Linlai E 6sn7 tubes

@bugredmachine IF one tube can get rattled apart in shipping, the tube sitting next to it in the same box, taking on the same drops, blows, or crushing during handling, can get damaged too. Triple boxing with stuffing will become a cheap fix of the future. One of my sources learned this after two years of multiple DOA sets.  

Or, maybe it has nothing to do with shipping, so (as you are) it sure seems worth trying a second pair and letting someone else try out the first pair for ya and compare notes. Good idea.  

This is the inner box they come in:

Blurry, but pins in new condition 

I also ordered a pair of the "black plates" from your recommended source. I am okay with hoarding tubes since I believe this Sachs is a keeper. Mated with my Coda 8, I am very happy. I also ordered a bunch or rectifier tubes including a rare 5852 Bendix.

I have a box of 6SN7's from my days with a Dude but those tubes are not as musical as these globed tubes available these days.

Mine came in the same display box with sculptured foam.  I thought that was pretty solid packaging.   @bugredmachine, is it possible your tubes somehow made it past QC?  My tubes are dead quiet with the volume up way past the volume I would ever listen.  The Dude. That is a pre I lusted after.  My interest with Aric’s Motherlode II came about after reading that the original Motherlode was an attempt to duplicate the Dude topology.  Changes were made,thus the Motherlode II.  I would love to do an A/B comparison between the two preamps.   Now back to our regularly scheduled program.  Also,please give an update if you swap out your cables. 

I cleaned all the tube pins with Deoxit and no change in hiss.

Then I changed out the Stealth's for Gabriel Gold's and no change.

After that I put my Shunguangs back in with the Indra's and all was quiet and enjoyable again.

Tomorrow I'll send them to Dan to see if they continue to hiss.