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Oct 29, 2015 at 8:23 PM Post #2,986 of 9,574
If you can find another 6AS7 version of Chinese tubes let us all know...
 
Oct 30, 2015 at 6:56 AM Post #2,987 of 9,574
mordy said:
Hi Jeb Listens,

Thank you for your thoughtful and balanced summary. There is some merit to what Liu Junyuan states, but on the other hand, if we don't let other people know about great tubes, how will we find out? Not everybody can try out a lot of stuff, and especially not the expensive ones.

On the other hand, if we can find inexpensive tubes that sound great, as long as they are available in larger quantities, the price is not going to change much. Only the very rare ones will go up in price if there is a sudden demand.

The other part of the equation is the synergy between different tubes. It may be possible that different amps react differently to different combinations.
 
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Hi Mordy - yes indeed definitely a lot of truth in what Liu Junyuan wrote.  You only have to go to the beginning of this thread (2009) to read about people buying 5998s for $20.  
 
Your point about synergy is a great one - within this thread you can read about the same valves being described as dark or bright & rich or lean, by different people.  I'm sure this has everything to do with ears, headphones, amps, DACs and - above all - our own internal sonic compass.  
 
Therefore, impressions threads and tube rolling guides are probably best treated only as starting points for one's own explorations or to make slightly better informed decisions when taking a punt on the very expensive tubes. 
 
Having recently worked my way through most of the tubes in this family, as much as I think the GECs/5998s are lovely tubes, my main feeling at the end of this journey is how you really can still get great sounding tubes for relatively little money.  I could happily live with a TS-6080 or an RCA 6AS7.   
 
 
 

 

 
Oct 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM Post #2,988 of 9,574
Hi Jeb Listens,

One more point, which was surprising to me when I first discovered it:

Even though there are very large differences between our equipment and personal perceptions, it is quite possible to come to a consensus on a GROUP of tubes that are top tier. Not everybody will agree that this one or that one is the best, but as a group there will be agreement that one of those tubes are among the best, with applications across the board.

An herein lies the usefulness of sharing our impressions - we will be able to find something pleasing our personal taste as well as wallet.
 
Oct 30, 2015 at 11:41 AM Post #2,989 of 9,574
Mordy, great point, well made.  There does indeed seem to be a consensus on many of the tube threads.  Some might describe this as the result of a sheep mentality or because good reputations are self-perpetuating.  Others might see it as a process of natural selection whereby the best tubes tend to rise to the top based on true merit.  Perhaps the truth is a little more nuanced than that and lies somewhere between the two.  I try and take it on a tube by tube basis. 
 
The closet lone-wolf in me tends to prefer the cheaper tubes that nobody talks about.  But that's a form of personal bias that's really no better than simply buying what someone else says sounds good.  I just try to be aware of it ! 
 
 
I do think that in the general tube threads it's quite good practice (as well as interesting) to contextualise listening impressions by mentioning the entire audio chain & blood-stream alcohol content at the time of writing  
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Oct 30, 2015 at 11:15 PM Post #2,990 of 9,574
I'm in line with your thinking Jeb I also enjoy the inexpensive tubes that many don't talk about, for me it's all about variety. I've found that some of the cheaper tubes sound absolutely amazing, An example would be a 5Z3 & a 80 both NU for under 10. sound as well as some of my more expensive tubes. Great sounding cheap tubes can be had I have many of them..
 
Oct 31, 2015 at 6:34 AM Post #2,994 of 9,574
I think those shuguang are 80s era tubes, though there are some other current production models
 
Oct 31, 2015 at 9:04 AM Post #2,996 of 9,574
I am 99.99% certain there are no current production 6AS7/6080 tubes. If there were, amp makers like AtmaSphere, who sell amps loaded with 6AS7s, would use them. But they don't. They use NOS Russian tubes.

And honestly, what fool would go into production of this tube? There is literally no money in it. One can buy NOS Svetlanas for $5 each, or even less when purchased in bulk, and there are clearly mountains of these available. A while back I thought about buying a box of 200 for $100 plus shipping. I don't think it's possible to manufacture that tube today for less than that.
 
Oct 31, 2015 at 9:31 AM Post #2,997 of 9,574
Shuguang are making other vacuum tubes, http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/purchase/shuguang-treasure-series-vacuum-tubes/
 
Oct 31, 2015 at 9:33 AM Post #2,998 of 9,574

Shuguang has been around since 1958 producing vacuum tubes and have made huge strides in quality in the past number of years. With updated equipment and quality control improvements they are now one of the worlds largest tube manufactures supplying many of the OEM amplifier manufacturers and most of the boutique tube brands from around the world.

 
Oct 31, 2015 at 11:04 AM Post #3,000 of 9,574
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