My 6SN7 to 12AU7 adapter(s) showed up from China finally. The first one (nice, gold looking one) doesn't work. The second one that showed up does work, however.
Do you run the risk of toasting the transformer by using this setup with no other modifications?
My unprofessional opinion is that compared to my RCA clear top 12AU7, the GE and HP 6SN7 tubes I bought cheaply, both sound nice. I'm getting more output out of them (louder in the headphones at the same volume setting) than 12AU7 tubes.
This is my opinion about how the sound has changed: Less sibilance out of 'S' words, as if maybe the high end is more compressed. Boomier bass at the 80ish-150hz range which is somewhat annoying. But otherwise, stereo separation seems to be slightly wider and the sound is a bit more tight and punchy. Sort of like taking a little hit of nitrous oxide where the whole world feels a bit more refreshing, rubbery, and springy. Like being thrown into a padded cell after winning the lottery.. I'm not sure I'm good at describing what I'm hearing, but I think the 6SN7 tube can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up better with some songs than the 12AU7.
It looks weird having one jammed into the front of the amplifier though. I haven't yet researched what brands or models of the 6SN7 are desirable. I paid 5 bucks for this pair. Both are made by GE (one was made by GE for HP.) So they look identical and sound identical to my ears.
Does anyone have the pinout so I can figure out why the nicer looking one is broken?
By the way, this is the one that doesn't work:
It's got a nice ceramic top with gold plated pins and sockets.
Meanwhile, this one works fine
It looks to be of lesser quality, but it works... It also costs less on ebay. I'm trying to figure out how to take the white one apart, but I think it's expoxied together.
And since I'm bored, I figured out the pinout combos of both adapters. The 'nicer' looking one has two mixed up connections: