[JazzVinyl]

7N7 and friends....sounding great....

 

[mordy]

Is this tube a GE?

 

[JazzVinyl]

I have also found a few 1952 Sylvania 12SN7GT Bad Boys...great alternative if you dont want to spend lots of cash for the more expensive Sylvania driver tubes.




The driver stage in the OTL is fantastic...you only need one tube so much easier and cheaper to find great deals.

I have the 6 volt version of this 1950's Sylvania....and it is a terrific sounding tube in Glenn's amp.

 

[JazzVinyl]

Early 1940's Visseaux 6N7G...






Sounding good on some New Age tunes...

 

[attmci]

Well, after feeling a bit disappointed with the FDD20 (I was never as enamored with this tube as many in the Elise forums were, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised...), last night I decided to spend some time with one of Mordy's recent discoveries.u

This is a Foton 6H8C with ribbed plates, manufactured in 1952. It is my understanding that ribbed plates are seen only on Fotons manufactured in the early to mid 1950s, and that the earlier and later versions, with smooth plates, do not sound nearly as good.

Well, IMHO, Mordy may have found the best of the Russian 6H8C. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour I spent chilling out with this tube.

I believe some early 1956 tubes shared the same structure as we had discussed before.



BTY, they cannot be the best Russian 6SN7, because there are those crazy 1578 specials.

 

[gibosi]

I believe some early 1956 tubes shared the same structure as we had discussed before.

BTY, they cannot be the best Russian 6SN7, because there are those crazy 1578 specials.

Yes, it appears that the construction of the Fotons changed sometime in 1956. So again, look for construction, not year.

I have a 1578, with perforated plates and metal spring spacers, and to my ears, the Foton with ribbed plates is better.

 

[wazzupi]

What does lc45 or lc41 indicate on tubes ?

 

[gibosi]

What does lc45 or lc41 indicate on tubes ?

We need more information. Different companies employed different codes. How about a picture?

 

[gibosi]

Is this tube a GE?

In my opinion, if it doesn't have the typical sandblasted dot date codes and block lettering it is not a GE.

 

[attmci]

Yes, it appears that the construction of the Fotons changed sometime in 1956. So again, look for construction, not year.

I have a 1578, with perforated plates and metal spring spacers, and to my ears, the Foton with ribbed plates is better.

You must get a fake. LOL. Tons of fake tubes on the market.

 

[mordy]

You must get a fake. LOL. Tons of fake tubes on the market.

According to the seller of my Fotons, this Melz 6N8S is a tad better:

I have a source with a price of $100 shipped for 4, but I am not willing to take the gamble. Read somewhere that the Melz tubes have quality problems.

 

[mordy]

In my opinion, if it doesn't have the typical sandblasted dot date codes and block lettering it is not a GE.

Hi G,
Does it look like a round plate? Which Canadian maker could it be? Or just a fake country designation?

 

[UntilThen]

I have a source with a price of $100 shipped for 4, but I am not willing to take the gamble. Read somewhere that the Melz tubes have quality problems.

Give me the source. I'm a gambling man.

 

[gibosi]

No, I do not have a fake. While it is possible to fake the text and graphics, it is impossible to fake the construction. There is only one tube with this construction -- metal base, perforated plates, metal spring spacers and the bottom and top micas identical, rectangular with a tab at both ends:



Again, we all have different ears and gear. While some may like this tube a lot, I was very disappointed and felt relieved that I didn't pay much for it. The guide pin was missing so I got it cheap.

So I have both. And to my ears, the Foton is better. But of course, YMMV.

I might add, the 1500 series of Russian tubes were premium versions. However, their intended purposes and uses are not known. Some speculate that they were to be used in MiG fighters, space or nuclear reactors, but at least here in the West, no documentation is known to exist. In the end, they were designed and constructed to be long-life, high-reliability vacuum tubes. In the audio community, the 1578, a specialized version of the 6SN7GT and the 1579, a specialized version of the 6SL7GT are most commonly known.

 

[mordy]

Give me the source. I'm a gambling man.

Here u r, UT:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-p...hash=item1edb1b2cdd:m:mpgAbFtOIoPkWboWGSID9sw

The same seller sold me the fabled ribbed anodes.