Have never heard of a "Bad Boy" Sylvania tube, and I've been doing this a while now, but according to somebody on the interwebz after a 10-second search, a "Bad Boy" has;
So, looking at your tube -
1) Yes
2) No
3) No
4) Can't see
5) Can't see
6) No
Does this mean anything at all? No idea.
Some arbitrary name given by some random person means little, at best, and nothing to most everybody else.
I think you should name theses tubes, "Brawlers", "Round-mica Heavyweights", or "3-hole Butterflies" and see the name sticks.
😎
So, looking at your tube -
1) Yes
2) No
3) No
4) Can't see
5) Can't see
6) No
Does this mean anything at all? No idea.
Some arbitrary name given by some random person means little, at best, and nothing to most everybody else.
I think you should name theses tubes, "Brawlers", "Round-mica Heavyweights", or "3-hole Butterflies" and see the name sticks.
😎
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Those are not "Bad Boys." Those are what are usually called "Chrome Domes." They're a plain-jane 6SN7GTB. "Bad Boys" have clear tops, side getter near the bottom of the envelope and plates that directly face each other, not angled, mounted close to the top of the the envelope.
Okay, Thanks for the help. I have seen a bunch of conflicting information on what is and isn't. eBay listings don't help things either. Testing 100s of tubes was trying to prioritize what to test first. I had never even heard of "Bad Boys" before.
“Chrome Domes” usually have the getter flashing covering most of the tube. Some say that they can only be “Bad Boys” if they were made between 51-53, the others are just Sylvania 6sn7gts… I think all of the bottom getter Sylvania 6sn7 sound very good. I’ll go as far as saying they all sound more alike than different regardless of whether they have 2 or 3 holes or were made in 51 or 54 (the horror!).
As a certified Sylvania 6sn7 cork sniffer I can confidently say my favorite one is the 6sn7w with the copper support rod. Those are outrageously expensive these days IMO. If you’re patient or get lucky from a dealer you can get the same tube as a 7n7.
As far as I can tell all of the dark glass 7n7 with a gap between the lower mica and the carbon coating have the same construction. Incidentally all of the 14n7 tubes have the same construction and sound the same. Savvy eBay sellers recognize these and hike the price. Most tube dealers think all 7n7 are the same and sell them really cheap.
Since this is DIYAaudio I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Sylvania round plate 6/12j5gt. Two of them are the electrical equivalent of a 6sn7. They are at least the equal if not better than all of the other Sylvania 6sn7 and they are super cheap. I use an adapter to replace a 6sn7 but if I were making a new amp I’d use 6/12j5 instead of 6sn7.
Good comment, isaacc7, thanks for the extra info. If by "W" you mean the parallel-plate Sylvania WGT, I agree, they are very good and way too expensive now. ;-) They have a...what's the word?...PUNGENT midrange!
Also agree about the Sylvania 6J5. A rich, rich midrange. Adapters are easily found on the bay.
Also agree about the Sylvania 6J5. A rich, rich midrange. Adapters are easily found on the bay.
Adapters for 7n7 and 2x 6/12j5 to 6sn7 are available on eBay. I get all my adapters made by a dude in Bulgaria. He goes by Deyan over at Head-Fi. He has carved out a very niche business making adapters. He can make anything you want including adapting heater voltage. His single tube adapters are really nice machined aluminum. Highly recommend.
Since we’re talking adapters already let’s go a little crazy… The 6c5 preceded the 6j5 and is essentially equivalent to it. The 6c5 was made by triode strapping a 6j7 (minus the top cap) at the factory. You can see all of the extra elements were left in the tube when you look at 6c5g tubes shield and screen grids all. Later on manufacturers moved from the 6j7 to the 6sj7, they are the same except that the 6sj7 doesn’t have a top cap. Over in Old Blighty they used the ef36 and ef37 tube designation but are the same as the 6j7 including the pin out. Later on the ef86 came around and it is close enough to a 6j7 in a lot of circuits. That means that if you get an adapter that uses 2 triode wired 6j7/6sj7/ef37/ef86 you will have the equivalent of 2 6c5 which is the same as 2 6j5 which is the same as a single 6sn7. Whew! All of them will give great sound usually at a great savings compared to everyone’s favorite 6sn7s. I usually get better sound out of 2 single triodes as compared to single double triodes.
I have had a ton of fun rolling these tubes through my amp. Fun is the only reason to do any of this of course. Normal people find a tube they like and listen to music. I have some to terms with not being normal, even in audiophile circles lol.
Since we’re talking adapters already let’s go a little crazy… The 6c5 preceded the 6j5 and is essentially equivalent to it. The 6c5 was made by triode strapping a 6j7 (minus the top cap) at the factory. You can see all of the extra elements were left in the tube when you look at 6c5g tubes shield and screen grids all. Later on manufacturers moved from the 6j7 to the 6sj7, they are the same except that the 6sj7 doesn’t have a top cap. Over in Old Blighty they used the ef36 and ef37 tube designation but are the same as the 6j7 including the pin out. Later on the ef86 came around and it is close enough to a 6j7 in a lot of circuits. That means that if you get an adapter that uses 2 triode wired 6j7/6sj7/ef37/ef86 you will have the equivalent of 2 6c5 which is the same as 2 6j5 which is the same as a single 6sn7. Whew! All of them will give great sound usually at a great savings compared to everyone’s favorite 6sn7s. I usually get better sound out of 2 single triodes as compared to single double triodes.
I have had a ton of fun rolling these tubes through my amp. Fun is the only reason to do any of this of course. Normal people find a tube they like and listen to music. I have some to terms with not being normal, even in audiophile circles lol.