Psvane Acme Series (new flagship series)

[JSA]

@JSA Wondering what your opinion is of the Linlai 805A-DG's is now that you have had them for a number of days. I tried a pair and unfortunately had to sell them. While the top-end was very nice and grain free, I simply found them far too lean. This seems to be in line with all reviews of LinLai vs Psvane so far. I went back to my stock Psvane 805 AT's until I get something else - either RCA VT-143's or ACME's I think.

Hi nquery,
I have only 20-25 hours on my Linlai so far. I think given its price (1/3 of ACME) it is very good.
Key differences are well described in the latest review (by Joel) on 6moons.
If I would be to put one line description then:
Linlai is like standing in the morning in the fresh, clean air and looking ahead into open field. PRAT is excellent, so is soundstage, very well controlled and tight bass.
ACME is like standing in the same place in the late afternoon/early evening with a lot of sunlight put on everything in front of you nicely exposing details. More resolution, more dimensionality, more warm light on what you see or hear.
ACME is clearly better, but Linlai is also very good. I could easily live just with Linlai given the price difference.

 

[VinylSavor]

Hi Kingrex,

Although the information is a bit scarce I am trying to deduct the operating points you are using.
I assume the numbers in the first column are the cathode resistor which biases the tube.
If I then pick the 1200 case, That means 124V across that resistor which results in 103mA plate current
Since you are stating 87 W, I assume the Vp value given is from Anode to ground and not from anode to cathode. So the actual voltage across the tube is 967-124 = 843V. This would match the dissipation number given
103mA * 843V = 87W.

Have these measurements been done with the Elrog tubes? Or are these some measurements done with other tubes while the amp was at your technician? Different tubes will settle at different bias points so if you want to determine how you are running the tubes, you need to measure with the actual tubes in the amp.

I recreated a similar op point in a test set up see photos attached. 103mA and 860V . No color whatsoever visible on the plate, see photos.

I have to push the tubes to beyond 100W to get some cherry red on the plates, still barely visible but in a dark room you will see it. I will also show a photo.
And just for the heck of it I pushed the tube to 140W which then shows a clearly visible red spot on the plate. Of course this is not recommended but the tube ran like that with no issues.

As I wrote earlier the amount of red at the highest plate dissipation can vary a bit from tube sample to tube sample and especially depends on how the tube is installed. If there are no holes on the chassis around the tube socket which allows some airflow for convection, the tube will get hotter. Also in my test set up the tube is unobstructed by any chassis walls, chassis walls near the tube reflect heat back to it. Also when the amp is on for several hours everything will heat up and while at turn on no red might be visible it can start to show after some time.

So I would check your actual op point. If the Vp you listed is from plate to cathode rather than from plate to ground that means the tube runs at 103mA * 967V which is 100W. That would explain why you start to see some cherry red. Also when you are at it please check the filament voltage. The filament contributes a whopping 32W to the plate dissipation and any over voltage there is also not good. Also mains voltages can easily vary by 5% in some places even 10%. So if the measurements have been done at your technician, verify them at your home with your mains voltage

As I stated above a very slight barely visible cherry red is tolerable. But as a tube manufacturer and amplifier designer I must say this is not healthy and not a good operating point. It does give you maybe 15W output power probably less and if you push the amp loud it will distort earlier. When the amp starts to clip this can shift the operating point significantly from the no signal condition and cause higher plate dissipation. This is also an op point which will give you more even order distortion than other more sane conditions. This might subjectively sound more lively. Also note how the power supply voltage in your amp sags from 1011V to 967V between the 87W and 61W condition.That is a 44V drop for a mere increase of less than 30mA. Also does not look heathy and when you push your amp hard this voltage will start to fluctuate with the signal.

I hope this helps to shed some light on the situation.

Best regards

Thomas

 

[VinylSavor]

Here the tube running at 105W

 

[VinylSavor]

And here the tube running at over 140W.

 

[JSA]

And here the tube running at over 140W.

Hi Thomas,
Do you have any plans to introduce Elrog version of 805A tube (no cathode tip at the top)?

 

[VinylSavor]

Hi Thomas,
Do you have any plans to introduce Elrog version of 805A tube (no cathode tip at the top)?

Sorry, we have no plans for a 805A. The next tube we are releasing is a 5U4. This month

 

[Kingrex]

Excellent info. Last night I put mine back in. They were about where your image is at 105 watt. My amps are very open with good airflow around and under the tube. They are 3 iteration old so the transformer may be better now reducing that voltage sag. But I don't think so. Not unless you pay out the nose for a wider band silver transformer.

My numbers are based upon the Psvane ACME tube.

My main voltage is pretty rock solid here. All around the city my fluke reads between 120.5 and 123. My house is generally 121 to 122.7. Its 121.8 and 122.7 today.


Since I have the 1.2k in, I will shoot for the 1.3 and see if that clears the glow.
I don't know if my tech is competent enough to mess with the filament voltage. That may start a cascade of other issues. He is excellent with guitar amps. I am one of the only people dragging hifi into his shop.
I am considering switching to 240 volt. But it won't do much as my transformers are not center tapped. The back end result will be the same voltage.

 

[VinylSavor]

Excellent info. Last night I put mine back in. They were about where your image is at 105 watt. My amps are very open with good airflow around and under the tube. They are 3 iteration old so the transformer may be better now reducing that voltage sag. But I don't think so. Not unless you pay out the nose for a wider band silver transformer.

Are you saying the transformer has been changed since those measurements have been done or why do you think the voltage sag is less now? If it is less that would mean you might have higher voltages than you listed above? Silver transformers have nothing to do with this

Since you are running the tubes seemingly right at the dissipation limit or even a bit above, I strongly suggest to get voltages checked to make sure you are in safe territory. Also vital to check with the actual tubes you are using.

Having the filament voltage as close to the nominal 10V as possible contributes more to long tube life than the plate dissipation. So it is worthwhile to check this. I have seen amps running 845 at 11V. Also undervoltage on the filaments is not advisable.

Hope this clears some confusion. I regard our tubes as very sturdy and they can handle some abuse. Also we designed them to be as close to the original as possible. When you check the bias point listed in the measurement protocol and compare for example with a later vintage GE 845 data sheet which also allows 100W you will see that they are nicely spot on.

Best reagrds

Thomas

 

[Kingrex]

No teansformer change in my amps. The manufacturer has gone through 3 interactions since these were made.

I will have the filament voltage checked when the rebias happens.

Thanks.

 

[JSA]

Hi nquery,
I have only 20-25 hours on my Linlai so far. I think given its price (1/3 of ACME) it is very good.
Key differences are well described in the latest review (by Joel) on 6moons.
If I would be to put one line description then:
Linlai is like standing in the morning in the fresh, clean air and looking ahead into open field. PRAT is excellent, so is soundstage, very well controlled and tight bass.
ACME is like standing in the same place in the late afternoon/early evening with a lot of sunlight put on everything in front of you nicely exposing details. More resolution, more dimensionality, more warm light on what you see or hear.
ACME is clearly better, but Linlai is also very good. I could easily live just with Linlai given the price difference.

I have promised to share a bit more about Linlai 805-DG. So here are few more observations after another 25 hours (closed to 50 hours in total by now).

805DG are really great tubes. They have opened up a lot after some initial hours and have become much more sublime.
Sound with 805DG is extremely spacious, with very well controlled bass. Linlai tubes are also very tuneful with a lot of timbre and very good insight into individual instruments. The sound is full and not dry or lean at all - fresh cold water comes to mind when thinking of DG805. I am using Lampi GG2 SE as a dac/preamp. Putting ACME 274B into Lampi made it a perfect combination - truly great synergy with such setup.
I was thinking how to describe the difference between ACME 805 and Linlai DG-805 as these are very different. Not better/worse but just different.
The best parallel that comes to my mind is: ACME is like a super high quality copper cable and Linlai DG is like excellent silver cable.

As mentioned in my previous post - I find Linlai DG-805 to be excellent tube, and I could easily live without ACME 805. ACME is overall a better one, but Linlai is very good and I like its sound signature a lot (please bear with me - I am not a reviewer or anything of that sort, just sharing my own listening impressions).

I will likely keep both sets and swap them on a regular basis.

 

[nquery]

I have promised to share a bit more about Linlai 805-DG. So here are few more observations after another 25 hours (closed to 50 hours in total by now).

805DG are really great tubes. They have opened up a lot after some initial hours and have become much more sublime.
Sound with 805DG is extremely spacious, with very well controlled bass. Linlai tubes are also very tuneful with a lot of timbre and very good insight into individual instruments. The sound is full and not dry or lean at all - fresh cold water comes to mind when thinking of DG805. I am using Lampi GG2 SE as a dac/preamp. Putting ACME 274B into Lampi made it a perfect combination - truly great synergy with such setup.
I was thinking how to describe the difference between ACME 805 and Linlai DG-805 as these are very different. Not better/worse but just different.
The best parallel that comes to my mind is: ACME is like a super high quality copper cable and Linlai DG is like excellent silver cable.

As mentioned in my previous post - I find Linlai DG-805 to be excellent tube, and I could easily live without ACME 805. ACME is overall a better one, but Linlai is very good and I like its sound signature a lot (please bear with me - I am not a reviewer or anything of that sort, just sharing my own listening impressions).

I will likely keep both sets and swap them on a regular basis.

Thanks for the follow-up. From my 30 + hrs with the Linlai's I agree with most everything you say except for the sound being "full". Maybe I didn't give them enough time or maybe I am just used to my stock Psvane AT's likely being 'thicker'. But then again, I think I prefer copper to silver cables given my current room/setup . Regardless, I have sold the Linlai's and have a pair of ACME 805's arriving this week. Will let you know how that works out.

 

[matakana]

I have promised to share a bit more about Linlai 805-DG. So here are few more observations after another 25 hours (closed to 50 hours in total by now).

805DG are really great tubes. They have opened up a lot after some initial hours and have become much more sublime.
Sound with 805DG is extremely spacious, with very well controlled bass. Linlai tubes are also very tuneful with a lot of timbre and very good insight into individual instruments. The sound is full and not dry or lean at all - fresh cold water comes to mind when thinking of DG805. I am using Lampi GG2 SE as a dac/preamp. Putting ACME 274B into Lampi made it a perfect combination - truly great synergy with such setup.
I was thinking how to describe the difference between ACME 805 and Linlai DG-805 as these are very different. Not better/worse but just different.
The best parallel that comes to my mind is: ACME is like a super high quality copper cable and Linlai DG is like excellent silver cable.

As mentioned in my previous post - I find Linlai DG-805 to be excellent tube, and I could easily live without ACME 805. ACME is overall a better one, but Linlai is very good and I like its sound signature a lot (please bear with me - I am not a reviewer or anything of that sort, just sharing my own listening impressions).

I will likely keep both sets and swap them on a regular basis.

Nice write up, thankyou. Do you think you would get the Linlai 274b to compare against the ACME?

 

[nquery]

I have promised to share a bit more about Linlai 805-DG. So here are few more observations after another 25 hours (closed to 50 hours in total by now).

805DG are really great tubes. They have opened up a lot after some initial hours and have become much more sublime.
Sound with 805DG is extremely spacious, with very well controlled bass. Linlai tubes are also very tuneful with a lot of timbre and very good insight into individual instruments. The sound is full and not dry or lean at all - fresh cold water comes to mind when thinking of DG805. I am using Lampi GG2 SE as a dac/preamp. Putting ACME 274B into Lampi made it a perfect combination - truly great synergy with such setup.
I was thinking how to describe the difference between ACME 805 and Linlai DG-805 as these are very different. Not better/worse but just different.
The best parallel that comes to my mind is: ACME is like a super high quality copper cable and Linlai DG is like excellent silver cable.

As mentioned in my previous post - I find Linlai DG-805 to be excellent tube, and I could easily live without ACME 805. ACME is overall a better one, but Linlai is very good and I like its sound signature a lot (please bear with me - I am not a reviewer or anything of that sort, just sharing my own listening impressions).

I will likely keep both sets and swap them on a regular basis.

One other question for you - are your tubes labelled Linlai Global or do they have a Chinese label?

Linlai seems to be stating that they are screening/tuning tubes for the asian market vs western. From a 6moons review: "In short, Linlai aim at serving Western music and its usual instruments without emphasizing the particular features of Chinese music with its pronounced ultra-high frequencies. Linlai tubes sold to vendors in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are tuned, produced and screened to meet Asian listening habits and preferences. They bear a different logo in Chinese script". Likewise the main page of https://linlaiglobal.com really talks about this a lot.

I initially thought this was just verbiage to maintain western pricing/marketing and also seemed technically questionable. So I got my Chinese labelled Linlai's from a reputable Chinese seller and not labelled Linlai "global" via Grant Fidelity or other western distributor. Almost half the price. But now I am wondering if there isn't some truth to it! If so, Linlai buyers will need to be careful where they purchase from.

I don't believe that Psvane does this - there is no certainly no difference in labelling or ever been wording to this end. I did order my Psvane tubes from the same reseller and I know others who bought Acme's from them successful. This seller actually was willing to take back my 805DG's at full price and just charge me the difference to upgrade to E-805's. They are very responsive, cheap, ship fast and free via DHL (3 days door-to-door), and they have replaced another's broken Psvane tube without question or cost. So we'll see ...

[EDIT: I see from your pics that you got Chinese labelled tubes intended for Asian market ... so there goes that theory of mine]

 

[JSA]

Nice write up, thankyou. Do you think you would get the Linlai 274b to compare against the ACME?

Thank you.
I have actually ordered Elite 274b from Linlai few days ago already There is a lot of positive reviews on head-fi, so I decided to try it out.
I hope it will arrive in 3-4 weeks from now.

 

[JSA]

One other question for you - are your tubes labelled Linlai Global or do they have a Chinese label?

Linlai seems to be stating that they are screening/tuning tubes for the asian market vs western. From a 6moons review: "In short, Linlai aim at serving Western music and its usual instruments without emphasizing the particular features of Chinese music with its pronounced ultra-high frequencies. Linlai tubes sold to vendors in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are tuned, produced and screened to meet Asian listening habits and preferences. They bear a different logo in Chinese script". Likewise the main page of https://linlaiglobal.com really talks about this a lot.

I initially thought this was just verbiage to maintain western pricing/marketing and also seemed technically questionable. So I got my Chinese labelled Linlai's from a reputable Chinese seller and not labelled Linlai "global" via Grant Fidelity or other western distributor. Almost half the price. But now I am wondering if there isn't some truth to it! If so, Linlai buyers will need to be careful where they purchase from.

I don't believe that Psvane does this - there is no certainly no difference in labelling or ever been wording to this end. I did order my Psvane tubes from the same reseller and I know others who bought Acme's from them successful. This seller actually was willing to take back my 805DG's at full price and just charge me the difference to upgrade to E-805's. They are very responsive, cheap, ship fast and free via DHL (3 days door-to-door), and they have replaced another's broken Psvane tube without question or cost. So we'll see ...

[EDIT: I see from your pics that you got Chinese labelled tubes intended for Asian market ... so there goes that theory of mine]

That is interesting...
I was not aware I have got Chinese version of the tubes. I bought them through aliexpress from the seller that seems to be official linlai tube store, but apparently that is not necessarily the case. This is actually strange as from correspondence on aliexpress it seemed they are indeed the Linlai factory. When I look at hifi-amplifiers webpage, the tubes they sell are with similar labels as mine. I thought Linlai Global is a new setup by the Grand Fidelity - isn't it?
We probably need to wait and see until it becomes more clear who is who when it comes to Linlai and whether Linlai Global is indeed different or just a different sticker on the glass.
ACME 805 I have purchased locally in Europe from the official dealer.

 

[nquery]

That is interesting...
I was not aware I have got Chinese version of the tubes. I bought them through aliexpress from the seller that seems to be official linlai tube store, but apparently that is not necessarily the case. This is actually strange as from correspondence on aliexpress it seemed they are indeed the Linlai factory. When I look at hifi-amplifiers webpage, the tubes they sell are with similar labels as mine. I thought Linlai Global is a new setup by the Grand Fidelity - isn't it?
We probably need to wait and see until it becomes more clear who is who when it comes to Linlai and whether Linlai Global is indeed different or just a different sticker on the glass.
ACME 805 I have purchased locally in Europe from the official dealer.

Yeah the linlai store on Aliexpress may be official or it may not be - hard to tell with that platform. Same with Psvane - there are 10 variations on psvanetubes.com that all pretend to be authorized/legit. Any linlai tubes you buy from a chinese shop will have the chinese labels. The Linlai tubes with "Linlai Global" in english on them look to have a more carefully controlled distribution in the west - so far Grant Fidelity seems to be the only one as per https://linlaiglobal.com/index.php/dealer-locator/. But they clearly want more as they have pages/faq's on becoming a reseller /oem of Linlai global etc.

The real question is do they actually sound any different as Linlai is claiming and promoting? How does the factory "tune" each tube model on the production line? It all sounds a little dubious in my mind. I suppose they could "screen" the output and put into two bins - but that would suggest extreme and disconcerting variance in production quality. So it's probably marketing BS in order to maintain western pricing. (and the different label of course). I have emailed Grant Fidelity to ask them about this ...

The Uniqueness of [LINLAI™ Global] Tubes:

Tubes bearing [LINLAI™ Global] logo are engineered, produced and carefully screened to exclusively meet western music listeners’ preference:

1) Aim to high degree of faithful reproduction of western music instruments, such as piano, acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic and electric bass / double bass, kick drums etc, which are common in western recordings but not as common in Asian music;

2) Create live-like sound image width and depth, and offer realistic balance across high, mid and bass frequencies, without exaggerating the ultra high frequencies (much of Asian music does focus more ultra high’s and Asian audiophiles are accustomed to such a type of sound).

LINLAI™ Tubes sold to vendors in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are tuned, produced and screened to meet Asian audiophile’s listening habits and preferences. They bear a different domestic logo – which is written in Chinese language. Such tubes will NOT have warranty from [Linlai™ Global] to buyers from outside of above-mentioned Asian regions.

 

[JSA]

Yeah the linlai store on Aliexpress may be official or it may not be - hard to tell with that platform. Same with Psvane - there are 10 variations on psvanetubes.com that all pretend to be authorized/legit. Any linlai tubes you buy from a chinese shop will have the chinese labels. The Linlai tubes with "Linlai Global" in english on them look to have a more carefully controlled distribution in the west - so far Grant Fidelity seems to be the only one as per https://linlaiglobal.com/index.php/dealer-locator/. But they clearly want more as they have pages/faq's on becoming a reseller /oem of Linlai global etc.

The real question is do they actually sound any different as Linlai is claiming and promoting? How does the factory "tune" each tube model on the production line? It all sounds a little dubious in my mind. I suppose they could "screen" the output and put into two bins - but that would suggest extreme and disconcerting variance in production quality. So it's probably marketing BS in order to maintain western pricing. (and the different label of course). I have emailed Grant Fidelity to ask them about this ...

The Uniqueness of [LINLAI™ Global] Tubes:

Tubes bearing [LINLAI™ Global] logo are engineered, produced and carefully screened to exclusively meet western music listeners’ preference:

1) Aim to high degree of faithful reproduction of western music instruments, such as piano, acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic and electric bass / double bass, kick drums etc, which are common in western recordings but not as common in Asian music;

2) Create live-like sound image width and depth, and offer realistic balance across high, mid and bass frequencies, without exaggerating the ultra high frequencies (much of Asian music does focus more ultra high’s and Asian audiophiles are accustomed to such a type of sound).

LINLAI™ Tubes sold to vendors in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are tuned, produced and screened to meet Asian audiophile’s listening habits and preferences. They bear a different domestic logo – which is written in Chinese language. Such tubes will NOT have warranty from [Linlai™ Global] to buyers from outside of above-mentioned Asian regions.

Interesting, but to me it sounds just like marketing slang. How can someone tune the tube???
I think I have read somewhere that it is Rachel from Grant Fidelity that has created a Linlai Global setup. Time will show.
Nevertheless I am very happy with my pair of Linlai, especially because these are so different from ACME.

 

[nquery]

Interesting, but to me it sounds just like marketing slang. How can someone tune the tube???
I think I have read somewhere that it is Rachel from Grant Fidelity that has created a Linlai Global setup. Time will show.
Nevertheless I am very happy with my pair of Linlai, especially because these are so different from ACME.

So this is the initial response I got from Rachel:

We don't have factory level details of how they differentiate products for different markets.

However, from our past decade of experience in dealing with vacuum tubes, we have seen many tube models visually the same, but sonically quite different as per worldwide customers' feedback. Modern vacuum tubes design and production have many many steps in design, material formula and assembly technics that can be tweaked and fine tuned to achieve different sonic signature. Manufacturers do not disclose this level of information - this is their trade know-how that they guard very carefully in order to stand ahead of competition.

I would suggest you to consider if these factors matter to you personally or not, then decide if to pay for a price that you consider fair for them. If these factors do not appear to matter for your sonic enjoyment, I see nothing wrong not to pay for such features and just go with what feel right to you from the internet market.

And then I very politely asked her if she/GF had been involved in creation of Linlai Global brand and got this non-answer answer back:

Not sure what you are implying but we are not interested in internet gossip.

Make what you will of it .... but I guess I am contributing to internet gossip and she didn't like my question !@#

 

[JSA]

So this is the initial response I got from Rachel:

We don't have factory level details of how they differentiate products for different markets.

However, from our past decade of experience in dealing with vacuum tubes, we have seen many tube models visually the same, but sonically quite different as per worldwide customers' feedback. Modern vacuum tubes design and production have many many steps in design, material formula and assembly technics that can be tweaked and fine tuned to achieve different sonic signature. Manufacturers do not disclose this level of information - this is their trade know-how that they guard very carefully in order to stand ahead of competition.

I would suggest you to consider if these factors matter to you personally or not, then decide if to pay for a price that you consider fair for them. If these factors do not appear to matter for your sonic enjoyment, I see nothing wrong not to pay for such features and just go with what feel right to you from the internet market.

And then I very politely asked her if she/GF had been involved in creation of Linlai Global brand and got this non-answer answer back:

Not sure what you are implying but we are not interested in internet gossip.

Make what you will of it .... but I guess I am contributing to internet gossip and she didn't like my question !@#

Hi nquery,
Thanks for all the efforts. To me the reply from Rachel raises more questions than provides answers.
Sounds very unlikely that suddenly Linlai offers twice as many product variations as originally. Essentially each Linlai tube comes with Linlai Global logo version as well. Time will tell - maybe someone will do direct comparison of Chinese and Global versions.
I have checked on aliexpress and it is difficult to judge whether I am buying directly from Linlai or not (it seems to be Linlai but who knows). One thing is for sure that spec sheets that I have received for my DG805 are from the same date as my order date. So if this is a dealer I am buying from, he must be close to the factory.

 

[U_J]

Hi all, I am new to this forum but I have read this thread with great interest since I have recently purchased some ACME 845's to update my Psvane WE 845's that I use in my highly modified Ming Da amps running in SET mode.

The amps are running a Plate Voltage of 1050V and I have experimented with Bias up and down around the 80mA mark where I find the best performance is to be had, my Acme's mesh on one side and mainly on the top section glows orange/cherry.

After many emails back and forward with Rachel at Grant Fidelity where I purchased them from just before they stopped selling Psavane , she was very reticent to commit either which way about whether it was acceptable or not for them to be glowing and she offered to give my money back.

I was not so sure about sending them back because straight out of the box with virtually no run in they were obviously better than the WE variant with much finer detail and were producing an already beautiful guitar sound ( this has only improved with run time ) . I told her that I am happy to keep them as long as I could be assured that they would last me 1000 or 2000 hours and not prematurely fail and there seemed to be mixed messages coming from owners of the tunes on this forum and others about whether the glow was acceptable or not. Of course Rachel would not commit to providing any guarantee of this even though under consumer law in most any country if you sell something and make a profit from that sale them you provide a warranty that is commensurate with expectation for that product.

In frustration I contacted Psvane directly and received this response;

Hello,

There is no problem with this and it will not affect the life of the tube.

The operating conditions of each machine are different.

Thank you for using our products.

Best Regards

Psvane Audio

------------------ ???? ------------------


So I thought this is great news and I will share it with Rachel and the response I received from her was certainly not what I was expecting;

As we no longer have business relations with Psvane brand, we will not comment on whatever information they have provided you directly.

Our return offer in the previous email will not be extended based on the information you have received from them directly.
i.e. you may NOT return the tubes to us seeking refund anymore, after the 30 days we have offered you.

Thanks for your understanding of the division of obligations during this business change time.

Best,
Rachel
---

So she basically rescinded her offer of a refund, I kindly pointed out that on that basis then you accept that the tubes are fit for purpose and should one fail prematurely then I expect a replacement or a refund after all you sold them to me at a not meagre cost i.e. you can't have it both ways. I also pointed out that her feud with Psvane is irrelevant to her customers like me who have purchased the product from her , she chose to sell it and make money from the sale and therefore is responsible for warranty in much the same way a retailer is always responsible for warranty regardless of whether a manufacture warrants the product or indeed if the manufacturer goes out of business

Needless to say I have not heard from Rachel again.

Anyway the bottom line is that I love the sound of the Acme 845, they are quite a step up in performance from the WE variant which was already very good and I continue to run them with the glowing mesh. I will let you know in time if I have a premature failure, to date I have about 50 hours on them and they just keep getting better, the bass now has come up to a solid deep sound where it was a little lean to begin and the ability to produce acoustic guitar with both body and detail with a lovely harmonic structure can be sublime at times , in comparison the WE variant sounds a bit thick and slow in comparison.

I have my fingers crossed that they do not fail, I am not sure what I would use it because is so hard to go backwards in sound once you have heard something better ! From the reviews of the Lin Lai and Elrog to date I am not sure that they are any better than the Acme or the WE for that matter.

Below is a pic of one of my glowing valves...