which 6sn7 gives the most air??

thks- Yes they are the 3 hole ones-I may pick up a set of the ken rad and mix and match as mentioned here to see what that sounds like- Again thanks to everyone for their guidance!!!

A footnote: All the Ken-Rads that I have tested/own(for back ups), are the black glass version. Don’t know if that makes a difference in the sound quality. Just that mine sound great.

The Ken-Rads either clear or black glass sound the same to me. Most importantly is make sure they have staggered plates those are the good ones.

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.

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 Jesee. http://www.audiotubes.com/6sn7.htm

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?