[mordy]

Hoo boy. Guess I'm adding some ecc31 tubes to my order. Oh, and another adapter. It's just money, right? That'll be the, oh I don't know, the 6789th adapter I'll need.

Any 6n7 I should look into as long as I'm going to be @Deyan 's retirement plan?

Well, I just thought that you might enjoy the ECC32 sound for a fraction of the cost of that $400 tube. The first time I used an ECC31 tube I got a real scare - the whole tube flashed an orange flash and I thought: OH NO! The tube I have is a very early one and I don't know if later ones have this feature: a quick heat feature that flashes the heater on start-up for quick warm-up. But it is perfectly normal for tubes with this feature and the quick heat feature was used in other tube types as well.
The 6N7 has the same pinout and you can get the metal ones very inexpensive - as always the K-R have good bass. Some people like the Visseaux 6N7G and GT as well, but pricier by now.
But let's face it - you probably have enough tubes that you could spend a lot of time finding very good synergistic combinations with the stuff you have, instead of buying and exploring new tubes.

 

[bcowen]

Hoo boy. Guess I'm adding some ecc31 tubes to my order. Oh, and another adapter. It's just money, right? That'll be the, oh I don't know, the 6789th adapter I'll need.

Any 6n7 I should look into as long as I'm going to be @Deyan 's retirement plan?

Just remember, there's no such thing as too many tubes adapters.

 

[Isaacc7]

Well, I just thought that you might enjoy the ECC32 sound for a fraction of the cost of that $400 tube. The first time I used an ECC31 tube I got a real scare - the whole tube flashed an orange flash and I thought: OH NO! The tube I have is a very early one and I don't know if later ones have this feature: a quick heat feature that flashes the heater on start-up for quick warm-up. But it is perfectly normal for tubes with this feature and the quick heat feature was used in other tube types as well.
The 6N7 has the same pinout and you can get the metal ones very inexpensive - as always the K-R have good bass. Some people like the Visseaux 6N7G and GT as well, but pricier by now.
But let's face it - you probably have enough tubes that you could spend a lot of time finding very good synergistic combinations with the stuff you have, instead of buying and exploring new tubes.

I’m always looking for a taste of what people rave about. And I’m always up for another flavor to add to the mix What I’m hoping for is that the ecc31 will basically be a higher gain bl63, or close enough. I have enough bl63 to last the rest of my life. Their gain is low enough that it can cause problems when combined with some output tubes.

 

[TLO]

I’m always looking for a taste of what people rave about. And I’m always up for another flavor to add to the mix What I’m hoping for is that the ecc31 will basically be a higher gain bl63, or close enough. I have enough bl63 to last the rest of my life. Their gain is low enough that it can cause problems when combined with some output tubes.

Just go directly for Mullard ECC31 and not US made 6N7. @gibosi has tried most of them and commented ECC31 has the best SQ. IMO, ECC31 is highly recommended, have 6 pairs in my stash myself. Another good tube to try is the ECC34, if your amp has another input tube connected parallel to the 6SN7 socket. My amp takes 1 X 6SL7 and 2 X 6SN7. As the gain on ECC34 is half of 6SN7, you need another higher gain input tube for compensation. I used a Tesla E83CC, gain of 100, as 6SL7 and they work perfectly, sound amazing.

 

[Isaacc7]

Just go directly for Mullard ECC31 and not US made 6N7. @gibosi has tried most of them and commented ECC31 has the best SQ. IMO, ECC31 is highly recommended, have 6 pairs in my stash myself. Another good tube to try is the ECC34, if your amp has another input tube connected parallel to the 6SN7 socket. My amp takes 1 X 6SL7 and 2 X 6SN7. As the gain on ECC34 is half of 6SN7, you need another higher gain input tube for compensation. I used a Tesla E83CC, gain of 100, as 6SL7 and they work perfectly, sound amazing.

Any idea how the ecc31/32 compares to the bl63? I know the bl63 has lower gain. My preamp is capable of providing as much gain as necessary so maybe I can try the ecc34 despite not having any other tube in parallel? I am also looking forward to trying the 2c50 which is supposed to also have great qualities but I think has among the lowest, if not the lowest, gain of anything in the twin triode driver world.

 

[TLO]

Any idea how the ecc31/32 compares to the bl63? I know the bl63 has lower gain. My preamp is capable of providing as much gain as necessary so maybe I can try the ecc34 despite not having any other tube in parallel? I am also looking forward to trying the 2c50 which is supposed to also have great qualities but I think has among the lowest, if not the lowest, gain of anything in the twin triode driver world.

Cant say, havent tried BL63. On the ECC34, they sounded having too much weight in my amp pairing with 6SL7 or ECC35, and ECC83 solved the boomy issue. Give them a try in your system, it might be setup dependant.

 

[triod750]

Due to having a 'common cathode', 6N7 cannot replace 6SN7 in every circuit. I ordered adapters to try them as output tubes in my amp that can use a lot of dual triodes, using adapters. I learnt, before even trying, that it wouldn't work. As input tubes they work for me.

 

[Isaacc7]

Just paid for the ecc31 tubes along with 30 others... I'll post about them in the pentode thread. OK, Now I really am done. I have 2 or 3 other tubes I will purchase at some point probably but they are unloved and unlikely to shoot up in price in the next couple of years. Hopefully by then I will have forgotten about them lol.

 

[Isaacc7]

I'm not up on my Raytheon nomenclature so asking for some help. I have seen folks talking about flat plates and t plates. I have even heard of ladder plates. I absolutely love the sound of this particular Raytheon 6f8g and I wonder if there is a 6sn7 with the same construction.

I also have these, are these the flat plates? Haven't tried them yet.

Which have a better reputation? Is there another type from Raytheon?

 

[Ranger Ron]

I'm not up on my Raytheon nomenclature so asking for some help. I have seen folks talking about flat plates and t plates. I have even heard of ladder plates. I absolutely love the sound of this particular Raytheon 6f8g and I wonder if there is a 6sn7 with the same construction.


I also have these, are these the flat plates? Haven't tried them yet.


Which have a better reputation? Is there another type from Raytheon?

That flat plate tube is a rebranded RCA tube. Raytheon VT231 tubes are highly regarded. They made both a T plate and flat plate version.

 

[Isaacc7]

That flat plate tube is a rebranded RCA tube. Raytheon VT231 tubes are highly regarded. They made both a T plate and flat plate version.

So what is the first one called?

 

[Ranger Ron]

So what is the first one called?

That tube is most likely made by Raytheon (a fine sounding tube indeed) and has the T style plates.

 

[TLO]

I'm not up on my Raytheon nomenclature so asking for some help. I have seen folks talking about flat plates and t plates. I have even heard of ladder plates. I absolutely love the sound of this particular Raytheon 6f8g and I wonder if there is a 6sn7 with the same construction.


I also have these, are these the flat plates? Haven't tried them yet.


Which have a better reputation? Is there another type from Raytheon?

There are a few kind of flat plates but they are all called flat plates in general. There are flat plates with ladder or ridged like your Raytheon, then there is also a smooth flat plates.

 

[fuhransahis]

Hey folks, does anyone happen to know a trusted source where I can get Ken-Rad or RCA (Grey glass) VT-231s? My usual source is AudioTubes but he only has the CBS in stock. Tube Depot has the former for $400 a pair and the latter for $300, is that the norm and is Tube Depot reliable? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Isaacc7]

Hey folks, does anyone happen to know a trusted source where I can get Ken-Rad or RCA (Grey glass) VT-231s? My usual source is AudioTubes but he only has the CBS in stock. Tube Depot has the former for $400 a pair and the latter for $300, is that the norm and is Tube Depot reliable? Thanks in advance for the help!

You can try vintage tube services though Andy says he’s months behind. I’m shocked at those prices to be honest.