The 6N1P-EV...
All I can say is oh. my. god.
I liked the Amperex Globe 6CG7 I was using in my Vali 2. I thought, for the most part, it had a nice clean sound, open soundstage, decent bass. Because I have become a tube addict though, I couldn't resist the really cheap NOS Voshkod 6N1P-EV's that Viva Tubes had up for sale. Literally, think I paid $5 plus $8 shipping.
I have been using it for less than a week now, but I can't STOP USING IT. I want to put on my headphones and listen ALL THE TIME.
For anyone poking around for a good Vali tube upgrade, look no further.
I think it might have finally "settled in" a bit. This evening I came back from a long drive to grab a friend from the train, fired up my Vali and it sounded the best it has since I put the Voshkod in.
While supposedly the best of these tubes are the ones from 1975, 74 and 77, mine still sounds amazing and it is from 1990 as best I can tell. To begin with, there is no microphonic quality and absolutely no background noise. Viva Tubes did their testing very well, or these things rock, or both. They excel at nearly every genre in my opinion. Overall, the tube has an exceptionally open and detailed presentation. It can hold its own in even the most detailed tracks (thinking Nickel Creek here: vocal harmonies + a guitar, mandolin, and violin). It never feels like it runs out of oomph or resolution when slammed with a bunch of details. Good soundstage, very open top end. There is real depth here.
Treble has tamed out a bit all of a sudden. I don't notice sibilance unless I am listening to a track with poor mastering. Tracks that aren't sibilant arent sibilant. There is wonderful resonance here too, the notes feel warm but just in the slightest. The detail is off the charts.
Mids are really good too. Vocals are eye-watering (tears?) levels of clear and crisp. The sound open, real, nor canned and recorded. Even heavily produced tracks (the likes of Travis Scott) retain the same amazing detail powers here, great sound stage.
Lows are big when they need to be, but punctual otherwise. The Voshkod can still literally shake my HE400is though.
I don't know what to say, other than if you haven't tried one of these $10 or so masterpieces, you're missing out BIG TIME. It is so dang smooth! There is this "rolling" feeling to everything on this tube, a certain kind of momentum that is just so pleasing.