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Looking for 6SN7 tubes

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#21
I buy several 6sn7 every week, its risky on ebay but any nos i get there.

the new reissues i get from distributors


exploring other triodes too, picked up a box of minatures last week.

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#23
Parafeed813 said:
My experience with eastern 6SN7s is limited to the 90s, but similar to the observations of Legendre:
The Chinese version with the metal base is a great tube to replace. Whatever you replace it with, will be an approvement 🙄. It works, but sounds bland and boring.
Click to expand...

Previous employer would occasionally receive batches of Chinese 6SN7 with a sheet metal base that looked like it was cad plated and varnished. Most of our stock was brown-base, but now and again we'd get a couple 100pc. boxes of the metal-base type.

The construction and markings were otherwise very similar to the brown-base versions. If I recall anything notable about them, it's that they were not as reliable as the brown-base versions - but I can't comment on any sonic differences.
 
#24
Lingwendil said:
Psvane= fancy box, fancy glass/base, better QC. Still Chinese and way overpriced compared to comparable quality NOS tubes, which will usually run 1/3~1/4 of the price.

Fancy certification and serial numbers don't change the origins...

I've played with Psvane tubes, and found them on par with most other current commercial offerings, but with worse THD measurements usually... Their 300B tend to be very variable and prone to runaway in my experience. The QC isn't any better, they don't always behave as they should, sections are often grossly mismatched, I wouldn't trust them long term in anything running near any reasonable dissipation...

Never again will I use Chinese tubes in any of my gear. Too much repair jobs and issues with them when I come across them. But, a fool and his money, or so they say 😱
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I am listening to an Osram B65 borrowed from a friend. I just checked that this single B65 (2nd hand use tube) cost 6x of the price I paid for the Psvane cv181. Sonic wise, I prefer the Psvane a bit more, for both classical and female vocal. Classical for the Psvane has more authority and better soundstage than the B65. The B65 has a thicker mids which actually sound fairly nice, but once I switch back to the Psvane, I realize the B65 lack the lush upper mid from the Psvane which made female vocal sound a touch more organic.
It's too bad you had bad experience with this Chinese brand. And I agree that some of the CV181 price found on the web is quite high but not so much if you can source it direct from China.

Anyways, I found another review of the similar Chinese cv181
MUSIC DISCUSSION and Audio, Vinyl, related thoughts.: SHUGUANG TREASURES CV181 (6SN7), 300B, KT-66 - good as NOS? YES!!
 
#25
While similar, the original CV181 (=ECC32) is not the same as a 6SN7.
The heater runs at 0,9(5)Amps instead of 0,6A for the 6SN7.
Ra 14k vs 7,7k
Mu 32 vs 20
Looking at the specs on the Psvane site, the Chinese 'CV181' is actually a 6SN7 in a bigger bottle.
Why can't they just use the proper type designations?
 
#26
I literally tripped over a box of 20 or so 40's-50's 12SN7's at a sale. Gray glass RCA, Hytron, Sylvania "bad boys", a couple of GE Canada 12SX7 and a lone round plate/football mica Tung Sol.

I bought the box for a few bucks, but looking at auctions, the 12v variety of SN7's seems to be a lot easier on the wallet for "boutique" types.
 
#29
beancounter said:
I literally tripped over a box of 20 or so 40's-50's 12SN7's at a sale. Gray glass RCA, Hytron, Sylvania "bad boys", a couple of GE Canada 12SX7 and a lone round plate/football mica Tung Sol.

I bought the box for a few bucks, but looking at auctions, the 12v variety of SN7's seems to be a lot easier on the wallet for "boutique" types.
Click to expand...

i've been watching them for a class-d project uses series heaters really simplifes the design.

the prices have creep up to almost par w/ 6sn7 especially sylvania.
 
#30
Thanks again for all your advices. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to buy. The Sophia elec. would cost me about 550 US including tax and shipment, so I decided to try the Full music 6SN7. I hope they will do well.
 
#35
Send me a PM Frank. I am a bit of a Loktal lover so have a fair few😀

I will select a couple that match reasonably over the weekend. Obviously they won't be perfectly matched as matching dual triodes is almost impossible but I will do my best.

Also quite possibly as they are late production Sylvania the green markings on the valves rub off very easily so they may not look pristine.

I will also clean the pins up nicely for you. Loktal's really suffer because the pins are Kovar, an alloy with a similar thermal expansion rate as glass. It does tend to corrode easily.

Cheers
Matt.
 
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#40
Just out of curiosity, would the GE JAN 5751 fit into this category - I have about 30 of them from old box from the early 80's - had a visit from a collector!

I found quite a few 6CG7s too from Raytheon, RCA and a few GE - intending to use a pair if them in a 9 pin version of the Broskie ACF 2 to 'follow on' from the Ayre QB-9 dac.

Thanks for advice and I sent off for some 7N7s (Africa), sockets & plugs (China) to build some adapters - I compared the the pins on the 6sn7 and 7n7 and they're are quite similar but rotated a pin - the pins 1 & 3 of the 6sn7 'crossed' to 4 & 2 of the 7n7 (ie pins 1 ...8 of 6SN7 <-> pins 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1 of 7N7, if I got that right?)

Oh, found a couple of DY-802 Ei Jugoslavia tubes with top cap - what are they good for?
 
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