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Electro-Harmonix 6H30pi Gold vs Sovtek 6H30pi eb

Hi, first, I can't afford 8 of the 6H30 dr's. My preamp tubes are over 4 years old, I almost replaced the preamp, but my BAT VK 51SE is here to stay for awhile (poor me, it's pretty good!)

1)Has anyone compared the Sovtek 6H30's to the Electro-harmonix 6H30's?

2)Several places like thetubestore.com and tubedepot.com offer matching on the Sovtek 6h30's. Does anyone know a supplier that matches 6H30 tubes for Electro-harmonix? I emailed both the above places and they currently don't offer matching for the EH 6H30's.

Thanks in advance!
128x128jfrech
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,239 posts
 
EH Gold Pins are back in. Exactly what I expected - fuller sound, smoother, bit more presence in the bass, more romantic in the midrange. Sovteks are more lively, faster sounding tubes.

All comes down to what you and your system need. I would not say there is a loss of information with the EH Gold Pins. not at all. They're just a bit less analytical than the Sovteks.

If this is the sound you want, I think they're worth the extra few bucks they cost over the Sovteks.
bobgates
535 posts
 
I prefer the E-H 6H30 gold pin to the Sovtek 6H30 in the ARC LS17.
rtn1
535 posts
 
I agree with the assessments made in this thread. That said, I prefer the Sovtek to the EH, for their clarity, extension and transparency.

My BAT Rex uses 4 Sovtek and 4 Reflektor NOS 6H30DR in the power module, and a pair of the Sovtek 6H30 in the main module. I've tried just about every combination, including all NOS 6H30DR, and what I listed above gives the most dynamic, natural, clear, and extended sound.
rui
2 posts
 
I've tried the EH 6H30' gold pin and the SOVTEK's in my ARC LS25 MKII and the EH definitely have better sound. More accurate instrument sound and the tone is something really beautiful and musical. Makes a big difference and I actually prefer them to the 6H30 DR that I had installed before (and yes, they were new, with 500 hours use).
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
I was researching these tubes and this thread came up in my search engine. How would users of either of these tubes rate their bass performance? With an ARC SP10 clone preamp I have and I'm finding the bass lacking when I've used 6N6P-EV and 6N1 tubes in the front section. I confirmed with the previous owner that 6H30pi tubes can be used with this preamp. I can't afford the Reflektor NOS 6H30DR supertubes though.

Thanks in advance.
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