[mordy]

Sonically it's sounds warmer than a Raytheon vt231.
I think Mullard had a factory in Australia. There is a Mullard labelled 6sn7gta version that was build in Australia. Sadly I can't find a picture of those tubes.

There was a Philips plant in Adelaide, Australia. If I remember correctly there was a time when tube internals were assembled in England and shipped to Australia and then the tubes were completed there.

 

[Doug2507]

Noob question for you guys. Seems like different branding has a different "house sound" for the same tube, eg, RCA, Kenrad etc. If using a 231 as an example, how do they each produce their own house sound? Is it all just slight variation in the make up of the tube?

I've got a pair of Kenrad vt231's here, not a bad sound by any means but the mids are too lean paired with Taks. If I changed them to an RCA vt231, would that be essentially the same sound technically but with a tonal shift?

 

[TLO]

Noob question for you guys. Seems like different branding has a different "house sound" for the same tube, eg, RCA, Kenrad etc. If using a 231 as an example, how do they each produce their own house sound? Is it all just slight variation in the make up of the tube?

I've got a pair of Kenrad vt231's here, not a bad sound by any means but the mids are too lean paired with Taks. If I changed them to an RCA vt231, would that be essentially the same sound technically but with a tonal shift?

By comparison, RCA 40s VT-231 will sound thicker than KenRad VT-231, can be perceived as more laid-back. Though, some people might find it too dark for their taste but they are amazing for genres like Jazz and Blues. You really have to try them yourself to find out, just make sure you get those early 40s smoked glass with the old "meatball" logo. If you havent tried these yet, most British tubes like Mullard, MWT / GEC, STC / Brimar, etc (except Tungsram), have a richer and thicker mid. Have fun with your exploration.

 

[Doug2507]

And how do they make their own house sound, is it all down to slight variation in model design / tuning?

 

[TLO]

And how do they make their own house sound, is it all down to slight variation in model design / tuning?

I believe it is due to physical structure design (eg. shape of plates, grid wiring, etc) as well as material content since they all followed the same electrical specs of the prototype.

 

[tdadawa]

Did you grab a pair of a 40s AWV vt-231 smooth plates or a nice pair 50s pair with staggered plates ?

Westinghouse and Raytheon GTB would be only a side grade.


Sylvania GTB is a great performing tube for a fair price.

Depends to your budget and your sonical preferences. For sure RCA vt-231 will be a fine upgrade.
RCA never made a black glass 6sn7.

I don't want to go sideways so I might be spending big bucks. I've been looking at Vintage Tube Services out of Michigan but haven't called until I learn more of what I want.

 

[tdadawa]

This thing is killer