Which 6SN7GTB tube will tend to smooth out and roll off the treble? RCA red base or Sylvania brown base?
Ron’s New System
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
I'm sure Angela Cardas will loan you 2 pairs of their (well burned-in) Clear Beyond speaker cables to try out for true bi-wire set up.
I'm not in the phase of auditioning speaker cables.
I found RCA GTBs tend to be a bit warmer and softer.
6sn7gtb
I am here to know who has experience with these tubes and which is the best he likes and why
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I have found that for some strange reason 6SN7s are among the most variable sounding small signal tubes. Given how linear they are I have always found this fascinating and frustrating to the point where I don’t really like the tube type anymore.
NOS, yes but Ron’s are new production from Russia. I found Sylvania VT231s to be the most well rounded in my Horning SET.I found RCA GTBs tend to be a bit warmer and softer.
6sn7gtb
I am here to know who has experience with these tubes and which is the best he likes and why
I end up settled on mid 1940’s Ken Rads to go with the current WE300Bs in my LM SET amps but the Sylvania VT231 are worth trying as well… if I do swap to a Stradi 300B in the other LM amp I’ll be using for the OBs subs I’m working on i will probably try out the Sylvania VT231 that I have already again just to see… both wartime WW2 Ken Rads and Sylvania VT231s are very much worth exploring for anyone drawn to this tube type.
The grey RCAs I had from the 1940s were as Tim described… so a shade more visceral, warm but just not as incisive as the Sylvanias or Ken Rads from the same WW2 periods.
Phil, 213Cobra, visited yesterday and said the same thing -- that general observations of sonic attributes of a particular 6SN7 are difficult because the same tube from different years might sound noticeably different.
I got some NOS RCA red bases from Brent Jesse based on Internet research that they might be generally smoother/more rolled off in the treble. However, Phil reports that in his experience Sylvania brown base generally is smoother/more rolled off in the treble than the RCA red base.
As Phil suggested, if the burn-in doesn't solve the "problem," I just have to try different combinations.
As Phil suggested, if the burn-in doesn't solve the "problem," I just have to try different combinations.
I might just run the entire system through this to roll off the treble a bit:
Tonal balance can be altered by adjusting speaker placement and orientation.
Really? Good to know!
The whole purpose of my current exercise is to compare two different amplifiers. Adjusting speaker placement to change tonal balance to favor one of the two amplifiers makes no sense.
true; but room surface reflectivity is probably just as significant. obviously somewhat related to speaker orientation/driver type, but not completely.
The problem of HF is more about noise and distortion not about audio components.
to roll off the treble:
- some rooms have much better balance sound
- find a good position for listener in room
- change the speaker position (Stirling Trayle can help)
- time align both speakers
- lower the room RT and avoid hard slap echo
- block noise in every area and control distortion to increase SNR (AC power quality, RF problem, vibration, ground loops …)
- some digital records are abit bright, you can use analog mastered LP
- go for proper extended bass
The only component that you may prefer to change is the tweeters.
to roll off the treble:
- some rooms have much better balance sound
- find a good position for listener in room
- change the speaker position (Stirling Trayle can help)
- time align both speakers
- lower the room RT and avoid hard slap echo
- block noise in every area and control distortion to increase SNR (AC power quality, RF problem, vibration, ground loops …)
- some digital records are abit bright, you can use analog mastered LP
- go for proper extended bass
The only component that you may prefer to change is the tweeters.
Really? Good to know!
The whole purpose of my current exercise is to compare two different amplifiers. Adjusting speaker placement to change tonal balance to favor one of the two amplifiers makes no sense.
I used to agree with you but have since changed my mind. This topic was discussed in a very interesting WBF thread, that I can now not find. How do you know which of the two amplifiers is optimized for the room/speaker if you do not experiment with placement? You are talking about playing with tubes and wires to change the tonal balance. I would try to optimize each for a more revealing comparison. If not, I would always wonder what might have been. But it is your game, your money. Do what you want. Emoji.
I am still curious what your speaker manufacturer recommends. You are the dealer, but I would think his opinion would be of some value, especially if you tell him your preferences. What amplifiers do you recommend to your speaker customers at Audio Cafe? Do you disconnect the woofage towers when you demonstrate your Clarisys speakers for potential buyers?
Yes, of course.
I am not using the woofer towers. The Italians and the Frenchies have been driving the speakers full-range.
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