[Skylab]

Yup, that makes sense...some differentiation. Looking forward to the picture!

 

[spacequeen7]

anyone familiar with this tube .any good ?

 

[rosgr63]

The Hytron is a great tube, 1951 vintage, black plates, one of my favourites.........

 

[setamp]

Western Electric pics


 

 

 

 

 

[Oskari]

Thanks! Any other markings on it?

 

[setamp]

No other markings.  There is a hole in the base outside of the ring of pins.  It is in line with the pin guide.

 

[rosgr63]

Very interesting tube.
It looks like a Brimar.
 
Here's one with clear glass, the plates look very similar
 

 

[FunyunBreath]

Hey all, new to this thread but I had a few questions. I've been buying 6sn7's for cheap on ebay and using them with an adapter in my Bottlehead Crack. They sound amazing, much better than the 12au7's and 12bh7's I've tried.
 
However, of all the tubes I've bought almost all of the Sylvania and Raytheon GTA and GTB have a persistent low-end hum as soon as the tube warms up. Is this common for that model? I also have a few of the Tung-Sol Mouse Ear GT's and a Sylvania VT-231 (Bad Boy) and those are very low-noise.

 

[Mechans1]

It is a rare one. I have never even heard about such a tube, I will ask about it to my most 6SN7 saavy friend.

 

[Oskari]

  Western Electric pics

 
Are you sure it's not Western Electronics?

 

[setamp]

Good catch!  It is in fact Western Electronics. I expected to read Western Electric and that is what I saw. 

 

[Blackmore]

Looks alike Tungsram, but indeed, very rare, never seen any like this with WE print on it, great found.
 
THX
 
 
 
Quote:

  Western Electric pics


 

 

 

 

 

[Mechans1]

No low hum should  be present with either of those tubes.  It doesn't sound like you have the endemic micophonics  heard with many 6SN7s. I can't offer an explanation but did these tubes come from a guy who tested them thoroughly including self generated noise?  Congats on the Bad Boys what year are they, 3 hole plates I hope? ( should be on the base).
Ebay  bottom fishing isn't always the best strategy.  I ended up with a number of substandard  tubes even paying good money for them.  When I finally sell off some of my bloated collection I will be sure to tell the buyer if they aren't up to snuff.  It can be fun trying these tubes out  on the cheap but be aware , they don't  always sound like the tube you are after.  I bought a few Tung Sol round plates that worked but didn't sound special in the least.  I then bought another pair that were fantastic, and were indeed quite speacail ( I will forgo the :audiophile descriptions. )

 

[samtheman]

  They do go for those prices, particularly the Ken Rads, but if you are patient you can get them for less.  Especially if you look for equipment pulls or stuff that tests slightly below new for emission or white box/no box.  The collectors turn their noses up at this stuff but they'll give you the same sound and the same overall lifespan for less money.  Mismatched labels on the tubes is another way to save big bucks.  I got my VT-231 Raytheons for $23 because one of the two tubes didn't have the military markings on it and they weren't a "perfect" match for emission.  I see people listing these tubes for over $300 right now.
 
As for Sylvania, they had more variations than any other maker for sure.  Lots of varied opinions on them too.  Up to the early 50's Sylvania didn't make a bad tube, just different flavors.  Even later vintage GTBs are nice tubes, but anything before the GTA era (basically 1953 or older, though there is some overlap on both ends) tends to be extremely good with a more refined and nuanced sound than the later tubes.  The Ws and brown bases are more lit up in the treble where as the bottom getter T-plate tubes (such as the "bad boys") are a bit more laid back.  You can get the 6SN7W sound without spending $500, you just have to find tubes made on that line that were packaged in regular OEM plastic bases.  They exist but you have to be very careful to pick them out.  The only trustworthy identifier I feel a person can go buy is the extremely heavy getter flash.  It will literally cover the glass almost down to the base.  I've seen these tubes with different types of bases, glass heights, and mica types but they are always "3-hole" T plates and they always sound amazing.  Since they look extremely similar to top getter GTA tubes they don't usually go for big bucks.  This is my personal favorite and the best bang for the buck Sylvania tube to grab IMO.
 
Hope that helps some.

Hi Xcalibur255 - you have fired my imagination with your post. As a beginner in the field of 6sn7 tubes, would this be an example of a possible contender:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sylvania-USA-6SN7GTA-Black-Plate-Chrome-Top-Vacuum-Tube-6SN7-82-/151220951156?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2335789874
 
I'm guessing the tube must be post 1953 due to the GTA in the name? As I said I'm very new to this

 

[gibosi]

  Hey all, new to this thread but I had a few questions. I've been buying 6sn7's for cheap on ebay and using them with an adapter in my Bottlehead Crack. They sound amazing, much better than the 12au7's and 12bh7's I've tried.
 
However, of all the tubes I've bought almost all of the Sylvania and Raytheon GTA and GTB have a persistent low-end hum as soon as the tube warms up. Is this
common for that model? I also have a few of the Tung-Sol Mouse Ear GT's and a Sylvania VT-231 (Bad Boy) and those are very low-noise.

 
I find 6SN7s to be very quiet in my Little Dot, which I would think is a much stranger place for 6SN7 to find itself in. Do others who roll 6SN7s in the Bottlehead Crack report the same problem? I would wonder if your octal to 9-pin adapter might be flaky?