The Reference 6SN7 Thread

[bcowen]

FYI, Ultimate is my last amp. No if or buts. I'm so done with amps.

I'm bookmarking this page so we can laugh about it together a month from now.

 

[UntilThen]

Let me tell you what tubes are hot now. It's like predicting stock market.

So the stock tubes to buy now are...

RCA 6J5, Philips E80CC SQ, Telefunken EL12 and Tesla EZ81. This is a magical combination so buy it because the price will go up tomorrow and days after.

 

[g0ldl10n]

FYI, Ultimate is my last amp. No if or buts. I'm so done with amps.

Huh, you mentioned possibility of an 'Ultimate 2' just 4 days ago.. lol.. your wheels are a turnin' in your head already

 

[UntilThen]

Huh, you mentioned possibility of an 'Ultimate 2' just 4 days ago.. lol.. your wheels are a turnin' in your head already

No this is it. There comes a time when it's the end....... or rather the start of my tube rolling in Ultimate. I'm going overseas again in Dec you know... retirement's around the corner and time to party !

Anyhoo, I agree with the sentiments here that if you're starting with tubes (drivers) from scratch, it would be wise to choose something else other than 6sn7.

Take for instance the 2 drivers up above - E80CC and RCA 6J5 metal. Now they are really good. What surprise me is that the 6J5 kept up with the E80CC to the extent it almost overtake it. In this amp, with my gear and my ears of course.

 

[bcowen]

Let me tell you what tubes are hot now. It's like predicting stock market.

So the stock tubes to buy now are...

RCA 6J5, Philips E80CC SQ, Telefunken EL12 and Tesla EZ81. This is a magical combination so buy it because the price will go up tomorrow and days after.

All of my tubes are hot when I'm listening to them. Just sayin'.

 

[TLO]

All of my tubes are hot when I'm listening to them. Just sayin'.

Something must be really wrong in your head if the tubes are cold but you are listening to them....

 

[bcowen]

Something must be really wrong in your head if the tubes are cold but you are listening to them....

I've also never had a problem with hum or background noise in tubes I'm not listening to. Weird, huh? Might be on to something here....

 

[David A Silva]

No this is it. There comes a time when it's the end....... or rather the start of my tube rolling in Ultimate. I'm going overseas again in Dec you know... retirement's around the corner and time to party !

Anyhoo, I agree with the sentiments here that if you're starting with tubes (drivers) from scratch, it would be wise to choose something else other than 6sn7.

Take for instance the 2 drivers up above - E80CC and RCA 6J5 metal. Now they are really good. What surprise me is that the 6J5 kept up with the E80CC to the extent it almost overtake it. In this amp, with my gear and my ears of course.

Congrats on your upcoming retirement! I’ve been retired since ‘09, made time for music and driving around…

 

[UntilThen]

All of my tubes are hot when I'm listening to them. Just sayin'.

Some are hotter than others. Isn't this true of everything in life?

 

[UntilThen]

Congrats on your upcoming retirement! I’ve been retired since ‘09, made time for music and driving around…

I'll decide after my 3 months vacation in Dec.... again.

This is retirement and a beautiful song by a beautiful band.

 

[jonathan c]

All of my tubes are hot when I'm listening to them. Just bragging '.

 

[mordy]

No this is it. There comes a time when it's the end....... or rather the start of my tube rolling in Ultimate. I'm going overseas again in Dec you know... retirement's around the corner and time to party !

Anyhoo, I agree with the sentiments here that if you're starting with tubes (drivers) from scratch, it would be wise to choose something else other than 6sn7.

Take for instance the 2 drivers up above - E80CC and RCA 6J5 metal. Now they are really good. What surprise me is that the 6J5 kept up with the E80CC to the extent it almost overtake it. In this amp, with my gear and my ears of course.

I have a bunch of them all metal 6J5 tubes. A few years ago nobody wanted them (no tube glow) and you could get them really cheap - around $2 each.
It seems to me that many of them, regardless of brand, were made by RCA, with a couple of exceptions.

 

[Isaacc7]

I’ve given the RCA 12sn7GTA about the same number of hours as I have of the RCA 12sx7 and I’m willing to say that they pretty much sound the same. The 12sx7 might be a little smoother but they are so close I don’t think it makes a difference. I think at least one of the 12sx7 is older as well so that might have something to I do with it. I have a vague memory of owning a pair of grey glass RCA 12sn7, I should look for them and do that comparison as well.

Anyway, this is a good news/bad news situation for me. The good news is that I already have a fair number of these and now I don’t feel compelled to buy some more. The bad news is that I am in the process of getting my tubes organized in stay and go piles. I plan on making someone a good deal on a big pile of tubes and the RCA 12sn7 was going into thE go pile. I have a ton of interesting and possibly useful DIY tubes that are worth almost nothing and to move them I am going to package them with a bunch of useful audiophile tubes. I need to keep the ratio up to make the go pile more attractive. Still, not a bad problem to have I guess

 

[jonathan c]

There is something about 12SN7 tubes versus 6SN7 tubes - even of the same make (including rebrand) - in LTA MZ3: lower noise floor, same voltage as the accompanying 12AT7 / ECC81 tubes … .

 

[Mr Trev]

There is something about 12SN7 tubes versus 6SN7 tubes - even of the same make (including rebrand) - in LTA MZ3: lower noise floor, same voltage as the accompanying 12AT7 / ECC81 tubes … .

IIRC, tubes that run 12v heaters do have a lower heater current draw (typically half) than the 6v equivalent. Mayhaps the lower current draw equals less noise?