[connieflyer]

Which tube do you mean?

Sorry, late last nite, the C3G's

 

[Oskari]

Sorry, late last nite, the C3G's

Ah, but the C3g glass tube is in an aluminum can, it's not just paint.

 

[connieflyer]

Thanks @Oskari forgot that little detail

 

[hypnos1]

Loving my setup since 5 months
Powers GEC 6SA7G
Drivers Sylvania 6F8G

I would like to know the date of the Gec's
One SA Z
Second RM Z

Listening with EAD DAC and Audeze LCD-XC
Best overall, soundstage, wonderfull low end and perfect HF even with female voices
Sometimes I change powers to TS 5998 but I have a little bit of harsh HF and SSSSS
As TS 5998 has a greater gain (4,5) than the GEC's (2) I have to slide the volume a bit to have the same equalization
Because my Audeze's are from the bright side (and my ears are not so good) I always had problems with Siemens C3G and I couldn't find any powers to married them, so I could not listen to voices

I insist that I am very happy with the Sylvanias even better than Philips EL3N
I don't mind to spend 400 or more on the CEC's because they send ELISE to a new level of 2000/3000 hi end with this minimalist headphone amp. The better I have heard since 40 years of good Hi end audio, At this time we have, as well, very good registers and downloads, specially at 24bits

 
Hi f-r...glad you too are enjoying the magic of the GEC family of 6AS7G - let's hope they have a nice long life, no?!!

...(I think that makes four of us "extra lucky ones" now lol!... Elise certainly does seem to love 'em!

).
 

 
Sorry, late last nite, the C3G's

 
Aaahhh cf - looks like Oskari has beaten me to it...that 'black' is indeed the metal casing. Most of us prefer to release the little marvel from its prison...WITH CARE!!!...

 

[connieflyer]

Oskari is very quick on the replies!

 

[frederick-rea]

I would like to know the date of the Gec's
One SA Z
Second RM Z

RM = Dec 60, SA = Jan 61.

Thank you Oscary

 

[attmci]

Thank you Oscary

Here is the GEC year code:
 
A 1945
B 46
C 47
D 48
E 49
F 50
G 51
H 52
J 53
K 54
L 55
M 56
N 57
P 58
Q 59
R 60
S 61
T 62
U 63
V 64
W 65
X 66
Y 67
Z 1968
 
Someone had claimed that a "MWT" is generally better than a "GEC" in this thread, but didn't tell us the year of manufacture. Tubes made in the earlier years could be better than the later ones. Just my 2c. Moreover, GEC are great tubes but they won't transfer your $600 amp to an $2000 one.

 

[Spork67]

 
Someone had claimed that a "MWT" is generally better than a "GEC" in this thread, but didn't tell us the year of manufacture. Tubes made in the earlier years could be better than the later ones. Just my 2c. Moreover, GEC are great tubes but they won't transfer your $600 amp to an $2000 one.

 
They will come close at the prices some people are asking for them.
Amp - $600
Tubes (4@ $350 each) $1400
$2000
 

 

[DecentLevi]

Slight misunderstanding - I didn't mean to say the MWT 6AS7G's are better than the GEC's. I said the pair I had sounded better to me, either because of the base shape or more likely their being burned in. (I meant the originals may become equal performers, with burn in). The codes on my GEC matched pair is SL Z, which doesn't follow the above date code pattern so no idea when they were made.  Oh I got a good deal on my two pairs for only $600, but ironically I've spent near that, at $1,500 $1,850 of tubes / adapters in the last two weeks (including more not mentioned, so stay tuned 

). No problem really, because most are re-saleable should I not like some.
 
 
... What do you expect an OCD audiophile to do when he gets a raise, LOL 

 

[DecentLevi]

updated my above post
 
Also the date code on one of the two from the 6AS7G pair I'm using is VC Z - none of which match the above date code format so I think that may be an erroneous chart. Actually the pair I like best and had mentioned about is one genuine labeled GEC 6AS7G code VC Z with one identically constructed MWT 6AS7G without a date code.

 

[Oskari]

Here is the GEC year code:

A 1945
B 46
C 47
D 48
E 49
F 50
G 51
H 52
J 53
K 54
L 55
M 56
N 57
P 58
Q 59
R 60
S 61
T 62
U 63
V 64
W 65
X 66
Y 67
Z 1968

Let's add the months.

A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
E 5
F 6
G 7
H 8
J 9
K 10
L 11
M 12

First character is year, second character month.

 

[Oskari]

Also the date code on one of the two from the 6AS7G pair I'm using is VC Z - none of which match the above date code format so I think that may be an erroneous chart.

:confused_face(1):

SL = Nov 61, VC = Mar 64.

 

[DecentLevi]

Interesting - looks like the newer GEC's had the straight brown base, and those I liked better so far

 

[DecentLevi]

Bendix 6080WB / Chatham 6080WB compared​

 
You may recall several weeks ago my order of supposed "RCA 6080" had a Raytheon label and turned out to be what @UntilThen thought was a rebranded Bendix 6080:
 

 
All this time I've been under the impression that the above is true, until I received a pair of genuine Bendix 6080:

As you can see, they both have graphite / carbon plates, but the bendix plates are smaller and slotted. 
 
Then I realised what I originally had was actually a Selectron rebranded Chatham 6080:

 
Comparing the photos of Chatham 6080 I've found to my Selectron rebrand, there's no question these are 100% identical.
 
Sound comparison:
Unfortunately due to a technical error I will only be giving a 'by-memory' comparison. My rebranded Chatham 6080's caused some sort of unexplained ark a while back... just listening to the music for a while and out of the blue I hear an alarmingly loud single 'POP' of a firecracker sound in my right channel - luckily it was not deafening and a careful checking of both my hearing and the Elise + headphones I was using revealed all to be miraculously in good condition, though annoying enough to make me turn off my hi-fi rig for the night and shelf those blasted rebrands! They still work well, but I'm afraid to use them.
 
The above being said, what I can say by memory is that the rebranded Chatham 6080's sound quite weighty, full, thick yet authoritative. And the genuine Bendix by contrast sound much clearer with a slight treble emphasis and more energetic. The bass definition is much faster in place of the thick / weighty presentation of the former, yet it seemed slightly boomy as if the PRaT is less than ideal.

 

[mordy]

Hi DL,
 
From memory there are four different versions of the 6080WB Bendix carbon plate tubes; the slotted ones you have (lucky you!) are supposed to be the best. (I have not heard the Bendix tubes myself - yet.)
 
There are carbon plate tubes by Chatham, Tung Sol, Raytheon and Bendix, but I don't know if they are all Bendix tubes. There are other rebranders as well.