Anyone try modern 6sn7 Shuguang WE type vs NOS RCA,Ken Rad


I just bought a KT-88 amp that uses 6sn7’s and the matching preamp uses the 6sn7 tube also. It came with kt88 Shuguang WE plus and all 6sn7’s in the amp and preamp both came with the same Shuguang WE plus.
 

I have a huge stash of old 6sn7’s Ken Rads vt231, gray glass rca, Sylvania vt231 and many others. I am going to pull them out this week and see what these new production tubes can do.

 

I’ve never used new production signal tubes. To be honest the Shuguang sound pretty good but have never compared them to anything. 

 

What are your views on these new tubes are they even close or as good or even better? Are they cheap and will go up in smoke, thanks for any insight.

paulcreed

That is blatant misinformation. It has to be also deliberate as you have clearly read the quote I provided which mentions Mullard (drawing 950mA, by the way).

Care to explain to the community?

You must have read my post wrong, I acknowledged that the nos mullard's are not drop in replacements, but the shuguang CV 181's are, as they are not the same as the Mullard cv181's. I have no idea why shuguang labeled them this way.

I’m off this week so I took out the Shuguang WE plus 6sn7’s today and put in RCA gray glass let them run for most of the day.

 

The RCA’s sound very smooth nice detail and bass. Put Shuguang back in and have to admit it’s a very nice tube. The RCA did not embarrass it at all. There just different Shuguang is a very refined tube. RCA more relaxed. 
 

I’m a little surprised. It’s a very natural detailed tube and could be happy with it. I haven’t tried my other 6sn7’s,

 

I do have some quads of Shuguang KT-88-T and WE Plus that came with amp that have never been used, brand new and I hear these Shuguang go out and red plate there first few hours in the amp. I’ve heard they have quality control problems. That may be okay in a signal tube but a power tube is another story. That is a concern. That’s not something a NOS Mullard xf2 EL34 would do. It could but doubtful.

@paulcreed  the RCA grey glass is a very nice tube. It does exhibit a relaxed feel with warmth and good detail. What I look for these days is a more lively tube, neutral, focused, with a large soundstage. I listen to classical (all types). Would you say the WE Plus have these characteristics?

I'm looking forward to more of your tube rolling.

@tooblue  would you say the WE6SN7 Plus has similar qualities to Sylvania? I think I have every 6SN7 Sylvania except the elusive 6SN7W.

And Viva Tubes carries the WE Plus?

The Shuguang is definitely more lively than RCA. In a strange way I prefer Shuguang as much as RCA but for different reasons. If I want a slow relaxed darker presentation RCA is my choice.

I’m not good with audiophile words but the Shuguang is clean, transparent, fast, kind of like the focus has been adjusted correctly on a lens. I think it’s very well balanced, neutral with nice air nice bass. Very musical tube while still being transparent which can be hard to pull off sometimes. If I was to think new production tube this is not what I would have imagined.

I’m going to compare my other tube to Shuguang but I don’t think any of them will put Shuguang to shame. 

These are stock tubes Don Sachs provided with his amps, best stock tubes I’ve ever received. They all have about 500 hours on them.