[JKDJedi]

@JKDJedi weren't you happy enough with your sylvania gold brand 6080s? yes i have a chatham 6080.

A collector is never satisfied... How do you like them? I saw them highly favored and couldn't resist grabbing one.

 

[Slade01]

A collector is never satisfied... How do you like them? I saw them highly favored and couldn't resist grabbing one.

I don't have much to compare it to, but these were 1000x leagues better than the blobbly Sylavnia JAN 6080 WBs i originally tried. I had ranted a bit on DV thread about how sucky to me they were. I bought the chatham's in the same attitude...they were highly favored, and got them at a great price at the time. Was not disappointed at all, and didnt have a need to really keep experimenting with the 6080 sound beyond these. I think really great for its price point/tier.

 

[JKDJedi]

I don't have much to compare it to, but these were 1000x leagues better than the blobbly Sylavnia JAN 6080 WBs i originally tried. I had ranted a bit on DV thread about how sucky to me they were. I bought the chatham's in the same attitude...they were highly favored, and got them at a great price at the time. Was not disappointed at all, and didnt have a need to really keep experimenting with the 6080 sound beyond these. I think really great for its price point/tier.

I think you pointed me to an article a few months back was it this one?
And yeah the regular Sylvanias weren't that impressive (got rid of the Sylvania made Philips 6080 long time ago), by themselves maybe but when compared to the rest. Maybe not. The Gold Brand, different story, see how they compare to the Chatham though.
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/bottlehead-crack.120/page-3

Thomson CSF-6080WA

Price: ~£8 each
Availability: excellent


French military tube from 60's to mid 80's. Often comes in the original ridiculously oversized boxes. Clean, Airy & delicate. Nice treble performance. Well extended with impressive decay. Sparkly. Sweet sounding but could be a little bit metallic and a little thin sounding overall & especially in the mids. Good bass definition but may be bass-light for some. Works well with HD-650s. Nice budget easily available tube. If you got an RCA 6080 or GE-6080 as the stock tube then Thomson can be a worthwhile upgrade.

Treble: 8/10
Mid: 6/10
Bass 6/10

Overall Performance: 7/10
Value for Money: 9/10

Sylvania 6080

Price: ~£10-£15 each
Availability: very good

Also available as WA/WB/WC iterations (chronological improvements) which may sound different. Tonally very warm & soft. Liquid. Smeared & Blobby. Pretty Bleh. Lacking in dynamics, overall impact & detail is obscured. Mid-centric & slow. Poor extension at the top. Pretty nasty overall. Poor choice for HD-650s. I would skip it. Apparently later versions (with steel rather than the earlier copper grid rods) tend be noisy.

Treble: 1/10
Mids: 5/10
Bass 4/10

Overall Performance: 4/10
Value for Money: 5/10

Tung Sol 6080

Price: ~£15 each
Availability: Average

Cool looking tube with classic looking US print. Also appears under Chatham label. Cheap but doesn't seem to be loads of them around. Damned good sounding tube! Clear and wide but with extra bite - just what the HD-650s needs. Punchy & Holographic with vocals a little more recessed but well placed for me. Well extended in treble. Dynamic. Sounds quick. Tight bass with good attack & weight. Guitars have excellent tube "twang". Sometimes could be a little bit grainy sounding. My favourite budget tube if not one of my favourites overall. Gets feet tapping like few of the others. Seems in tune with the "spirit of the Crack". Sometimes ships as the stock tube in the kit - if so, no need to go any further unless you're curious.

Treble: 8/10
Mid: 8/10
Bass 8/10

Overall Performance: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10

RCA 6080

Price: ~£10 each
Availability: Excellent

Again, other iterations (JAN?) might sound different. This one sounds a bit richer than Tung Sol 6080. Initially sounds just average but with closer listening seems tonally very disjointed. Poor transient response & zero bite. Some mid-range & mid-bass suck-out. lacklustre. Treble can sound flat & rolled then strangely screechy at others. Weird & boring all at once. Loads around and cheap - and for good reason. Swap for a Thomson 6080 or Tung Sol 6080 asap.

Treble: 3/10
Mid: 5/10
Bass 4/10

Overall Performance: 4/10
Value for Money: 5/10

Bendix 6080 Graphite Plates

Price: ~£35 each (solid plate) £50 each (slotted plates)
Availability: average (solid plates) / poor (slotted plates)

Super ruggedised tube from New Jersey factory with graphite plates, thick glass and various extra supports - made for very demanding situations with need for high reliability. Thick glass - makes weird whizz-bang noises as it heats up. The only tube that needed 30 mins + to sound consistent (all others stable in 5-10) - which is a bit annoying for quick stealth sessions.

Super clean & solid sounding. Well balanced & surprisingly smooth. A hint of lushness (more than the standard Tung-Sol 6080). Instruments sound convincing, solid & well fleshed-out. Bass is slightly boosted but still well resolved and impactful. Treble extended and clear but lacking extra sparkle. Overall perhaps lacking in agility, punch and excitement factor. Might be lacking in "magic"

Solid performer but price-tag makes it relatively poor value especially vs the vanilla TS-6080. Perhaps use something more exciting in the input slot. Looks cool as hell in the Crack!

Slotted/ cross shaped plates more sought after and may sound different/better.

Treble: 7/10
Mid: 7/10
Bass 7/10

Overall Performance: 7/10
Value for Money: 5/10

Mullard CV2984 / 6080

Price: ~£30
Availability: pretty good

British tube in cigar roll. Very lush. Soft as hell. Lacking in transparency, resolution, and extension at both ends. However somehow manages not to be totally boring (unlike Sylvania 6080) with pretty special and unique liquid warmth in the mids that is strangely enjoyable and not found in any of the others. Glowing, rich & a bit other-worldly. Blended and swirled. Boomy, ill defined bass. Limited bandwith for music collection - Pathetic for electronica, worth hearing for other genres. Probably too thick and slow for HD-650s overall. Might be good for Beyerdynamics with sizzle. Will use from time to time.

Treble: 6/10
Mids: 8/10
Bass 5/10

Overall performance: 6/10
Value for Money: 6/10

GEC 6080

Price: ~£40+
Availability: not great but some available at higher prices (£65) on ebay

The less sought after of the 2 GEC tubes but almost as rare. Can sometimes be found for good (sub £30) prices. Beware people selling GE (US) tubes as GEC (British). Excellent and classy sounding tube – controlled, clean and spacious. Fundamentally warm but much less so than the Mullard and remains very well resolved in the treble and more balanced throughout. Extra shimmer and sparkle. Accurate and delicate with possibly the most impressive imaging/separation of the lot. Precise but not lean. Vocal is natural and well placed. Bass sounds well controlled but not monstrous. Some may find it all a bit lightweight/prissy. For me - the best 6080 next to the Tung Sol 6080 which has a bit more kick but isn't as refined.

Treble: 9/10
Mids: 8/10
Bass 8/10

Overall performance: 9/10
Value for Money: 7/10

GE 6080

Price: ~£8
Availability: excellent

Came as the stock tube in the kit and I returned to it at the end of all my rolling to see how far the Crack had come. A Good starting point and still better than RCA/Sylvania 6080. Overall sounds a little compressed, a bit dull and muted throughout the entire range when compared to the best of the others - but mostly inoffensive, nothing to worry about and will certainly not prevent the wow factor when first firing up a freshly built Crack. Impressively average in all departments. Would be cheap and easy to move to a Thomson 6080 or Tung Sol 6080 for a nice little upgrade but certainly no need to if you're not into tube rolling.

Treble: 6/10
Mids: 6/10
Bass 5/10

Overall performance: 5/10
Value for Money: 6/10

 

[LoryWiv]

Good reference, thanks! I wonder if results would vary in a different amp. I've been hunting for 6080's to use with 6SN7 drivers in Felik's Audio Elise. Was eying the Thomson's as they are avaialble / affordable on ebay, but open to other suggestions.

 

[JKDJedi]

Good reference, thanks! I wonder if results would vary in a different amp. I've been hunting for 6080's to use with 6SN7 drivers in Felik's Audio Elise. Was eying the Thomson's as they are avaialble / affordable on ebay, but open to other suggestions.

I'm sure they would differ, and yes those Thompson's. I couldn't find them, could you PM the link on those? Or here, your discretion,

 

[LoryWiv]

I'm sure they would differ, and yes those Thompson's. I couldn't find them, could you PM the link on those? Or here, your discretion,

Seller seems to have quantities so let's share with the thread:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Premium-Ma...S-Thomson-csf-France-Valve-Tubes/112136749496

 

[Slade01]

I think you pointed me to an article a few months back was it this one?
And yeah the regular Sylvanias weren't that impressive (got rid of the Sylvania made Philips 6080 long time ago), by themselves maybe but when compared to the rest. Maybe not. The Gold Brand, different story, see how they compare to the Chatham though.
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/bottlehead-crack.120/page-3

Thomson CSF-6080WA

Price: ~£8 each
Availability: excellent


French military tube from 60's to mid 80's. Often comes in the original ridiculously oversized boxes. Clean, Airy & delicate. Nice treble performance. Well extended with impressive decay. Sparkly. Sweet sounding but could be a little bit metallic and a little thin sounding overall & especially in the mids. Good bass definition but may be bass-light for some. Works well with HD-650s. Nice budget easily available tube. If you got an RCA 6080 or GE-6080 as the stock tube then Thomson can be a worthwhile upgrade.

Treble: 8/10
Mid: 6/10
Bass 6/10

Overall Performance: 7/10
Value for Money: 9/10













Sylvania 6080

Price: ~£10-£15 each
Availability: very good

Also available as WA/WB/WC iterations (chronological improvements) which may sound different. Tonally very warm & soft. Liquid. Smeared & Blobby. Pretty Bleh. Lacking in dynamics, overall impact & detail is obscured. Mid-centric & slow. Poor extension at the top. Pretty nasty overall. Poor choice for HD-650s. I would skip it. Apparently later versions (with steel rather than the earlier copper grid rods) tend be noisy.

Treble: 1/10
Mids: 5/10
Bass 4/10

Overall Performance: 4/10
Value for Money: 5/10









Tung Sol 6080

Price: ~£15 each
Availability: Average

Cool looking tube with classic looking US print. Also appears under Chatham label. Cheap but doesn't seem to be loads of them around. Damned good sounding tube! Clear and wide but with extra bite - just what the HD-650s needs. Punchy & Holographic with vocals a little more recessed but well placed for me. Well extended in treble. Dynamic. Sounds quick. Tight bass with good attack & weight. Guitars have excellent tube "twang". Sometimes could be a little bit grainy sounding. My favourite budget tube if not one of my favourites overall. Gets feet tapping like few of the others. Seems in tune with the "spirit of the Crack". Sometimes ships as the stock tube in the kit - if so, no need to go any further unless you're curious.

Treble: 8/10
Mid: 8/10
Bass 8/10

Overall Performance: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10







RCA 6080

Price: ~£10 each
Availability: Excellent

Again, other iterations (JAN?) might sound different. This one sounds a bit richer than Tung Sol 6080. Initially sounds just average but with closer listening seems tonally very disjointed. Poor transient response & zero bite. Some mid-range & mid-bass suck-out. lacklustre. Treble can sound flat & rolled then strangely screechy at others. Weird & boring all at once. Loads around and cheap - and for good reason. Swap for a Thomson 6080 or Tung Sol 6080 asap.

Treble: 3/10
Mid: 5/10
Bass 4/10

Overall Performance: 4/10
Value for Money: 5/10










Bendix 6080 Graphite Plates

Price: ~£35 each (solid plate) £50 each (slotted plates)
Availability: average (solid plates) / poor (slotted plates)

Super ruggedised tube from New Jersey factory with graphite plates, thick glass and various extra supports - made for very demanding situations with need for high reliability. Thick glass - makes weird whizz-bang noises as it heats up. The only tube that needed 30 mins + to sound consistent (all others stable in 5-10) - which is a bit annoying for quick stealth sessions.

Super clean & solid sounding. Well balanced & surprisingly smooth. A hint of lushness (more than the standard Tung-Sol 6080). Instruments sound convincing, solid & well fleshed-out. Bass is slightly boosted but still well resolved and impactful. Treble extended and clear but lacking extra sparkle. Overall perhaps lacking in agility, punch and excitement factor. Might be lacking in "magic"

Solid performer but price-tag makes it relatively poor value especially vs the vanilla TS-6080. Perhaps use something more exciting in the input slot. Looks cool as hell in the Crack!

Slotted/ cross shaped plates more sought after and may sound different/better.

Treble: 7/10
Mid: 7/10
Bass 7/10

Overall Performance: 7/10
Value for Money: 5/10








Mullard CV2984 / 6080

Price: ~£30
Availability: pretty good

British tube in cigar roll. Very lush. Soft as hell. Lacking in transparency, resolution, and extension at both ends. However somehow manages not to be totally boring (unlike Sylvania 6080) with pretty special and unique liquid warmth in the mids that is strangely enjoyable and not found in any of the others. Glowing, rich & a bit other-worldly. Blended and swirled. Boomy, ill defined bass. Limited bandwith for music collection - Pathetic for electronica, worth hearing for other genres. Probably too thick and slow for HD-650s overall. Might be good for Beyerdynamics with sizzle. Will use from time to time.

Treble: 6/10
Mids: 8/10
Bass 5/10

Overall performance: 6/10
Value for Money: 6/10









GEC 6080

Price: ~£40+
Availability: not great but some available at higher prices (£65) on ebay

The less sought after of the 2 GEC tubes but almost as rare. Can sometimes be found for good (sub £30) prices. Beware people selling GE (US) tubes as GEC (British). Excellent and classy sounding tube – controlled, clean and spacious. Fundamentally warm but much less so than the Mullard and remains very well resolved in the treble and more balanced throughout. Extra shimmer and sparkle. Accurate and delicate with possibly the most impressive imaging/separation of the lot. Precise but not lean. Vocal is natural and well placed. Bass sounds well controlled but not monstrous. Some may find it all a bit lightweight/prissy. For me - the best 6080 next to the Tung Sol 6080 which has a bit more kick but isn't as refined.

Treble: 9/10
Mids: 8/10
Bass 8/10

Overall performance: 9/10
Value for Money: 7/10








GE 6080

Price: ~£8
Availability: excellent

Came as the stock tube in the kit and I returned to it at the end of all my rolling to see how far the Crack had come. A Good starting point and still better than RCA/Sylvania 6080. Overall sounds a little compressed, a bit dull and muted throughout the entire range when compared to the best of the others - but mostly inoffensive, nothing to worry about and will certainly not prevent the wow factor when first firing up a freshly built Crack. Impressively average in all departments. Would be cheap and easy to move to a Thomson 6080 or Tung Sol 6080 for a nice little upgrade but certainly no need to if you're not into tube rolling.

Treble: 6/10
Mids: 6/10
Bass 5/10

Overall performance: 5/10
Value for Money: 6/10

Yes its probably this one. This post is still one of the more definitive ones that are still out there even after all this time. I keep it in mind as the OP to me is on point at least with the sylvania and the tung-sol/chatham descriptions/impressions.

 

[mordy]

The same tube sounds different in different amps, and then you have the synergy with the other tube(s) used.
I have had very good results in the Feliks Elise/Euforia with Sylvania and GEC 6080.
For me the best approach is to follow the people on the forum that have my amp and then, based on reading listening impressions, finding people that hear things similar to me. If you can find such people, their recommendations can be relied on.

 

[Ripper2860]

Seller seems to have quantities so let's share with the thread:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Premium-Ma...S-Thomson-csf-France-Valve-Tubes/112136749496

Or this listing if you just need a single...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6080WA-6080-NOS-Thomson-csf-France-Valve-Tubes/112755034736

 

[JKDJedi]

So I just saw a video from PS Audio and the guy claims tubes only last one year at peak, then they just start to fade. True?

 

[Ripper2860]

Damn!!! I've had a quite a few in my tube storage drawer for that long, so I guess I should toss them.

 

[JKDJedi]

Damn!!! I've had a quite a few in my tube storage drawer for that long, so I guess I should toss them.

LOL that's not gonna happen... Light them till they flare out .

 

[LoryWiv]

So I just saw a video from PS Audio and the guy claims tubes only last one year at peak, then they just start to fade. True?

Is that one year of cumulative use? In any case, that seems contrary to collective wisdom.

 

[mordy]

Not true. Tubes can last for years - I know of people who used the same tubes for 10 years and they still had life left.
I am currently using tubes that were manufactured in 1941 and 1942.

 

[Ripper2860]

Ditto. Several tubes from as far back as 1942.

1. I suspect Paul McGowan never, ever, turns off his tube/SS hybrid BHK amps/preamps.
2. He did say that he's certainly not an expert on tubes.