Psvane CV181 TII in both driver and splitter on VAC Renaissance 70/70?


Hi everyone, I dropped a pair of Psvane into my VAC ren 70/70 in the splitter sockets, and I love the improved sound.  I currently have EH in the driver sockets, and I'm considering getting another pair of Psvane to drop in there.

Problem is they're a bit pricey, and not available at the snap of a finger.   

The other issue, I've seen people say a mixed setup - one kind of tube for splitting and one for output, will yield a better sound than using the same tube for everything.  Some idea of cancelling out weaknesses vs accentuting them I think.

Anyway, I'd love to hear any thoughts on this.  The improvement from the Psvanes was enough that I'd like to see what I get.

Thanks!


vineland
Hi Lowrider,

The first difference was vocals - for example in rocks off or tumbling dice on Exile on Main Street, they'd been recessed a bit, almost lost in the mix, with the electro harmonix.  I'd say a certain natural prominence I'd always heard was gone.  Also in From Her to Eternity by Nick Cave.   When I put the Psvane into the V1 slot, I didn't hear a difference.  When I put them into the V2, it was an immediate improvement.   I'd also say the soundstage expanded, and some textures on the vocals were there that weren't there before.

Additionally, the sound was not as bright, which in my system with Thiel 1.6, brightness can be an issue.

btw, I also went from the 8 ohm to 4 ohm taps, and that's really helped on the coherence.  The Dvorak dumky trio on a recording by Trio Wanderer has more image solidity and naturalness using the 4 ohm taps.

Thanks for your kind words on the VAC.   It's a fantastic amp, and I'm just tuning it right now.  I feel I can get more out of it.
Thanks for the reply. You've experienced the same issue as me with new production Russian tubes. They don't reproduce a smooth, realistic top-end.

Keep us posted on your next tube roll.

I'll keep you posted.  May be a break in period, for the NOS as well as the psvanes.

@vineland are you still feeling good about the PSVANE CV181-TII tubes?  Are they still sounding good?  Lasting  longer than 1-year for you?

Ordered a matched pair.  Hope to learn more first hand in 30 days; after shipping and a few weeks of burn-in.