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6SN7 variants circa 2019 - tone, longevity, reliability, value

Greetings all -

I’m very interested in hearing from those of you who are using equipment with 6SN7 tubes to hear your thoughts on what the best options are here at the end of 2019. Please do not simply post a comment stating that all modern tubes are garbage - I’m not interested in hearing the same old tired complaints.

I’m especially interested to hear from those who have compared the new production Chinese variants to the NOS "tried and true" champions. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about *Tone*, reliability and value.

I’ve been trying to get a handle on the Shuguang & Psvane tubes. Many folks rave about them sounding better than virtually all the famous NOS tubes. However, I’ve also run across quite a few posts where people state that they failed much earlier than expected.

It also appears that the Chinese tube manufacturers have gone crazy, creating multiple flavors of 6SN7 tubes. My recent searches have turned up:

The Psvane C-181-T11 Mk IIs - grey internal coating.

The harder to find previous Black Treasure C-181Zs which some found better than the first gen C-181 T11s, but they are out there. Black internal coating.

I know Audio123 loves his "Western Electric "421" repro WE6SN7". Awesome and it makes me very curious. I notice, however, that these can be found in *various sizes* on ebay. What’s up with that?

Grant Fidelity is offering a special *limited edition globe version* of 6SN7SE.

There is also the Cossor version of globular 6SN7, with black internal coating.

Also a new "British" version of 6SN7. This is probably designed to appeal to those of us who are lusting after some unobtainium NOS Brimar tubes.

I could continue, but it would be tedious.I’m very interested to hear from those who have used any of these tubes for an extended period and how they are holding up.

Finally, what about reliable sellers on ebay? What happens to the tubes that fail screening? Do they end up on ebay after having been taken out with the trash?
markusthenaimnut
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut OP
378 posts
 
 ALL,
Thanks for sharing.

Noromance,
Which other 6SN7s have you tried?
Thanks
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,208 posts
 
@markusthenaimnut  GE, RCA, Sylvania. Bad Boy.
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut OP
378 posts
 
Thanks for those additional brush Strokes in your picture. Helps to provide some context for your recommendation.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
@markusthenaimnut I think you already know, but to mark it in the appropriate thread, I've tried the Shuguang WE6SN7 PLUS and Black Treasure C-181Ts that came with my Don Sach's Pre.  I thought the WE+ was a bit brighter/thinner and preferred the C-181Ts.  They seemed to have better body/weight in my system.  In the end I did switch to RCA grey glass (buffer tubes) & and Rayteon JAN-CRP-6SN7GTs (driver tubes).  They provided a smoother sound with better layering.  I can imagine that what you end up preferring is highly system dependent...
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut OP
378 posts
 
Guys - thanks for all the info you are sharing. I think this thread is very useful, because many of the other discussions regarding 6SN7 tubes out on the web trace their origin back 10 or 15 years, and many of the vintage tubes preferred are now extremely expensive. 

Also, at that time there were far fewer Chinese variants on the market.

FWIW, I'm currently using a pair of Russian 6H8Cs from the Novosibirsk factory. I'd describe them as very balanced throughout the spectrum. I'd describe them as neutral and transparent. I've been burning them in for a couple of months now and I think they sound very good. They replaced (not because I expect them to be better, but simply because I am curious) a pair of black glass Ken-Rad VT-231s. 

I'm hoping this thread will provide a handy reference and place to share experience with this wonderful tube variant.  
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