Linlai E 6sn7 tubes

@invalid Thanks.

@pindac  Tks for sharing the detailed info! Rather insightful.

I am happy to contribute, this thread in itself has proven for myself to be quite valuable.

I now have 102 hrs. on my Global-E. They opened up nicely, but still a little dark for my Cadenza Black which only has 80 hrs. on it. I think I need a few more hrs. on that cart. My AT 150 MLX sings as it always will. I noticed that I don't have to crank it up as much to hear what I was used to with the Shuang's. & Psvane combo which maybe have 800 hrs. on them. Tomorrow I'll do some rolling & see what that'll sound like. Their defiantly worth the $!  

I have a suspicion there is an arrangement in place that gives the distribution Partners a reassurance that there Sales opportunities will not be threatened by a undercut when contacting the Factory Direct.

Maybe Linlai does Screen for a select tube to be sold with a Global Logo.

A cost for the service to Screen, addition of a Global Logo and risks of return are calculated as added costs, that are then passed on to the Buyer. Hence, producing a increased value for the tube, that is a protection toward impacting on sales Partners businesses.

Has GF, been more astute in their screening and selecting of tubes ? Surpassing the Global Standard, to receive the status of being awarded to the Top of the Range Tube extraction. 

How does the GF Top Range compare in price to Linlai Global. 

From my evaluation of the previous posts from seasoned 6SN7 users, it does seem most likely,  if a tube is received functioning correctly, the method used to source and purchase is not such a concern, any method chosen will give access to a tube that will make a very good impression.   

The practice of screening tubes for the Western market is most interesting. I think it's highly likely that QC on tubes sold to Grant Fidelity meet more stringent measurements than the Chinese tubes. For instance, transconductance (Gm) and emissions may be held to tighter tolerances such as 2% or 5% between anodes. This would have nothing to do with sonics, but these tubes would have less noise and maybe a longer life. Maybe they are tested for noise and microphonics. 

In the US, dealers such as Upscale and Brent Jessee would charge a higher price for tubes that measured with tighter tolerances.

As for Linlai producing two different designs for different markets, I'm not sure I buy it. As was mentioned earlier, maybe the Chinese tubes are Driver Grade. It's anybody's guess.