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Black glass KenRad 6SN7s take the cake

I've been experimenting with 6SN7s in my VAC 70/70:

ElectroHarmonix: good tube! and great for the price. Much better than I though it'd be, but ultimately sounded too edgy and sterile. Good control throughout, and good detail.

Sylvania VT231: twinkly and brilliant; great detail, tight bass, but much less fatiguing than the ElectroHarmonix; nice and smooth, but still lacking in the mids for me.

TungSol black glass, round getter: better than the Sylvania, in that it was a bigger sound. Lost the twinkly and brilliant quality. Good detail. Good overall, balanced tube. Nothing outstanding I thought, relative to the other tubes I tried.

KenRad, tall, black glass: THESE KICK!! very lush, deep, BIG BIG sound; the absolute best midrange; detail was good, and surprisingly, this tube is NOT DARK. very smooth, and less reserved sounding than the other tubes. Let's it loose... and that's the one drawback; the bass isn't as tight the TungSol or the Sylvania, but it didn't annoy me. What I gained from this tube far outweighed this drawback.

...that's just what I thought of these tubes in MY system. Who knows if these qualities translate to other pieces.
128x128dennis_the_menace
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Well, I've had some clear glass Ken-Rad VT-231s burning in my system since Wednesday, and had my first listen this Saturday morning.

In my system they do indeed sound big, lush and not dark at all. They don't have the top end detail of the Sylvania VT-231s, and that may be the reason I feel they aren't as holographic, but I like the Ken-Rads very much. Their midrange is very organic. Female voices sound more like the singer is in your room unmiked, whereas the extra detail of the Sylvanias make you feel the singer has her lips close to the microphone. Only you can decide which is better. These are real keepers!

I wonder what the difference is between these and the black glass Ken-Rads.
asa
662 posts
 
Ken Rad Black glass discernibly better...Huge depth, expansive, quieter, low level detail more natural, harmonic decay improved, Homeric bass, even more organic while still clearer into depthfield without any increase in sterilty. Sounds very similar in all parameters - as you would expect - but involve-ability is heightened, making any deficiciencies at the frequency extremes (full toward plummy bass in some systems; slight rolling at very top but not thin, just reduced projection) a non-issue IMHO.
kana813
956 posts
 
D_t_m- have you ever tried any mil spec 5692 in place of
the 6SN7s?
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace OP
467 posts
 
No, haven't tried any 5692... but I'd be curious to hear your opinions on them. Have an opportunity to get some National Union black glass... think I may wait until I get the preamp that needs a 6SN7 before I invest anymore in 6SN7s. The kenrads are really awesome...
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Asa, the characteristics you're describing seem very much like the differences I hear between Sylvania VT-231s and the clear glass Ken-Rad VT-231s I'm currently comparing. Are you saying that the black glass Ken-Rads have even more of what you're decribing over the clear glass? After trying the Ken-Rads for a week, it's a little tough listening to the Sylvanias, they seem more detailed, but also quite thin in comparison.
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