been some of the best sounding/performing tubes I have used in the amp. 

Love the EL34PH. Well balanced tube, with a great sense of space/air. Tight bass, textured mids and clean/extended highs.

I do have to complain about the longevity of these tubes, which quite frankly sucks. 

The first quad had issues w red plating after a couple of hundred hours. The dealer replaced them with a fresh quad after some back and forth. The second quad lasted a little longer, and one of the tubes red plated from that also. 
 

Ran some KT77’s for a while after that followed by some elcetrohome tubes (which did not deliver) so I ordered another quad of the EL34PH’s and I am hoping these prove to be a bit more reliable. If they are not, I will have to go back to the Winged-C’s which have sadly become rather expensive - but at least I know they last for a more reasonable amount of time.

Ha, Mglik!  

Maurice is rolling over in his grave!

To clarify, Pavane as is “Pavane for a dead princess”.

Just wanted to add that I am a wee bit peaved that most of us continue to refer to Psvane as “P” “s” vane. I did check with them. The s is silent. The correct pronunciation is “Pvane”!

@trivema Thank you for your inquiry. The Horizon series has a maximum rating of 480V, 100mA, and 40W dissipation.

@dwolek Certainly. You can directly apply for a return or replacement through Amazon. However, please note that Amazon's application window is limited. If you are unable to find the application portal, you can send us a message, and we will manually process the refund for you.

@rajugsw 

That is KT150 of HIFI series.😁

On Amazon, it states a 12 month warranty.  How does this work in practice?  Say a tube dies within a few months of light use.  What is the return/replacement process?

@alightronics They were the white printed label KT150’s. I forget to take a close up of the tubes. From the Dallas show:

From FLAX 2024

@alightronics found them on Amazon, very competitive pricing. Are data sheets available?

One of my amps runs the 300b very hot, 550v on the plate,100mA fixed bias with 55w dissipation to output 20wpc. The amp was designed for KR 300B XLS super 300b tube. Only other substitute I’ve found is Emission Labs 320B XLS that can handle the heat.  Both KR and EL are $1,000+ pair.  The KR is a fantastic tube in the amp, as it should be for the price! 

Looking for cheaper substitute/backup. Is the Horizon designed like typical WE 300b with max ratings of 400v, 100mA and 36w dissipation? Or can it handle the heat of my Cary LX-20?  I have another amp with 300b drivers to 845 power output tubes.  It runs the 300b well within the WE specs. 
 

thanks

@rajugsw 

Thank you!

We do not have plans for the KT170 this year. 
May I ask which series of the KT150 you  listened to?

Are you guys planning a KT170 Tube. I heard your KT150 tubes at the Dallas Southwest Audiofest in The Black Ice Audio room. Impressed !

@aniwolfe 

First of all, the KT88C is not our latest product, but based on our after-sales data, it is a reliable and stable product. You can use it with confidence. 
Regardless of the channel from which you purchased it, if you encounter any issues (as long as it is still within the warranty period), you can contact the dealer for warranty service. If you do not receive timely assistance, feel free to send me a private message here, and I will do my best to help you resolve the issue. 
This is the value of my presence here and my communication with everyone.

@milpai 

In our sample tests, the Horizon tubes did not show any quality issues after 200 hours of continuous use.

Regarding your question about the Horizon and ART series, both belong to our selected tier. The main difference between them lies in their sound characteristics, with the Horizon offering a more neutral sound.

@dwolek 

I apologize for the shortcomings in our previous after-sales policy. Our sales channels were too scattered in the past, leading to many situations we couldn't monitor properly. I sincerely apologize for this.

To address these issues, starting with the Horizon series, we have decided to manage our Amazon retail operations directly and fully adhere to the platform's after-sales policy to ensure the interests of our users are protected.

Regarding durability and quality concerns, our latest Horizon series incorporates new technologies, with enhanced bases and internal components. Combined with Amazon's after-sales policy, we hope our customers can purchase our products with confidence.

@dekay Hi! The Horizon series is currently only available for sale on Amazon in the United States.

@alightronics

Since you welcome questions. I’ll bite. I just recently ordered a Quad of PSVANE KT88C’s for my Cary SLI-80HS Integrated amp. What kind of improvements with durability and longevity (hours) have been made in the recent years? Some of these comments are concerning to me. Thanks

@alightronics 

Do you rate Horizon higher than Art series or is it the other way around?

however if 75% of your products die within a few hundred hours of use, it really doesn't matter hhow good the sound might be

This is the exact problem I had. I was kind of disappointed and went with the Mazda tubes. These are on a completely different level. But I would also be happy if the Psvanes last at least 2 years.

Good marketing on the part of PSVane, however I doubt the quality of these has been improved.  I purchased a quad of the preferred series from Vivatubes and within 6 months (maybe 200 hrs play time) three of the 4 died.  Viva didn't honor their one year warranty (in fairness, they did send one replacement for the first but radio silence for the 2 subsequent).  

Sound quality was better than the Shuguang's that came with the amp, however if 75% of your products die within a few hundred hours of use, it really doesn't matter hhow good the sound might be.  FYI - the cheaper JJ replacements have been going strong without problem.