[GDuss]

Hi Zachik,
Here is your photo - the 6SN7 and equivalent tubes are just plug and play - no adapters needed (although I am using socket savers):

I have not had trouble from EMI/RF using the top cap anode wires; however, in the past people reported that it was easily corrected by applying ferrite beads to the wires. These are little capsules that snap on to the wires and are very inexpensive:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cable-Clip...311998?hash=item3b4916f5fe:g:ThMAAOSwNeFeeJ4h

I just recently got a pair of Ken Rad 6J7's. They're great tubes, and were quite cheap. Also using them in the C3g slots. Here is one of them:



I haven't tried the 6SN7 as power tubes yet. It turns out that most of my SN7 tubes are 12SN7's.

 

[gibosi]

Ouch!





Six of all of the tubes mentioned Sylvania 6SN7W metal base...six B65....six ECC32........those 18 tubes are going to send a guy to see a loan officer

5687's are considerably less expensive, but six adapters would also be needed.

 

[mordy]

Were those prices from same time a gallon of gas used to cost $0.24 ?!
Quick search on eBay... cheapest used (non-NOS) is $6-7 per tube (so almost $15 per pair), and if NOS is desired - $10 / tube minimum...
Won't break the bank, but not "$3 each, all including shipping". Just saying
(unless you have a secret source, other than eBay)

I really paid those prices a few months ago for the 6J7 tubes - here is my "secret": I look for small lots of tubes instead of buying pairs or individual tubes.
Granted that tube prices are creeping up, but I scanned through some offerings now and you can still get the 6J7 for around $5 each shipped. Here is my proof - a Canadian seller that has a lot of 7 tubes; the price of each comes out to USD5.04.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-SEV...913446?hash=item4453fdbaa6:g:AJQAAOSwSw5eP0SY
When trying out something new I like getting an assortment of brands to get to know how the different brands sound - if something strikes my fancy I can always look for a NOS pair.
And if the prices aren't in the ballpark, it may pay to wait - new offerings always seem to come up, even of less common tubes. After all, they made the tubes in the millions....
Just checked now - eBay will not show shipping cost for older purchases, but in February 2020 I paid $4.99 for 7 x 6J7 + shipping, and in March 2020 I paid $15 for 8 x Ken-Rad 6J7 + shipping.

 

[mordy]

With all due respect to serious tube amplifier owners, I do not understand why only expensive tubes are being taken into consideration. A pair of GE 6C5 metal tubes can sound almost as good as GEC L63 tubes, at a fraction of the cost, as an example.
To me the challenge is to find inexpensive tubes that can compete with the best and most expensive ones.
I have a box of bargain 6SN7 tubes (bought when gas was $3.75/gallon lol - (remember those days, and standing in line to get gas?) - paid a couple of bucks for each, maybe $3-7. Wonder how it would sound if I put in 6 of them, mix and match....?
https://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135605266/-4-a-gallon-gas-prices-whos-to-blame
Yes - this was 2011.....24c/gallon was in the late 40's

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Hmmm having followed this thread for some time now, I don't think ONLY expensive tubes are under consideration, seems there is quite a variety discussed here. But tube rollers are always chasing the "next best thing", and that often is the next most expensive thing on the list as it was previously just out of reach. No doubt great sound can be had for low prices and diminishing returns kick in very quickly for high-end tubes, but many people want the absolute "best" out there, which often means spending 10x more money for a lot less than 10x the performance. Just my $0.02.

 

[Xcalibur255]

I think I remember Glenn saying that the original configuration only had the 25V Brimar 13D1 tube as driver, but that could have been his personal first one.

He built and sold a couple this way. This was before anybody here on Head-fi got one. He used to build and sell an OTL on eBay occassionally before he became known here. There is a lot of wisdom in that orignal configuration too. The Brimar 13D1 is right up there with all the best sounding tubes and are so much cheaper than their 6V counterparts. Assuming one didn't care that much about tube rolling it delivered great bang for the buck, very much in keeping with Glenn's original philosophy of keeping things "cheep".

To the best of my knowledge nobody on this forum has the original 1.0 version OTL he was selling on eBay. I think John, Clayton and myself were the original first three owners of the version 1.1 OTL that was first sold and talked about on Head-fi. The driver socket was changed to 6V for 6SN7 usage and a second filter choke was added to try to lower the noise floor a bit since the mains transformer in those models likes to hum and seems susceptible to certain kinds of interference.

And now look at how far we have come since then. The OG version is still a super amp. I listen to mine everyday at work. There is a certain "rightness" to it's tone and overall voicing that is impossible to find in a retail product at that price.

 

[mordy]

Thanks for your answer and sharing this information.

 

[Xcalibur255]

With all due respect to serious tube amplifier owners, I do not understand why only expensive tubes are being taken into consideration. A pair of GE 6C5 metal tubes can sound almost as good as GEC L63 tubes, at a fraction of the cost, as an example.
To me the challenge is to find inexpensive tubes that can compete with the best and most expensive ones.
I have a box of bargain 6SN7 tubes (bought when gas was $3.75/gallon lol - (remember those days, and standing in line to get gas?) - paid a couple of bucks for each, maybe $3-7. Wonder how it would sound if I put in 6 of them, mix and match....?
https://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135605266/-4-a-gallon-gas-prices-whos-to-blame
Yes - this was 2011.....24c/gallon was in the late 40's

I do think we can sometimes get lost while chasing the ideal sound. Some years ago I ran across an eBay seller who was selling a random hodgepodge of single 6SN7s for next to nothing. It was literally a random box 'o tubes. For less than $30 I had so much fun rolling all of them in the OTL and hearing all the different flavors. I eventually ended up giving all but one of those tubes away over time because I only wanted "the best" ones to stay in my collection. I'm not sure when I started feeling that way about it but it's probably not such a good thing. The joy is leaving the hobby when all you think about is min/maxing it.

The weirdest thing is the only tube I kept, a Hytron (branded Corsair which is just too cool), I don't even like all that much. The tone never seems right for whatever I'm trying to pair it with. Maybe just bad luck.

 

[whirlwind]

Glenns amps sound fantastic with cheap tubes and I agree that the 25 volt Brimar 13D1 is a great tube, really good IMO.
Much cheaper than B36 and tons cheaper than B65.

I have recently received my ZMF VC and I have been burning it in with some cheaper tubes and it sounds killer!
Using a pair of Chatham 6AS7G power tubes, I used to get these from Leeds Audio for $35 a set and own a few sets, that is why I chose these power tubes.
Using a pair of Arcturus (RCA) 6J5G driver tubes...listening to this with not many hours on the headphones and not what would be considered the greatest of tubes....this is still one of the best sounds that I have ever personally heard...great stuff!

For the price Glenn charges for his amps, I can't imagine a better bang for the dollar out there.

 

[Zachik]

For the price Glenn charges for his amps, I can't imagine a better bang for the dollar out there.

Luckily for us, Glenn does not seem to be in it for the money...
My 2 Glenn amps are definitely irreplaceable!

 

[Velozity]

Speaking of "cheep tubes", you guys should really give the 6C4 a shot. Before I even heard a 6C5 / 6J5, my 6C4 experiment sounded good enough for me to get rid of all of my 6SN7 tubes. The GE JG-6100 triple mica and MOV CV133 are very special. Also love the Brimar and Mullard.

 

[chrisdrop]

Any of you clever gents have an idea if these are likely to be rebrands or actual Fivre manufactured?

these

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Any of you clever gents have an idea if these are likely to be rebrands or actual Fivre manufactured?

these

Those are legitimate Fivre

 

[gibosi]

It's been pretty quiet here for awhile... So in a small attempt to fill the void...

A 6-pack of Melz 6H12C (6N12S) remain installed as output tubes in the OTL and I am slowly rolling through different drivers and rectifiers.

And as I find this tube to be rather dry and lean, to my ears it pairs very nicely with more euphonic drivers and rectifiers. So today I rolled in a Philips Holland-made GZ34 and an early black glass Ken-Rad 6SN7GT (1942 with heat radiators above the top mica) and I can't remember the Ken-Rad ever sounding this good.

 

[triod750]

Transparent is the word is the word is the word...