@thomaskong you should add some of the Japanese 6SN7s into your shootout. I have several made by NEC and Toshiba and I love the sound. I'd be curious to know how you rank them against your others.
Frankly speaking I do not know much about 6m8s tubes. I will just report the SQ after I got delivery of it. By the way i expect to get tubes with 1578 logo this coming Friday.
They could be good since some Japanese 12 ax7 tubes have good reputation. Since I do not have any of those Japanese tubes, I can not include them in the shootout unless someone lend me.
GE used to make tube for RCA. Thus some of GE tube is same as RCA Nos tube. Is it gray bottle or clear? They tend to sound warm and organic. I am using RCA gray bottle in buffer stage of Freya pre with satisfaction. If possible, it is best to try it in your amp before buying it.
It's a clear bottle. I won't be able to try it before purchase but it's in a deal with an RCA 6SN7, both for 60 quid from a reputable dealer in the UK. Yet to get precise details on the RCA but with the way things are going with NOS valves at the moment, I think I'll take them.
Yes, they suck. Avoid! GE makes some great tubes, such as some 6L6 and some 12AX7s, but *all* of their 6SN7 and 6SL7 tubes stink. Don't waste your time.
i havd a pair of (what I believe are Tung Sol) mouse ear 6sn7's. When I have used them I have enjoyed them. Does anyone have info or opinions on the mouse ear 6sn7?
Hard to describe. Harsh, limited musicality, nothing inherently nice-sounding about them, really. Bottom of the barrel. GE had many 6SN7s so even though the ones you're referring to were made in Canada, they had about a dozen different models and variants. Nevertheless, this one is easy ; just don't buy any of them. Do searches for others' opinions on them. You'll see it's a pretty standard and accepted opinion.
Are they well thought of? Do people like them?How ae they spec wise? Do they sound better in certain applications more than others? Who made them? I'm not tube literate.
Well, "Mouse Ears" is a term that is typically reserved for the Tung-Sol 6SN7s which have those, well, mouse ears, for lack of a better description. The round plates are revered and sound much better (supposedly - I never bought a set of mouse ears to do a direct comparison) but are understandably much more expensive. Specs don't matter much as it's all about the sound. For a cheap good 6SN7, I'd go for a Chrome Top Sylvania before I'd go with a mouse ear Tung-Sol set but that's all up to the individual.
As you say they had many variants and interestingly, research on the 6SN7 Tube Addicts thread on Headfi has revealed from a similar enquiry that it's identical to a CBS Hytron so I'll pick this up and report back.
I'd love to hear one of these one day. They seem to be very well regarded by most. I have the Tung Sol Black Glass 6SL7 and it's my favourite right now.
Does said reputable UK tube dealer have any Sylvanias by chance? Regardless of one's subjective opinion of sound quality, 60 pounds is too much to pay for a GE 6SN7, and since it's allegedly a JAN tube that was made in Canada, which isn't possible, I'm skeptical. I mention Sylvania as they cranked out nothing but hits in the 6SN7 game, both the original 1940's VT231s right up until the last GTB.
As I said, it's £60 for the GE and an RCA. I've already bought a Sylv VT231 from the same shop for £30 and am very pleased with it. Regarding the GE, here's the post with pictures of the CBS Hytron that was a response to someone who had made a similar enquiry to mine: 6SN7 Tube Addicts
Here's the link the the original post that shows the GE valve I've described. Interesting. 6SN7 Tube Addicts
I bought mouse ear and returned it on the base that one of tube is not branded Tungsol although both tube looks same with mouse ears. I found its SQ is average Joe not bad but not top tier like VT231 tubes. It is normal if you like the tube since overall it sound decent. But in the future, if you want to go for better details or transparency, you may go for RCA, Raytheon, Sylvanica Vt 231 tubes. Sometimes you may found one pair around 100$. Tungsol Bgrp is the best tube that I had tried but I am not sure it is worth 500$ or more on pair.
I also have CBS Hytron tube which sounds lively but details is not clean as top VT231 tubes. Enjoy it. While waiting for 1578 tube to be delivered tomorrow, I am using Red Brown Base Sylvania 6SN7WGT to play old Jazz by Benny Goodman. This one is very good for old Jazz with transparent window and nice details. But I paid 60$ for three tubes. 3- Red Brown Base Sylvania 6SN7WGT 6SN7 All 3 hole plates Strong Trio! | eBay What a value! With 14 different sets of 6sn7 tubes, i can taste various flavor like various wines.
As I said, there are *many* variations made in different countries. There is no "the GE 6SN7 tube". There is "one of the many GE 6SN7 tubes they made". What you're buying easily could be completely different than what is talked about in that link. Due to the many many variants, 9/10 chances what you're getting is a different tube than what is discussed.
I also refer to the link above very often. Red Brown Base Sylvania 6SN7WGT fit the description of TS brown base. 6SN7WGT, Tung-Sol. Black Plate, brown base – Sounds similar to the Tung-Sol VT-231, not as clean But it is still very good for classical Jazz.
