[Golden Monkey]

That's just because "Tung Sol" sounds cooler than "Sylvania", lol.  Like comparing the Chatham ones to the TS ones...identical, yet people say they like the TS better.  Or going full-stupid, the Western Electric 421A, the rarest of that type of tube, fetches insane amounts of money and is considered to be the pinnacle of the 6AS7G family...yet it is EXACTLY the same tube as the TS 5998 in everything but name.  Some even think that it was actually made for WE by TS, and I wouldn't be suprised.
 
So wait...you're saying that the 7236 sounds lighter in bass than the 5998?  And it images better in the soundstage dept.?  Well, that may well be the difference then between the TS and Sylvania 7236, or it could be due to vintage.  My early 60's TS 7236's compared to the same vintage TS 5998's, IME are like this:
5998: deep yet more articulate bass, detailed and deep soundstage, lots of air, clean, clear, accurate, neutral.
7236: bass hits harder and lower, but has less subtlety, detail, and nuance to it.  Slightly more constricted soundstage.  Closer more intimate presentation.
 
Overall I like the 5998 better, but the 7236 is great for rap/hip hop, techno, or closely mic'd studio recordings.  There's just nothing I can't throw at the 5998 that it doesn't do well.  The 7236 is the big boomer though, lol.

 

[realmassy]

Quote:

So wait...you're saying that the 7236 sounds lighter in bass than the 5998?  And it images better in the soundstage dept.?  Well, that may well be the difference then between the TS and Sylvania 7236, or it could be due to vintage.  My early 60's TS 7236's compared to the same vintage TS 5998's, IME are like this:
5998: deep yet more articulate bass, detailed and deep soundstage, lots of air, clean, clear, accurate, neutral.
7236: bass hits harder and lower, but has less subtlety, detail, and nuance to it.  Slightly more constricted soundstage.  Closer more intimate presentation.
 
Overall I like the 5998 better, but the 7236 is great for rap/hip hop, techno, or closely mic'd studio recordings.  There's just nothing I can't throw at the 5998 that it doesn't do well.  The 7236 is the big boomer though, lol.

My ears are all screwed up!!
My description of 5998 and 7236 is exactly the other way around...LOL
 
Soudstage with 7236 is refined, wider, like being in a concert hall compared to the jazz club of the 5998.
Overall the 5998 is warmer, it's not just the quantity of bass, but midrange has more body. The difference is clear with piano music.
7236 is a good match with symphonic music, probably the 5998 is nicer with acoustic jazz and chamber music.
 
Overall, the nice thing with the WA3 is how "reacts" to tube rolling: it's like having 2,3 amps at the same time, so when you want a different signature you just have to change tubes!
This is obviously impossible with solid state amps, and "cable rolling" is definitely expensive and doesn't have same impact on sound.
 
BTW, Golden, are you still thinking of upgrading the potentiometer?

 

 

[Golden Monkey]

It might just be down to your particular tubes compared to mine.  I agree on the 5998 having more midrange body, that's for sure.
 
I will probably leave the pot alone until it fails at this point...I went a little nuts on a portable setup, so that's consuming all my obsessive tendencies right now, lol.

 

[Skylab]

Interesting - I always felt the 5998 had more bass weight than the 7236, either brand (I have both TS and Sylvanias).

 

[StanT]

Just to further muddy up things ...
 
I really hated the Sylvania 7236. If I wanted a solid state amp, I would have bought one. In fairness, I didn't give it very long, but either Tung Sol sounded much better to my ear, immediately.
 
I waver between the Tung Sol 7236 and 5998. While I've moved from a Woo 3+ to a Wa2, I'm still swapping power tubes weekly. This week, I seem to prefer the 7236 with my HD650s and the 5998s with my T1s. Since I spend 90% of my listening time with the T1s, it would seem the 5998s win; but I'll probably waver another month.
 
The best suggestion I can give is to buy one of each. You need a spare anyway, both are very good. Join the club grasping for audio adjectives.

 

[mikemalter]

Quote:

Just to further muddy up things ...
 
I really hated the Sylvania 7236. If I wanted a solid state amp, I would have bought one. In fairness, I didn't give it very long, but either Tung Sol sounded much better to my ear, immediately.
 
I waver between the Tung Sol 7236 and 5998. While I've moved from a Woo 3+ to a Wa2, I'm still swapping power tubes weekly. This week, I seem to prefer the 7236 with my HD650s and the 5998s with my T1s. Since I spend 90% of my listening time with the T1s, it would seem the 5998s win; but I'll probably waver another month.
 
The best suggestion I can give is to buy one of each. You need a spare anyway, both are very good. Join the club grasping for audio adjectives.

Stan, I'm with you on the Sylvania, my take on it exactly.  Right now, for power, I am running a Tung-sol 6AS7G with about 30 hours on it, and it really started getting smooth about 20 our so hours in.  I've got a pair of GEC 6080's on the way (probably another two weeks; sigh) and I am looking at comparing them with the Tung-sol's.  My ultimate goal is a pair of GEC 6AS7G's and I am 5th down on a waiting list so it will be a while.
 
What are you running for drivers?
 

 

[StanT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikemalter /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
What are you running for drivers?
 

More wavering, I'm afraid. 

 
I have Siemens, Mazda, and Phillips SQ E88cc. The Siemens have too much edge in the treble for my taste, particularly with the T1s. The Phillips are silky smooth and the Mazda, in between. For now, I'm using the Mazda.  It's really recording by recording at this point and will come down to audio accuracy vs audio comfort.

 

[realmassy]

Quote:

Just to further muddy up things ...
 
I really hated the Sylvania 7236. If I wanted a solid state amp, I would have bought one. In fairness, I didn't give it very long, but either Tung Sol sounded much better to my ear, immediately.
 

No love for Sylvania 

To my ears, the combination of Black Sable 6922 and Sylvania 7236 is quite good, and as I said before sounds particularly well with symphonic music. And no, the WA3 still doesn't sound as a solid state amp

 

[realmassy]

Well, guys..maybe you're right :-D
Yesterday I put the Tungsol 5998 back, and I liked it!
The difference with the Sylvania is noticeable, the sound is warmer and extremely dynamic, live and not boring...I think I'll stick with the 5998!

 

[hodgjy]

It's my tube of choice.  It does everything extremely well.  That's not to say it's perfect, but it's the best combination for my preferences.  Some tubes do things perfectly, but really hurt in other areas, like the Sylvania 7236 for example.  The 5998 has no glaring weaknesses to my ear, so it lives in the amp for now.  It's the jack of all trades tube.  Great for many genres.
 
Quote:

Well, guys..maybe you're right :-D
Yesterday I put the Tungsol 5998 back, and I liked it!
The difference with the Sylvania is noticeable, the sound is warmer and extremely dynamic, live and not boring...I think I'll stick with the 5998!

 

[realmassy]

During the weekend I also tried 3 different 6AS7G (different getters...but I can't remember now): the sound of one of them was very very nice, very refined and liquid, but unfortunately they all were noisy, with a hum on the right or left channel (or both of them).

 

[Golden Monkey]

Indeed.

 

[hodgjy]

I had the same experience.  I really like the sound of the RCA 6AS7G, but they are noisy.  They definitely have a squeal to them, and they also have some sort of effect on my transformer.  The amp ran hot with them and gave off a noticeable hum.  These problems do not appear with other tubes.  Only the RCAs.
 
Quote:

During the weekend I also tried 3 different 6AS7G (different getters...but I can't remember now): the sound of one of them was very very nice, very refined and liquid, but unfortunately they all were noisy, with a hum on the right or left channel (or both of them).

 

[Golden Monkey]

Quote:

I had the same experience.  I really like the sound of the RCA 6AS7G, but they are noisy.  They definitely have a squeal to them, and they also have some sort of effect on my transformer.  The amp ran hot with them and gave off a noticeable hum.  These problems do not appear with other tubes.  Only the RCAs.
 
Quote:

During the weekend I also tried 3 different 6AS7G (different getters...but I can't remember now): the sound of one of them was very very nice, very refined and liquid, but unfortunately they all were noisy, with a hum on the right or left channel (or both of them).

 

That's interesting...I have a black plate RCA 6AS7G, and I also have a weird GE one with copper radiators, and both are quiet and no more or less microphonic than the 5998.  They run a little bit warm, but it's not too bad.  The amp killer is the TS 6520...it's a fantastic sounding tube, but very VERY microphonic.  Sounds a lot like the 5998, but a little brighter/less warm, with a nice open airiness and excellent detail - it goes well with darker/warmer tubes like Mullards or Brimars.  I have all kinds of isolation going on, but with no music playing I can lightly tap my rack and I'll hear it in my phones...compared to the 5998 & 7236 that I can tap the glass and barely hear.  It's also very high gain, and draws a lot of juice, so the amp gets hot.  Jack said it should be fine to use, but it kinda scares me, lol.  The 5998 is still king.

 

[realmassy]

Still enjoying my Woo!
I've recently updated the source (I use now a Havana dac), and I've also rolled the power tube, because the 5998 started to hum.
I'm using now a GEC 6080: not night and day difference.
It's extremely quiet, the sound is less "3D", the stage is slightly flatter, but the amp seems to be better in control during dynamic peaks, which I love with classical music.
 
It's time now to roll the drivers and try a pair of Mullard