[Capt369]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buying new tubes is part of the fun of having a tube amp. I've been trying out variants of the 6N3/5670 in my Yarland P100, since this was a tube I had no experience with until the Yarland. The Russuan 6N3P's were better than the Chinese 6N3. But I ordered some NOS American 5760s to try next.

Skylab..I`ll be really curious as to what you think of the 5670`s. I just received the Russian tubes for my Yarland today and they`re heads and shoulders above the stock Chinese tubes. I`m really lovin` the music but..well..you know how it goes.

 

[Frihed89]

Since getting my SP in November, I have spent around $1200 for tubes. That's a lot of money. But here's what I have for it: 3 RCA 5751 TMBP, 2 PRs KenRad VT-231, 1 PR Sylvania Bad Boy Vt-231s, 1 PR Sylvania VT-231, 4 PR RCA VT-231, 2 PR NU VT-231 (black and grey glass), 2 PR Raytheon VT-231, 3 Pair RCA 6SN7GT (grey glass), and a whole lot more of 6*12AT7s, 4*12AU7s, 4*12AV7s, 8*7201s, 4*6414s, 3 pairs*5687s, 2*6SN7 GTBs, 2*6BL7GTAs, 8*5965s, and assorted (8) pairs of lesser but perfectly OK 6SN7s from Tung Sol and Sylvania, plus some other 5751s and outputs for my MapleTree and my McAlister preamp and power amp. I have over 120 tubes! In October, I had zero.

So, I actually think I have done pretty well. I have NOT bought a single tube off Ebay. My main source of tubes has been other enthusiasts, who are trimming or culling their collections. Some tubes were just given to me free of charge. I have found a few word-of-mouth sellers with low prices. I have traded used hifi gear for some of the tubes. I bought 8 from Mikhail plus what came with the SP (but no VT-231s).

How many truely NOS tubes do I have? None. How many in their original boxes? Just a few pairs. How many have gone bad? Two, and I was given even better replacements.

Every time, I see a VT-231 for $140 and up, I wince. The most I have paid for any pair of tubes - absolute top - was $80 for VT-231 NUs and it was worth every penny.

How do the rest of you keep your tube costs down?

 

[Rob N]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roam /img/forum/go_quote.gif 6DJ8's are too "solidstate sounding" for my tastes, not surprising since their distortion spectrum has a higher proportion of higher-order harmonics compared to tubes such as the 6SN7 and its ancestors, the 5687 family, and of course DHT's. It's a tube which I avoid like the RCA coin base 6SN7's from the 70's, run away, run away!

How do you feel about the sound of the 12xx7 series of tubes?

 

[Roam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you feel about the sound of the 12xx7 series of tubes?

Well, you know how many people associate muddy uncontrolled bass, overly warm mids and rolled of highs with tubes? That's the sound of a 12xx7 tube, I avoid them like the plague. Also has significantly more distortion than the octal tubes (6SL7, 6SN7) which they replaced, along with less power and drive capabilities.

Some of the best tubes in my opinion are the predecessors of the 6SN7, namely the 27, 37, and 56, or for the truly obsessed, the direct heated 26. They have rather similar to the 6SN7 in terms of power but have slightly higher plate resistance and hence a bit lower drive capability. The sound though is a true marvel, the closest I can think of is a Sylvania metal base 6SN7 but even better.

 

[braillediver]

Isn't a 6SN7 just and Octal 12AU7?


Mitch

 

[Roam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver /img/forum/go_quote.gif Isn't a 6SN7 just and Octal 12AU7?

While the 12AU7 was designed to replace the 6SN7, the operating parameters aren't the same and its linearity & distortion specs are a fair bit worse. The 12AX7 & 12AU7 are small low-cost replacements for the 6SL7 and 6SN7 respectively, the direct replacement for the 6SN7 in 9-pin mini format is the 6FQ7 and 6CG7, both of which are higher quality and performance tubes than the 12AU7. Much cleaner distortion spectrum, more linear, more power, and in my opinion, much better sound.

 

[Pete7]

Just spent another $130 on tubes for my SLAM. I won an auction on ebay for 2 NOS Raytheon 6SN7WGT's. Thinking about a pair of Pearl cryo'd TungSol 5687WA's. Where does it end?