Shootout of Nos 6sn7 tubes

@highstream

Check out this link http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/which-6sn7se-should-i-get/

Thanks. It looks like they come from extra stock or liquidated Old Chen preamp stock. See https://www.hifi-amplifiers.com/en/oldchen-tube-amplifierslaochen-c-118/oldchen-c1-hiend-6h8ccv181se...  gd-parts link for the tube goes to AliExpress, where they show 1000 pairs,

for the price of these tubes they offered a more tube sound than the new JJ Tesla 6SN7 tubes I was using.  More musical, more dimension, a nicer more relaxed sound in direct comparison in the preamp.  Have not tried them in my hybrid tube power amp yet or to the many 6SN7 tubes I already own.

My search for a pair of 6SN7/6F8G’s for a Supratek Chardonnay preamp continues. I’ve tried the Shuguang WE6SN7, early and late ‘50s CBS Hytron’s, and wartime National Union and grey glass Sylvania 6F8G’s. Of those, my favorite are the Sylvania’s, which offer a fine mix of sonic features I like, including a moderate degree of warmth.

Today I’m about 10 hours into a pair of genuine metal base NOS Melz 1578’s, sold and given initial few days burn in by someone in the States who had collected quite a few, resoldering the pins to ensure the best sound and long life. I have to say that this pair has great clarity, good tonal accuracy and a very nice sense of rhythm. Playing the old (1994) Sheffield/XLO Test and Burn-in CD, the 1578 renders the Doug Sax/Roger Skoff stage walk-around the clearest and most realistic I’ve heard over the years. However, what I haven’t heard yet is a sense of life or “alive.” I would characterize it so far as dry, uninvolving, boring in the sense of the music just passing by when not paying attention to the other characteristics (which I prefer not to focus in most of the time). Similarly, in the 6SN7 double blind shootout posted on Audio Head, three of the four panel members characterized the Melz as “dead” (the three liked the wartime grey glass RCA GT the best). Will have to see what develops, although “life” is not usually something that develops with burn in, but is either part of a tube’s DNA, or not.

If I could still edit my post, I’d note that the 1578 is highly rectifier dependent, at least in my set up. I’ve now tried three— potato masher, Fivre and Brimar 5R4GY’s with increasing warmth and presence, although w/o entirely overcoming the emotional distance that dryness gives the sense of.