6SN7 Tube Addicts - Page 179

Yeah I think the Sylvania Bad Boys are in another league versus the Shuggie, Donald. The BT's are OK, but really nothing special, IMO.

no need to be sorry about your passion ;-) 

Thanks Rob , I will start keeping an ear to the ground for some good tubes to roll. The production version of the Liquid Glass is a little way off, so no rush. It might be easier to find the 12SN7 options too. 

 

..dB

12SN7's certainly will save you some bucks. It's almost insane how you can get 12SN7's that are identical in structure to their 6SN7 counterparts often for as little as 10% of what the 6SN7 would cost.

What kind of lifespan can one expect from these pricey, rare 6SN7 variants such as Bad Boys or Tungsol round plates? I mean you are paying $150-600/pair and if you run them every day do they crap out in 2-3 years? I've heard of a 10,000 hr military rating but I don't think they will live anywhere near that. What is a realistic operating hour rating for these tubes?

 

I know it depends on the amp and whether the tube is used or how good NOS the tube is, but I always hear of guys owning a coveted tube pair but they never run the tubes in the amp daily or at all!

Are your grid posts made of copper or steel?  Those look like steel to me.

At nominal plate voltage and current 5,000 hours is realistic from a good tube I would say.  It depends upon the amplifier topology and usage (how much you turn it off and on).  Run conservatively a 6SN7 can very well run 10,000 hours and still give good performance.  Or it could crap out in only a thousand, especially if it develops a short or noise issues.  It just depends.

 

Did you get them on ebay or another random site?

Stavros, nice buys!  I rarely seem to get very good deals.  I don't overpay, but I don't get things for under market value.

 

I also seem to always be looking for pairs which reduces the market size.

Any input on the Raytheon's below?  I'm terrible at ID'ing tubes.....

 

 

GTBs, circa 1960-ish I would say.  A fast dynamic tube, good quick bass.  I found it a bit peaky and nasal, as I do many Raytheon tubes.  It doesn't have the low level detail of a older vintage GT tube but is good by GTB standards IMO.  They're a great bargain tube as nobody charges much money for them.

Gonna shoot another question to you experienced folk.

 

For those 6SN7 tube amps that can also get by with 6F8G tubes, are there any benefits to using them sonically?  They seem to be cheaper than 6SN7s, even when you account for the adapter.