[bcowen]

The 6C5Gs - Paired with the Tung-Sol 5998, they have a pretty forward sound, not too much instrument separation going on. Very old tube sounding, pretty warm, lacking impactful midrange or low-end. Not bad but felt average. I'll come back to them later as I don't even have a matching pair yet. I thought they would shine on the Tung-Sol 7236 but they are unfortunately not compatible (at least mine). May work well with the 6080WA, will try that next.

The GEC L63s - Airy, warm, midrange bloom, forward soundstage and can be impactful with the right music, low end is mild but still there. I preferred them paired with the Tung-Sol 5998. It helped clean up that midrange hump (bloat?) without removing the airy quality that they have. I had to try out the Tung-Sol 7236 with these and although the 7236 was better at removing the midrange bloom, it just sounded too sterile. The 7236 pushed the vocals forward and took away too much of the midrange and bass impact. The music sounded like it was being run through a filter and the treble became intense. Yeah they are pretty nice sounding tubes but right now they are like my 2nd or 3rd favorite.

Tung-Sol VT-163 6C8G - Lively, fast, musical and very detailed. Paired with that Amperex Svetlana Winged-C, it has something special going on. I think it's possibly unique to my setup. The extra gain from the 6C8G is really welcomed on the HD6XX headphones. It brings out the midrange, low-end and creates some impact. Normal soundstage with decent instrument separation. Vocals are not in the front and center (or as smooth), as with the L63 or especially the Zenith 6J5Gs. The vocals are the downfall here. They are not really pulled out all the way as much as I would want. Also the high-end never gets really clean/crisp. Possibly due to the Winged-C.

Zenith 6J5Gs - I like how this tube pairs with the Tung-Sol 5998. Very wide sound stage, really dynamic tubes.. as although they are on the warm side and have that creamy midrange, the low or high-end is not forgotten. It is able to have really good instrument separation and yet keep the vocals centered. Very warm and smooth sound. It's just more balanced and a more enjoyable listen than the L63.

Chatham 6080WA - Subbed the 5998 or Winged-C out with this on some and it never won. It sounded pretty nice though. Warm but brighter than my RCA 6AS7G or the Winged C, but low-end lacking vs those two. I need to listen to this one a bit more.

Awesome! Thanks much for the detailed impressions. I can't tell for sure from your photo -- does the Chatham have steel plates or graphite plates? If the latter, I found that tube needs a good 25+ hours of break-in, and after that needs 20+ minutes of warm-up (from cold) to get into its groove. The bass on both of mine was MIA at the outset, but developed pretty nicely after they broke in some. The Svet probably still holds the upper hand in that area, but the Chatham is not as much of a slouch once it reaches its sonic peak. Was your Svetlana Amperex Winged-C made in the Russian province of England like mine? LOL!!!

 

[therremans]

I meant to type Edicron, Made in UK. The Chatham isn’t the graphite plate version. I’ll let it play more to break it in.

 

[JKDJedi]

The 6C5Gs - Paired with the Tung-Sol 5998, they have a pretty forward sound, not too much instrument separation going on. Very old tube sounding, pretty warm, lacking impactful midrange or low-end. Not bad but felt average. I'll come back to them later as I don't even have a matching pair yet. I thought they would shine on the Tung-Sol 7236 but they are unfortunately not compatible (at least mine). May work well with the 6080WA, will try that next.

The GEC L63s - Airy, warm, midrange bloom, forward soundstage and can be impactful with the right music, low end is mild but still there. I preferred them paired with the Tung-Sol 5998. It helped clean up that midrange hump (bloat?) without removing the airy quality that they have. I had to try out the Tung-Sol 7236 with these and although the 7236 was better at removing the midrange bloom, it just sounded too sterile. The 7236 pushed the vocals forward and took away too much of the midrange and bass impact. The music sounded like it was being run through a filter and the treble became intense. Yeah they are pretty nice sounding tubes but right now they are like my 2nd or 3rd favorite.

Tung-Sol VT-163 6C8G - Lively, fast, musical and very detailed. Paired with that Amperex Edicron Svetlana Winged-C, it has something special going on. I think it's possibly unique to my setup. The extra gain from the 6C8G is really welcomed on the HD6XX headphones. It brings out the midrange, low-end and creates some impact. Normal soundstage with decent instrument separation. Vocals are not in the front and center (or as smooth), as with the L63 or especially the Zenith 6J5Gs. The vocals are the downfall here. They are not really pulled out all the way as much as I would want. Also the high-end never gets really clean/crisp. Possibly due to the Winged-C.

Zenith 6J5Gs - I like how this tube pairs with the Tung-Sol 5998. Very wide sound stage, really dynamic tubes.. as although they are on the warm side and have that creamy midrange, the low or high-end is not forgotten. It is able to have really good instrument separation and yet keep the vocals centered. Very warm and smooth sound. It's just more balanced and a more enjoyable listen than the L63.

Chatham 6080WA - Subbed the 5998 or Winged-C out with this on some and it never won. It sounded pretty nice though. Warm but brighter than my RCA 6AS7G or the Winged C, but low-end lacking vs those two. I need to listen to this one a bit more.

Great write up, I'd give those L63 20 hours before a critically listen, they are true NOS tubes that need some burn in, they'll open up like the same as the Zenith. And the 6C5G is surprise. They're applauded on another thread here as the cats meow, I hope one doesn't have to grab them expensive Fivre tubes to appreciate them. Brimar, Mullard? I have a set of RCA 6C5G coming in and I'm almost certain they're gonna sound as you described. And really hard to top a 5998. Great write up, thanks.

 

[therremans]

Yes, I was going to add that the L63s are still fresh and that I’m going to leave them in for awhile. They will stay in the collection.

 

[MrMarc]

Tung-Sol VT-163 JAN-CTL-6C8G (round black plates) NOS 100%+
Okay, so the 6C8G works very well on the Darkvoice and is definitely a new favorite.
I have been waiting for a Tung-Sol VT-99 6F8G to show up at a reasonable price, but no luck as of yet. This 6C8G will sound the same, yet on paper it has more gain than the 6F8G, but still sounds so wonderful. It does not play well with my Tung-Sol 5998.. which for someone on a budget is a good thing. I expected the volume knob to be very sensitive with the 5998, but it wasn't that at all.. the sound was actually on the thin and gritty side.. it lacked depth and wasn't moving. Next up, my NOS 1950 RCA JAN-6AS7G black plates.. better but still pretty lifeless.

Now with my minty Edicron branded Svetlana "Winged C" 6H13C (NOS 1986), it shines! You can immediately hear that it's a very balanced combination. It was the first power tube I chose to demo this 6C8G on and looped back to it at the end. This has really shown what a difference the right combination can make.. The Svetlana has the low end power + accuracy and the Tung-Sol is extremely detailed. Every slight nuance of the instrument is revealed, sounds I did not notice before. This is probably the biggest surprise.. just how it brought out so much detail in songs I know so well. Nice lows, even on HD6XX, midrange is moving and powerful, high end is crisp but never fatiguing. The soundstage isn't so wide, not narrow but more in a realistic sense. The stereo separation is great. It's wonderfully musical.

Tracks like Joy Division - Decades (high treble range) do not destroy my hearing. Booka Shade - Body Language, this combo can fully produce the low, mid and high end with no problem. It's just quite balanced and energetic. I keep wanting to play track after track. I wish I could let you all hear it.. a Chatham 6080WA will arrive tomorrow and I am looking forward to hearing how that pairs. The pair of GEC L63s arriving soon have some real competition.

Thanks for all the information. I will definitely consider some of these options the next time I perform the next series of "rollin". I'm a BIG fan of the Svetlana "Winged C" 6H13C and it's currently my standard power tube. I have found it to pair very nicely with a myriad of driver tubes from TS GTBs to PSVANE and many in-between.

Marc

 

[Katholm]

Guys, thank you for your help regarding the Leesound cheap darkvoice fake a couple pages earlier. I went and ordered a DV from the shenzhenaudio sale with a 2 year warranty. I wanted to ask something thats probably never been asked here, how old are your DV's?
And since its a tube rolling thread, i also bought a 3 year used RCA vt231 grey and a RCA 6as7g black plates which is also used for 3 years for 40$ as a pack to get rid of the shuguangang crap
Now im after a nos 7236 tung sol to go with the rca vt431!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[JKDJedi]

Well blow me down and pick me up... I've just experienced my first ever microphonics on a tube..lol.. I can hear the headphone cable dragging and the pick up and placement of my coffee cup..

 

[JKDJedi]

Guys, thank you for your help regarding the Leesound cheap darkvoice fake a couple pages earlier. I went and ordered a DV from the shenzhenaudio sale with a 2 year warranty. I wanted to ask something thats probably never been asked here, how old are your DV's?
And since its a tube rolling thread, i also bought a 3 year used RCA vt431 grey and a RCA 6as7g black plates which is also used for 3 years for 40$ as a pack to get rid of the shuguangang crap
Now im after a nos 7236 tung sol to go with the rca vt431!

Thanks again everyone!

Hoping you meant RCA VT231. Great combo to start with, and congrats!! Welcome to the Darkside.

 

[Katholm]

Hoping you meant RCA VT231. Great combo to start with, and congrats!! Welcome to the DArkside.

Exactly this, editing now
I'm still doing my home work!

Thank you!

 

[therremans]

Well blow me down and pick me up... I've just experienced my first ever microphonics on a tube..lol.. I can hear the headphone cable dragging and the pick up and placement of my coffee cup..

Yes, did one of yours turn or was it a new purchase? You could likely return it.

 

[JKDJedi]

Yes, did one of yours turn or was it a new purchase? You could likely return it.

thanks..but the shipping would be more than the return..lol, it's them Sylvania 7A4 tubes.. turns out the mids are not as great as the 6jb variants.... or it's just this tube set in particular. All good..walking over to the MAil Box and see what todays roll is gonna be.. (probably the deodorant I ordered from Amazon)

 

[therremans]

thanks..but the shipping would be more than the return..lol, it's them Sylvania 7A4 tubes.. turns out the mids are not as great as the 6jb variants.... or it's just this tube set in particular. All good..walking over to the MAil Box and see what todays roll is gonna be.. (probably the deodorant I ordered from Amazon)

I did get a set of black plate Sylvania’s. I read black plate is preferred on these?Also NU gray plates are on the way.

 

[JKDJedi]

I did get a set of black plate Sylvania’s. I read black plate is preferred on these?Also NU gray plates are on the way.

Probably only come in black with these guys, they're more round than plated. I think they are... Getting the magnifying glass out

 

[therremans]

Probably only come in black with these guys, they're more round than plated. I think they are... Getting the magnifying glass out

This seller had gray and black pairs. But Sylvania and National Union are the only two companies who made them.

 

[JKDJedi]

This seller had gray and black pairs. But Sylvania and National Union are the only two companies who made them.

I got the black pairs then... Now I'm gonna check them all
Really....grey? .. 7a4 correct?
EDIT: I just did a quick look and you are correct they do list these as grey and/or black plated tubes..only from the pics I can't tell a difference. Mine could be grey for all I know