[Len]

Mechans invited me to take a look at this thread
 
Regarding the "Western Electric 6SN7GT," here's a short history lesson.  Western Electric, as we all know, is one of the great American tube manufacturers.  The interesting factoid that few people know is that WE opened up a low-key operation in the UK in the late 1800s, which was then bought out by the International Telephone and Telegraph Company (ITT), which then became a company some you guys may recognize: Standard Telephone and Cables, AKA STC.  STC transitioned to various brand names - the one most people know is Brimar. 
 
Looking at the tube, it looks like a classic UK tube (similar to Tungsram and Brimar).  WE probably continued to do limited business in Europe for decades so it's not surprising to see them rebrand a STC tube, whose heritage is Western Electric.

 

[punit]

  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.

Which adapter are you using , can you provide a link please ?

 

[Oskari]

  Regarding the "Western Electric 6SN7GT,"

 
This particular tube is a "Western Electronics 6SN7GT", though.
 
Thanks for the history lesson. Here's a bit more:
 

1. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Standard_Telephones_and_Cables
2. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Brimar

 

[FunyunBreath]

   
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?

 

  Which adapter are you using , can you provide a link please ?

 
It looks like the adapter isn't sold on Ebay anymore so I can't provide a link, but it's just a standard 6.3V octal to 9-pin adapter.
 
I know some people have reported trouble with some of the 6.3V 9-pin to octal adapter, however I don't think the adapter is the culprit. I think it could be ruled out because my best 6SN7's (Tung Sols and Sylvania GT's) don't have any low end hum, or if they do it's so faint it can only be heard in a dead silent environment. The 6SN7's I have that hum loudly are all GTA or GTB Sylvania and Raytheons.
 
I know Caucasian Blackplate over on the Bottlehead forum has said using DC for the 6.3V heater would most likely remove the hum. I just find it odd that some tubes have it and others don't.

 

[Xcalibur255]

 
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

 
I found one for you:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sylvania-6SN7-GT-Stereo-Tube-1953-Results-2820-2720-747821-/400662324158?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item5d4955e3be
 
It can be hard to tell the GT and GTA version of this tube apart.  The GTAs have a "clean" looking getter flash, where as the older GT has a dirty look with a white/brown haze that obscures the glass below the flashing itself.
 
Remember I'm just one opinion.  Some people don't agree with me on this tube.  A lot of it will come down to which amp it is in.
 
If you need a pair this is a very reputable seller:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Sylvania-6SN7GT-3-rivet-T-plate-1952-matching-date-pair-6SN7-6SN7GT-/281266345260?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item417cc7d52c

 

[gibosi]

  I know some people have reported trouble with some of the 6.3V 9-pin to octal adapter, however I don't think the adapter is the culprit. I think it could be ruled out because my best 6SN7's (Tung Sols and Sylvania GT's) don't have any low end hum, or if they do it's so faint it can only be heard in a dead silent environment. The 6SN7's I have that hum loudly are all GTA or GTB Sylvania and Raytheons.
 
I know Caucasian Blackplate over on the Bottlehead forum has said using DC for the 6.3V heater would most likely remove the hum. I just find it odd that some tubes have it and others don't.

 
Now that you mention it, I am using DC to run my heaters as well. Since the 6SN7 requires 600ma, which is more than the LD can provide, it was necessary to rig-up an external heater power supply. And since then, I have noticed that a few 6DJ8-type tubes that used to be somewhat noisy when connected to the LD's internal AC heaters are now significantly quieter as well. So I think it is just the case that the heaters in some tubes are more susceptible to stray RF than others.

 

[samtheman]

   
I found one for you:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sylvania-6SN7-GT-Stereo-Tube-1953-Results-2820-2720-747821-/400662324158?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item5d4955e3be
 
It can be hard to tell the GT and GTA version of this tube apart.  The GTAs have a "clean" looking getter flash, where as the older GT has a dirty look with a white/brown haze that obscures the glass below the flashing itself.
 
Remember I'm just one opinion.  Some people don't agree with me on this tube.  A lot of it will come down to which amp it is in.
 
If you need a pair this is a very reputable seller:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Sylvania-6SN7GT-3-rivet-T-plate-1952-matching-date-pair-6SN7-6SN7GT-/281266345260?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item417cc7d52c

Thank you very much Xcalibur255, I went ahead and bought the other tube I linked to in the end after some advice from another member. I'm still waiting for all the parts to arrive for the GSN7 adapter I'm going to build for my Little Dot III , so until that's built, and I've heard the 2 tubes I have bought (6SN7GTA and a Tung Sol Mouse ears), I wont be buying any more tubes.
 
Thank you very much - this really is an excellent and welcoming thread!

 

[rosgr63]

xcalibur is very helpful and his advise is always welcome.
I have learned a lot from him and I still do. 

 

[FunyunBreath]

   
Now that you mention it, I am using DC to run my heaters as well. Since the 6SN7 requires 600ma, which is more than the LD can provide, it was necessary to rig-up an external heater power supply. And since then, I have noticed that a few 6DJ8-type tubes that used to be somewhat noisy when connected to the LD's internal AC heaters are now significantly quieter as well. So I think it is just the case that the heaters in some tubes are more susceptible to stray RF than others.

 
I wanna  pick your brain at the meet next week and get some ideas on how to add a DC adapter to the crack

 

[Xcalibur255]

  Thank you very much Xcalibur255, I went ahead and bought the other tube I linked to in the end after some advice from another member. I'm still waiting for all the parts to arrive for the GSN7 adapter I'm going to build for my Little Dot III , so until that's built, and I've heard the 2 tubes I have bought (6SN7GTA and a Tung Sol Mouse ears), I wont be buying any more tubes.
 
Thank you very much - this really is an excellent and welcoming thread!

The tube you linked looks like a shorty 6SN7W only it doesn't have the military stencil marking.  These are different all together from the tube I linked and made on a different line.  Also very nice sounding tubes, I believe rosgr63 likes these very much.  If you like a lot of sugar in your tone color you'll love it.

 

[rosgr63]

Indeed I do like my tea with honey!
 
BTW a lot depends on the circuit design.
I had 6SN7's which were noisy in one amp and quiet on another.
Or in the same noisy as drivers but quiet as outputs.

 

[spacequeen7]

I'm new to 6SN7 family... just want to know if this is the tube mentioned here 

Very good bandwidth, bass, detail and soundstage

 

 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400659016697?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
 

 

[rosgr63]

Welcome to the 6SN7 tubes.
 
It's a nice tube with a strong low end, i am sure you'll like it.

 

[spacequeen7]

  Welcome to the 6SN7 tubes.
 
It's a nice tube with a strong low end, i am sure you'll like it.

I'm craving soundstage ,is that's the best 6SN7 I can get to address this ?

 

[Xcalibur255]

If size/width of stage is all you want, the Sylvanias do this best.  Particularly the metal base W's if you can afford them.  All of the Sylvanias with good reputations count this as a strength though. 
 
If imaging/holography is also important there is really only one tube that does it all in my opinion:  the black glass round plate Tung Sol.  Most people would also mention the ECC32 here as well, assuming you can use it safely in your amp, but while it is a technically excellent sounding tube I never found it emotionally engaging in my setup which is just as important as the technicals.  This is why the Marconi B65 hangs out in my OTL a lot lately.  It isn't the best sounding tube from a technical standpoint, but it is the most emotionally pleasing one by far.
 
The best way to find your own priorities is to just taste test some tubes and then go back to what others have written and see how your impressions are lining up.