[eschell27]

Has anyone compared the GEC 6080 to the GEC 6as7g? Some people say they are a similar sound and that the 6080 is close enough in SQ especially at the considerably lower price. I have yet to hear either but may give the 6080 a shot before sinking $5-600 into a nice pair of 6as7g if they will give me 60-80% idea of how awesome their big brother is!

 

[billerb1]

Fran (Franatic),  the HiFi'er who turned me on to Valve Tubes, swears by the Westerns.  I've never heard them.  I had the TS5998's but not the legendary WE 421A's.

 

[thecrow]

Has anyone compared the GEC 6080 to the GEC 6as7g? Some people say they are a similar sound and that the 6080 is close enough in SQ especially at the considerably lower price. I have yet to hear either but may give the 6080 a shot before sinking $5-600 into a nice pair of 6as7g if they will give me 60-80% idea of how awesome their big brother is!

I beleive that the gec6as7g tubes are up there uniquely by themselves. And under them and slightly different are the tung sol 5998 and we421a

Perhaps you are thinking of the gec 6as7ga (which are shaped like the gec6080? Perhaps.

Edit: to add a couple of things

after buying my wa2 about a year ago and sourcing a lot of info from experienced heads here and buying a group of tubes i would say that common shared experiences and views in this thread hold true and can be used as a firm guide

if you are looking for neutralness and detail is essential then the gec6as7g are what you want - IF they fit within your budget. Great extension and both ends, magical and sweet and the detail...well i already mentioned that. there are some opinions that the tung sol 5998 and the we 421a can go better with the t1 headphones for some though. my personal experiences are with my hd800

the ts998/we421a offer a little less detail but deliver more punch / rock overall - perhaps i notice that more due to the little less detail. mind you that is not saying that the gec6as7g don't deliver punch. Perhaps this extra punch works well with th me t1's ti fill out their mids abit. these are 1/2 the price of the gec's so again, if budget is important.....but can you stretch it.....

after that then we go to others. that sit below including some that i have - less detail (some more than others), quite often more warmth. I do enjoy my bendix 6080wb graphite slots when i'm looking for something different when listening to, for example, some deep purple.


it all comes down to what's important for you. what your are after, what you listen to, your headphones

i personally use my gec tunes 90% of the time and am more likely to change the preamp tubes just for something different.
For ME the preamp tubes are the tweak but the power tube choice is more the base of what you are after sound wise

i hope my views might help a little at least to let you know one person's opinion


bottom line - the recurring/consistent views from/among members here i have found hold true

good luck and have fun

the wa2 is a great amp

 

[billerb1]

Well we all kinda swear by what we like.  I've heard some swear the Westerns are identical to the 5998's and others swear there is no comparison.  I love the sound of the GEC's but I've talked to some who think they're nothing special.  It's not about convincing anyone that you're right or that your taste somehow ranks higher.  There are a lot of high quality sound signatures out there.  I just wish mine didn't always seem to cost so damn much.

 

[thecrow]

Well we all kinda swear by what we like.  I've heard some swear the Westerns are identical to the 5998's and others swear there is no comparison.  I love the sound of the GEC's but I've talked to some who think they're nothing special.  It's not about convincing anyone that you're right or that your taste somehow ranks higher.  There are a lot of high quality sound signatures out there.  I just wish mine didn't always seem to cost so damn much.

I totally agree on everypoint.

 

[billerb1]

  Has anyone compared the GEC 6080 to the GEC 6as7g? Some people say they are a similar sound and that the 6080 is close enough in SQ especially at the considerably lower price. I have yet to hear either but may give the 6080 a shot before sinking $5-600 into a nice pair of 6as7g if they will give me 60-80% idea of how awesome their big brother is!

 
I had the 6080's first and they baited me into wanting more of that sound.  The 6AS7G's turned out to be the full meal deal for me.

 

[eschell27]

Thanks for all the info! Will be saving up for the next few weeks and will continue to dig around before i settle on my first pair of power tubes and another pair of drivers.
 
Side note... Anyone have an extra pair of rft ez80's laying around they would part with? All the ones im seeing on ebay are coming from over seas...so thought i'd ask around before ordering from ebay.
 
Thanks!

 

[Krutsch]

  Well we all kinda swear by what we like.  I've heard some swear the Westerns are identical to the 5998's and others swear there is no comparison.  I love the sound of the GEC's but I've talked to some who think they're nothing special.  It's not about convincing anyone that you're right or that your taste somehow ranks higher.  There are a lot of high quality sound signatures out there.  I just wish mine didn't always seem to cost so damn much.

 
I'm not a tube guru, so take my observations with a grain of salt. My belief is that It depends on the versions of the above tubes. 
 
I have a collection of TS5998 and a collection of WE421a. My Westerns were sourced from a former Western Bell employee, via a dealer, and they are physically different from my TS5998s. I think there were likely versions of the WE421a that may have been re-branded TS5998 - I've seen pics on-line of them with the WE base-labeling, but without the same physical construction as my tubes. Most notably, the TS5998/WE421a tubes are missing the bottom D-getters.
 
The sound really is different. The 5998s I have exhibit an upper-bass / lower-mid bloom that isn't there with the WE421a and nothing I've heard can compare with the detail, tonality and punch of these tubes in my WA3.
 
I am going roll back in one of my GECs to see if my own opinion still holds, just for fun.
 
As always, YMMV.

 

[ru4music]

Auditioning some WE 396A (Northern Electric label) driver tubes in the WA2 via 6N3->ECC88 adapters.  Initial report: they sound very good.  They have a slightly warm (not lush), detailed and relaxed presentation which can be welcoming for the "in-your-face" and "all-business" TS5998s.  So far they seem to play all genre of music well (Rock, Blues, Jazz etc.)  I'd love to hear how these pair with the GEC 6AS7G or WE 421As (hint... hint my fellow tube rollers!)
 

 
Cheers!

 

[thecrow]

Same seller...but the curved-based

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6AS7G-A1834-GEC-NOS-BOXED-PAIR-VALVE-TUBE-LC40-/262581613881?hash=item3d23157539:g:2DoAAOSwdzVXtChL

That was langrex selling them

Anyone here bought them?

 

[ru4music]

That was langrex selling them

Anyone here bought them?

Not me!  At $650 USD for the pair, yikes!  That money would be better spent moving up to a different platform (e.g. 300B or 45 tubed based) in my opinion.
 
 
BTW, the WE 396A drivers put the TS 5998 presentation very close to the GEC 6as7g sound signature (from what I recall when I demoed the GECs in my system.) Of course, unfortunately, the price of the 5998 keeps going up as well!

 

[Krutsch]

 
Not me!  At $650 USD for the pair, yikes!  That money would be better spent moving up to a different platform (e.g. 300B or 45 tubed based) in my opinion.
 
 
BTW, the WE 396A drivers put the TS 5998 presentation very close to the GEC 6as7g sound signature (from what I recall when I demoed the GECs in my system.) Of course, unfortunately, the price of the 5998 keeps going up as well!

 
Looking at the unbelievable prices for many of the tubes in my collection, I've thought about unloading the entire collection and using the funds on a TOTL solid state amp.
 
I dread the thought of going through the headache of boxing, packing, shipping and then dealing with the inevitable complaints from recipients on eBay.

 

[ru4music]

   
Looking at the unbelievable prices for many of the tubes in my collection, I've thought about unloading the entire collection and using the funds on a TOTL solid state amp.
 
I dread the thought of going through the headache of boxing, packing, shipping and then dealing with the inevitable complaints from recipients on eBay.

No kidding, the prices are through the roof and keep going up.  It was just a few years ago when the GECs were selling for about $225-250/ pr. and we thought that was high.  At some point the price of tubes will be so inflated we'll dare not even listen to our systems, but just polish them and store them in a safety deposit box in a bank vault!

 

[Thenewguy007]

Looking at the unbelievable prices for many of the tubes in my collection, I've thought about unloading the entire collection and using the funds on a TOTL solid state amp.

I dread the thought of going through the headache of boxing, packing, shipping and then dealing with the inevitable complaints from recipients on eBay.

You could sell them here. There can probably be a few people from the 6AS7G/Woo/Elise threads that can make you offers on the spot.

 

[jhljhl]

You could sell them here. There can probably be a few people from the 6AS7G/Woo/Elise threads that can make you offers on the spot.

Makes sense tube prices going up after all amps that need them are being increasingly sold.