I suggest NOS USA made Amperex tubes, but they're hard to find (one came with my Dennis Had SEP amp, and I liked it so much I bought another one for backup)...I've recently scored a little pile of NOS Sylvania "chrome domes" that seem neutral and clear as a bell, assuming bells are clear. Sylvania NOS tubes aren't particularly expensive so there's that.
27 responses Add your response
The bottom-gettered VT-231 Sylvanias(JAN-CHS) and Ken-Rads(JAN-CKR), from the Forties are wonderfully clean and airy, and present a wide sound stage(if the rest of the system supports). No artificial warmth, though some are fond of that. Not too pricey, either! If your amps take two 6SN7s each, mix them to get the strengths of both brands. ie: https://www.ebay.com/bhp/sylvania-6sn7gt and https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xken-rad++v... This may be of interest: http://www.dehavillandhifi.com/6sn7_vt.htm I’ve tried the top fifteen tubes/brands, on that list. To me, all sounded to warm/colored, but the Sylvanias, Ken-Rads and Tung-Sols. I’m currently using a pair of 6SN7W(tall bottle/metal base) Sylvanias and a pair of Tung-Sol VT-231, round plates. Glad I bought a few pair, before the prices on NOS tubes went nuts. |
I've used that Dehavilland/Chimera list as a guide and found the results spot on, although not complete. The VT-231 Tung-Sol, round black plates have it all, air, dynamics, 3D image, and a premium price. As stated above, Sylvanias are neutral with airy highs. These are the go to tubes for clear top-end extension. All the RCA's have a classic warm presentation with open sonics and excellent soundstaging. Amperex Bugle Boys have airy highs with amazing 3D imaging. There are so many good tubes on that list, try to buy from a dealer who accepts returns or exchanges. A good source of tube info and a very good dealer is Brent Jessee. http://www.audiotubes.com/6sn7.htm |
bopper, Go to head-fi.org and read The Reference 6sn7 Thread. They list all the 6sn7 tubes and pretty accurately describe how they sound. I have collected just about all the best 6sn7 over the years. Top end air, Tung-sol round plates or Sylvania 6sn7w tubes. The Ken-rad VT-231 staggered plates have great bass and have more of an airy midrange than treble. The Sylvania 52'GT(bad boys) are beautiful sounding tubes and probably my favorites. I know everybody loves the Tung-sol, but IMS the bad boys just sound perfect. The Brimar CV1988 6sn7GTY are really nice too. |
Ok- since there seems to be a lot of Fake tubes out there I want to get them from a trusted source- Brent and Andy at Vintage tubes seem to get alot of good press- Is that where I should go or any other sources that are recommended- thanks for the advice- On a side question the amps run on 4 -KT88's per side- Do these make a difference or are they just there for power??- thanks for the education!!! |
@ bopper It's all personal preference and own the tubes mentioned except the Tung-Sol, but the Sylvania VT-231, Sylvania Chrome Dome or Ken-Rad will give you great results at a reasonable price. Also, the Ruby or Golden Voice KT88s are very good which I own and other brands as well but for the price these are more lively and open sounding and my favorite :) Wig |
Coming in late again (I've been out of town for 10 days!). You should listen to a couple youtube videos that showcase the 6sn7 tubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kQaCdjylc&t=212s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtL4jIEgfSc&t=122s In my own listening opinion, the tube that has the most resolution (and as a result, the most air) are the modern Electro-Harmonix 6sn7 tubes. Listening, it is possible that the PSVANE CV181-TII also has excellent resolution and air. It is hard to determine listening to this video, but the PSVANE tubes sound a bit harsh - though the amps and preamp stack are Behringer and Crest pro audio stuff. The PSVANE could be revealing flaws in the Behringer/Crest. As far as all the tubes goes, the true Amperex tubes are the winner for me. For some reason, they had an immediate emotional connection with me whenever those tubes played during the video. The Amperex didn't have the resolution of the Electro-Harmonix or PSVANE, but they just reached out and grabbed me. The remaining NOS tubes didn't seem to have this magic. It can be very expensive to get "real" Amperex tubes. PSVANE is also very expensive. Electro-Harmonix are very cheap. |
I have a pair of Von Schweikert VR-7 tower speakers. Their forte is a fantastic open, airy sound. I conducted a comparison of about 20 6SN7s and the surprise winner to my ears in terms of maximizing the open, natural sound of my speakers were Westinghouse 6SN7GTB tall copper rod. These edged out several variations of Sylvania chrome domes, Ken Rad, Sylvania VT-231, RCA, Tung Sol (but not the ones which are highly sought after). The Westinghouse can be had for $10-$20 each. I now have 4 of them and they all sound identical to my ears. Nearly all of the ones I've seen were manufactured in the 1960s. The worst one I tested was the new production Tung Sol. I wanted to like it, as they are plentiful and inexpensive, but it produced such a flat image. |
As someone who only just entered the world of tube amps (but knew quite well of their strong appeal among the Hi-Fi community for years), it seems crazy why few if anyone actually makes these specific tubes anymore, given the way you describer their aural performance. Is it because they are too difficult and/or expensive to clone perfectly or because there’s not enough demand even to do short runs of them? |
It has been quite a while since I used an amp requiring 6sn7s. The ones with the most extended and "airy" top ends were metal-base Sylvanias, which were fairly expensive then, and they were a touch too lean for my taste and set up (Audio Note Kageki amp). I liked the Tungsol Roundplate and a copy of that tube (Neotron 6sn7). There was another rare metal-based tube, I believe a GE tube, that was lean and mean and very extended on top--I did not like it and gave it away to a friend. |
Is your RCA labled as 6sn7 made in 1950’s?
Then I recommend you to get RCA vt 231 made in 40’s which will give more air and refined sound.
Sylvania vt231 also give lot of air but could sound lean lacking bass.
Tungsol bgrp vt231 also sounds nice as RCA vt 231 but over priced due to hype.
Amperex is a nice tube but not with good air.
Kenrad sounds bass heavy not much air.
I favor 6f8g tubes not for air but for fuller sound. By the way I had collected more than 100 different kinds of 6sn7 and variants for fun not for business.
I do not sell tubes.
Thomas
|
@shkong78 , I just recently acquired the good fortune to have a few pairs to play with in the balanced input sockets of my SLP05. I am currently playing with a pair of National Unions and I was immediately grabbed by them. But now the jury is back to being out. I also had the good fortune of getting a pair of '52 Sylvania "Bad Boys" to roll in those slots, and I am not sure which I like best. |
