Maybe there's more subtlety to be found in expansive thermionic emissions?
6SN7 Tube Addicts
- Thread starter rosgr63
- Start date
Maybe there's more subtlety to be found in expansive thermionic emissions?
Paladin79
Previously MOT: Cables For Less
So anyway the tube concealment is a way for my local audiophile group to hear candidates for our 52 tube challenge without knowing if we are about to hear a $20 tube or a $1,000 tube. Currently eight of us score the tubes using the same music that will be used in our final testing and we are not influenced by price or brand name or what others might say about a particular tube. I checked some out over the weekend and two scored in the high nineties but seven other friends will score them as well. When all is done we hope to have the top 52 6sn7 equivalents made for our testing. We are all using the same type amps but headphones can vary a bit, most use Sennheisers and the HD 800's will be used in the final testing. Currently we have around 110 different tubes to choose from to get to the final 52. Within RCA for example we would test Grey glass, black glass, red base 5692's etc. We have already done a lot of blind testing on 6j5's and Psvanes since their shapes might exclude them from the current blind listening tests.
Ripper2860
Headphoneus Supremus
I take it you did not find the onslaught of comedic genius funny? 
That should work nicely if it can be adapted to also cover the base -- unless that's a socket-saver and all tubes will look the same.
That should work nicely if it can be adapted to also cover the base -- unless that's a socket-saver and all tubes will look the same.
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Paladin79
Previously MOT: Cables For Less
I take it you did not find the onslaught of comedic genius funny?
That should work nicely if it can be adapter to also cover the base -- unless that's a socket-saver and all tubes will look the same.
it was funny, I posted many likes. Right now I am in more of a serious mode about tube types, amps, and testing
I already have adapters so those all look alike, I want to use an internal sleeve so different tube heights do not show. This can be cut away in a minute and no harm is done to expensive tubes. This is mainly so we can check out new candidates. The tops have a very fine mesh to let heat out but you cannot read the tube tops.
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Did you include any new production tubes among the candidates? Would be interesting to know how they fare against the vintage ones.
JKDJedi
Headphoneus Supremus
I'm blown away that there's 100 different tubes to narrow down... To 52!
Paladin79
Previously MOT: Cables For Less
Think about all the great variables within brands. Sylvania, Tung Sol, RCA, Ken-Rad, CBS/Hytron, GEC, Brimar, Marconi Italiana, Melz, PSvane, Amperex, National Union, Westinghouse, Mullard, Hitachi, Raytheon, and Bill's GE tubes.(so far none have made the grade.) And we are doing equivalents so we have some single triode tubes. We also have three tubes produced in a lab that never hit the market and they rate right up there with some of the best. I loaned some tubes to the group but nothing in the $1,000 up range, I want to say there are nearly ten in that ball park or higher.
PsilocybinCube
100+ Head-Fier
Scored a decent little haul of 6sn7 tubes off an ebay seller. There were a few others that didn't sound good that I didn't include in the pic. Overall paid about $30 or so. This was from the seller Ibismachine (I own an Ibis mountain bike so I was intrigued by the name, which I realize is totally arbitrary). It seems like they sell their non-matched tubes for fairly cheap.
The Ken Rad sounds great, though now I need to try the black glass for comparison...
The Sylvania that is sitting solo in the pic is my favorite so far, but I also enjoy the taller Sylvania (which I think is a bad boy???)
I'm not a measurements expert, and I don't know that measurements from an ebay seller are necessarily to be trusted from everything I've read, but can anyone illuminate me as to what the measurements on the Sylvania mean????
And yes, that's a wonderfully working @Deyan adapter.
As a total newbie to the tube thing I'll take any advice I can get on how to read these measurements. Reading up on them online gets my head swimming in language I don't quite understand quickly.
I'm about 5 months into this money sinking tube addiction and my SS amps feel neglected.
The Ken Rad sounds great, though now I need to try the black glass for comparison...
The Sylvania that is sitting solo in the pic is my favorite so far, but I also enjoy the taller Sylvania (which I think is a bad boy???)
I'm not a measurements expert, and I don't know that measurements from an ebay seller are necessarily to be trusted from everything I've read, but can anyone illuminate me as to what the measurements on the Sylvania mean????
And yes, that's a wonderfully working @Deyan adapter.
As a total newbie to the tube thing I'll take any advice I can get on how to read these measurements. Reading up on them online gets my head swimming in language I don't quite understand quickly.
I'm about 5 months into this money sinking tube addiction and my SS amps feel neglected.
Attachments
JKDJedi
Headphoneus Supremus
How's that yellow one sound? The one with the full getter flash tip and down
Ranger Ron
100+ Head-Fier
Nice score. The tube in the middle looks like a real gem. Have you listened to it yet?
JKDJedi
Headphoneus Supremus
My thoughts exact.. looks like a rebranding of the Chrome Dome.. wondering what year it is. Could we get a pic of the date code?
PsilocybinCube
100+ Head-Fier
It sounds great. It's a bit v-shaped to be sure, but I kind of like that with the HD800 since they can be lean. The treble is super-transparent. The tube is kind of loud overall...not in a bad way and certainly not a hint of distortion, and I don't know if that makes sense, but it's just more dynamic than some of the Sylvanias I've been listening to. Not a hint of microphonics (which I've struggled with on the other cheapo tubes I've purchased).
The yellow tube says FM & Co. I've never heard of that brand before.
Sorry for the bad pics...I'm listening and taking pictures at the same time. The top of the tube says 6SN7GT H8A
.
Ripper2860
Headphoneus Supremus
I believe it's FMCo -- Ford Motor Company. They used to have automobile tube radios and so had their own brand of tubes (made by Sylvania), IIRC.
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JKDJedi
Headphoneus Supremus
The 312 is Sylvania EIA Code. 8 is the year it was made (most likely 1948 since Sylvania GT tubes were not manufactured after 53') and the 52 is weeks...December tube baby. This is a Sylvania made tube rebranded for FM & Co. ...It sounds great. It's a bit v-shaped to be sure, but I kind of like that with the HD800 since they can be lean. The treble is super-transparent. The tube is kind of loud overall...not in a bad way and certainly not a hint of distortion, and I don't know if that makes sense, but it's just more dynamic than some of the Sylvanias I've been listening to. Not a hint of microphonics (which I've struggled with on the other cheapo tubes I've purchased).
The yellow tube says FM & Co. I've never heard of that brand before.
Sorry for the bad pics...I'm listening and taking pictures at the same time. The top of the tube says 6SN7GT H8A
.
bcowen
Headphoneus Supremus
Ford would have used Philco branding, although they still could easily have been made by Sylvania.
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