What made you change to a 6SN7 preamp?
If you made an intentional shift toward a 6SN7-based tube preamp, what sonic characteristics motivated your move?
I have been doing some comparisons and think I have some reasons I like the 6SN7 better, but there are so many factors which could be at play, that I'm not sure what is responsible.
Rather than list my details for others to analyze, I'd rather hear your answer to the basic question.
Tell me about your path toward a 6SN7 preamp?
What did you change from and why?
Even if, overall, the change was worth it, did you lose anything in the transition? What?
@hilde45 another factor in responses so far may also relate to some people jumping up a level or two on design and improved parts quality with their next tube preamp purchase. Strictly speaking, i.e bumping from something like a $1500 12Axx preamp up to a $3000+ 6SN7 based [a higher quality] tube preamp as a normal course of order. With that said, I have no desire to change away from my own upgraded 6SN7 tube preamp and particularly so once I heard higher quality n7 tubes in it.
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Without naming designers, one shared with me he decided to use either 6DJ8 / 12Axx instead on his next version preamplifier because he felt the availability of good 6SN7 supply was dried up or hoarded away. That was 4 years ago. Today we see more new production and updated 6SN7 / CV181 tubes showing back up from across the pond, more people testing them out, all hoping they last longer than a year or longer than any of their NOS stored away. I'm on that list myself. Not sure how this may or may not influence component designers moving forward. |
This is an interesting ability to compare the two tube types using the same preamp. Are you utilizing new "re-issue" TS 6SN7GTBs to compare to vintage Telefunken 12au7s? |
$750 for a quad - where did you source them from? That’s interesting, you can buy a quad of PSVANE Cosor version globes for $259/quad. Can you share more... It’s helpful to trace this back. FYI: info through an overseas distributor I learned of others having problems here in the USA with (some batches) of tubes that were packed properly (originally) coming from the Shenzhen factories. Then, arriving to some dealers, being unboxed from large lot boxes, then repackaged and packed loosely without cotton in smaller and less protective boxes. And, more subject to vibration and shipping damage to the buyers. Good tubes gone bad in reseller packing and shipping trying to save weight and shipping costs. Argh. It took TJFM and GDParts two years to figure this out and what was going on. Since then, I’ve been only buying the premium boxed pairs distributor-direct, and they come in their own individual foam insulated jewelry type boxes. Not in the individual cheap thin paper boxes loosely packed by dealer-resellers. Ask the tube dealer reseller before they ship, how they are packed! Wondering how yours arrived, and for $750 sure seems questionable. |
