[shoom]

   
Wow, what an endorsement of the Tung-Sols.
 
Which RCAs were you running?

​RCA 6sn7GTB but orange print on the base which I think may be late production supplied by Langrex here in the UK.
 
I'm going to give the Tung Sol a good work out and report back as they are a little under done burn in wise.

 

[KoshNaranek]

​RCA 6sn7GTB but orange print on the base which I think may be late production supplied by Langrex here in the UK.

I'm going to give the Tung Sol a good work out and report back as they are a little under done burn in wise.

Since you are in the UK, would you be willing to take one for the team and try Brimar UK round plate tubes? They do not ship to the US and are difficult to obtain for me.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

How many of you are using the Saga as a tube buffer stage for a solid state headphone amp? 

 

[Khragon]

I'm using it to feed iFi Pro iCan, which has it own tube stage mode on top of SS mode.  Can't say much as I just started using Saga.  I'm also feeding Saga into Glenn 300B, but mainly use it as passive preamp for the remote control capability.

 

[liquidsmote]

I'll post pics and impressions when I get a chance, but I can confirm the Tung-Sol reissue is legit. Not only is it significantly better than the stock meh, but it is just as good if not better than the RCA GTB, GE GTA and GTB, Sylvania, and chromedome Philco.

Of the above, the Philco chromedome is wonderful ... truly a treasure. Probably a Sylvania relabel, but massively different in internal construction from my branded Sylvania.

Unlike previous posts ... the GE GTA / GTB are my least favorite of the bunch ... I find them to be quite brittle / harsh sounding.

 

[Odin412]

Thanks for all the impressions. I'm using the stock tube for now, but I'll probably try out the Tung-Sol and Electro-Harmonix Gold tubes down the line, There's also a Northern Electric 6SN7 tube that looks a bit different, but I haven't seen much impressions about that one.

 

[liquidsmote]

  Thanks for all the impressions. I'm using the stock tube for now, but I'll probably try out the Tung-Sol and Electro-Harmonix Gold tubes down the line, There's also a Northern Electric 6SN7 tube that looks a bit different, but I haven't seen much impressions about that one.

If you do try out the EH, please let me know your thoughts regardless of how subjective they may be. It's 2x the price of the Tung-Sol and I spent most of my $ on NOS. Most of those NOS cost more than the Tung-Sol reissue, so I was very surprised by the high SQ. I held off on the EH due to it being close in price to the GE's (disappointment) ... but I really would like to know how they work out for you.
 
I'll update ASAP with a little more detail when I can take some pics so people know exactly what I've tried. Philcos are usually cheap btw, they didn't manufacture a whole lot on their own from my research, but their relabels are usually cheaper than the "brand name" manufacturer they relabeled.

 

[KoshNaranek]

I compared the new Tung-Sol to the Gold EH. They were exactly the same. See my previous posts.

 

[liquidsmote]

  I compared the new Tung-Sol to the Gold EH. They were exactly the same. See my previous posts.

Indeed, but would still like Odin's opinion. More (subjective) data points is usually a good thing!

 

[liquidsmote]

 
 
PHOTO DOES NOT INDICATE AN ORDER OF PREFERENCE
 
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT - ALL SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS!!!
 
1) Belton / JJ 6SN7 socket saver from EuroTubes:
This socket saver uses a Belton socket matched to a JJ base. The adapter socket sits nearly flush with the Schiithole. Fitting tubes is difficult at first due to the tightness of the Belton socket (as reported on other sites), and I recommend a few insertions and removals before installing in the Saga. I hear no changes in SQ when using this adapter.
 
2) Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB Re-issue:
For $20 this tube provides excellent SQ comparable, if not better than NOS. Full deep bass extension, wide sound stage, and clear crisp (but not brittle) highs. A real winner!
 
3) GE 6SN7GTB from 1961:
Meh ... an improvement over stock but not much. Bright but harsh, I quickly fatigued listening to this tube. Lost a lot of sub bass response with this.
 
4) RCA 6SN7GTB from 1959:
The most expensive of the bunch ... a noticeable improvement over stock. Smooth, lush, musical are all adjectives that come to mind. Not as much bass extension or control as the Tung-Sol, but a softer presentation.
 
5) Philco 6SN7GTB from 1956:
Most likely a Sylvania. Excellent SQ, very close to the Tung-Sol but just a touch softer and slightly looser with sub bass. Cost me less than the Tung-Sol!
 
6) Sylvania 6SN7GTB of unknown vintage, probably 70's:
Similar to the Philco but I need more time with this one.
 
7) GE 6SN7GTA from 1954:
From the Schenectady, NY plant according to EIA code. Just as bad as the GE 6SN7GTB. Harsh, brittle, lacking bass extension, unimpressive sound stage ... barely an improvement over stock.
 
Updates:
 
Running CBS 5751 triple micas on my mini tube amp input has calmed down the GE 6SN7GTB/A a little bit ... but the bass extension is still weak AF.
I typically love GE 12AX7 and 5751s ... even the 80's versions are decent. Hence my even greater disappointment with GE 6SN7s ...
I've tried matching the GE 6SN7 with RCA/Philco/Sylvania/Mullard/ and a bunch of re-issues ... the CBS was the first palatable pairing.

 

[KoshNaranek]

Indeed, but would still like Odin's opinion. More (subjective) data points is usually a good thing!

Oh, sorry.

 

[liquidsmote]

Oh, sorry.

No problem, and thank you for starting this thread!

 

[Odin412]

 
Indeed, but would still like Odin's opinion. More (subjective) data points is usually a good thing!

 
Thanks for the vote of confidence! I am far from a tube guru but I'll be happy to report my impressions. I plan to order the Tung-Sols and Electro-Harmonix tubes in a few days and then I'll try them out and report on what I hear.

 

[KoshNaranek]

No problem, and thank you for starting this thread!

You are welcome.

BTW, I no longer have the Saga. I bought it as a gift for my father and he has it now. Through poor planning on my part, I set it up for him and was forced to initially use the interconnects that came with the ADCOM GFA555. The sound quality was disappointing in its sense of space.

While I was visiting, I decided to order Monoprice interconnects from Amazon($10 for 2 sets). Schiit had used their cables for RMAF, but this was my first experience with them.

There was an improvement in timbre and an enormous improvement in sense of space. The system sounded almost as good as it did in my house (In a larger room with better speakers).

Impressed with the value of these cables.

 

[liquidsmote]

You are welcome.

BTW, I no longer have the Saga. I bought it as a gift for my father and he has it now. Through poor planning on my part, I set it up for him and was forced to initially use the interconnects that came with the ADCOM GFA555. The sound quality was disappointing in its sense of space.

While I was visiting, I decided to order Monoprice interconnects from Amazon($10 for 2 sets). Schiit had used their cables for RMAF, but this was my first experience with them.

There was an improvement in timbre and an enormous improvement in sense of space. The system sounded almost as good as it did in my house (In a larger room with better speakers).

Impressed with the value of these cables.

I love Monoprice cables ... I'm running their 1/8" to RCA from my HTPC to my Saga ... but I do need some of their interconnects from the Saga to my amp and subs! They have a new series of mono sub cables (Monolith I think) that I'd like to take a look at. I'm also running Monoprice 12AWG speaker wire to from my mini tube amp to my bookshelves, and noticeably better than the ****ty RCA 16 AWG I was running. Monoprice banana plugs ... at least the ones with dual / plastic shielding are pure crap though.