Hallo
I been following this thread from the beginning.Very interesting.I agree with most of the comments.I am lucky I got about 35 different 6sn7 .maybe more ,from the all around the world, including the rare Swedish 33S30B and B65 and all the Mullards and Brimar,s ECC32 and 33 .You having a big discussion about the 1578,I got around 50 matched pair the oldest 1970 and the newest a 1981 and with deep gray to light grey and some with brow plates and some with the 1578 Stamp and some not.The question what is the best,well very difficult,because I can not measure a difference and cannot hear any difference.They sound the same too me.I personally think the 1578 it is one of the best,but what is the best,well it all depends on what you like and the recording and room acoustics.I just moved house,not 100% correct,I moved into another continent,that’s more accurate.The room acoustics are so different that everything that I believed is sorted out,what tubes work the best and with what music,I has all changed.The last 2 month, I am trying all my tubes again and in different combinations.My preamp uses 12AT7/ECC81and 6SN7/12SN7 and power amp 12ax7/ECC83 and 12au7/ECC82 amp power tubes a pair of TV sweep tubes 17JN6 per channel.If you ask me what is the best 6SN7 the answer would be,the best 6SN7 is not an 6SN7 but a 6J8G with adapter,but right here is get very difficult,because most of then the manufacturer name on the tube,is not always what you may get .I got Ken Rad in Sylvania boxes, and Raytheon in Sylvania boxes and National in Sylvania boxes all completely different constructions,the only ones that are easy make out is the TungSol with the black bottle,but you get a round plate and ladder plate ones.The best of the 6J8G is for me the Ken Rad and the TungSol Ladder plate,even if the round plate costs much much more.I have been collecting tubes for over 30 years and let me tell you ,tubes can be a mine field.Don’t always believe what is written on the tubes or boxes are correct,It takes lots of experience and time to sometimes correctly identify a tube,it sometimes takes days and weeks and in the past I have been a victim with tubes.The last time was when I ordered about 3 years ago when I ordered 1578 from Ebay and got 1955 ,6N8 and paid Euro 200 a pair,but the person told me and even showed me a picture of the1578.The 6N8 is ok but not great,wont make my list of top 20 ,6SN7. From here the science is lost and it becomes hype ,woodoo and believe .I know and I also belong in this group .the NOS tubes are the best and yes most of the best are all NOS 6SN7,but don’t underestimate the new top 6SN7 from China,I got a Psvane Mark 2 and Sophia Blue bottle and the Shuguang and the massive Globe Tube from Treasure also from Shuguang.The big problem with these tubes are the prices.To pay almost as much for some of these new Chinese Tubes that a Pair of Tungsol oval plates,that I find ridiculous,but if I ordered them myself ,I must not complain and a I ordered all of them,so I have to take the punch.Are they any good,yes they are,they are really good,The Blue Bottle Sophia is stunning,very open,fast with a massive soundstage,very good detail,but this tubes needs 100 hours before it develops any bass,I usually don’t believe in burning in Tubes or not much at least ,but this one that needs it.The big Globe Shuguang is one of my top 5 ,6SN7 of all time,with an soundstage as big as your room but nothing is bloated,lovely tube,but it doesn’t fit under my preamp,s top cover so I hardly use it ,because I don’t want to run the preamp without top cover,not because of any danger, but I highly modified it and it does not look that need.Well one off the best 6SN7 is also not an 6SN7,it is a 7N7 with adapter,basically 95% of all 7N7 were made by Sylvania and you get 3 different one ,one with staggered plates small bottle and a T- plate,small bottle and the big bottle with the same plate structure than the Sylvania VT 231,some people are raving about the Sylvania VT 231 or Bad Boy tube,well this 7N7 gives you everything,but because this tube got small pins like a EL84 you have to clean then and it is a tedious job,with a steel wire brush and fine sandpaper and clean every pin one by one.The good news are these tubes are cheap ,but can also be very microphonic so selecting and measuring each tube all over again.This make tube rolling so interesting and hard work.I strongly believe everybody must make up his own mid ,what is the best tube for him and if it is the cheapest tube of the all,so be it and for better.I is a joy to read some comments about the TungSol Oval/ round plate,this is the first time I ever seen that anybody criticises them ever,well I don’t criticise them but love them,but that is my opinion.Some people believe if you criticise the TungSol Round/ oval plate tube ,then there is something wrong with your system,full stop.So far I would no go,but it is even for me difficult to imagine a system where it would not sound good .Luckily I covered the ridiculous asking price ,years ago,when I bought about 20 pairs for $50 a pair each.I was fortunate about 30 years ago and been on a US action and bought a truck full with tubes,including the truck with a Dutch person and he was also my mentor of tubes .Well ,my HiFi system is running now and I got a pair of Raytheon VT231 brown base ,with flat ladder plates in at the moment.My preamp at the moment got 1965 Siemens&Haslke E81cc and the Raytheon 6SN7 and my power amp running with Raytheon black long plate 12AX7 from around 1957-1958 and another Siemens&Haslke Chrome plate ECC82 from 1963.
Just to give my opinion,I hope nobody will get influenced ,but rather make up his or her own mind what it the best 6SN7
My top are not by oder but random,TungSol oval/ round/ VT231 ,just for interest,the oval and the VT 231 TungSol are the exactly same tubes.Raytheon VT 231 ladder plates,the 1578,any one with the same construction that measures well,Shuguang Globe Tube,Hytron Jan- CHY 6SN7 GT, Ken Rad VT 231 ,the big bottle Sylvania 7N7 with the same plate structureas the Sylvania VT231and my favorite the Ken Rad VT99 ,6J8G.
Many will ask where are then MO Valve Company B65 or the Swedish 33S30B and the Mullards and Brimar and some will ask me ,don’t you have any Telefunken 6SN7,yes I got about 6 pairs,some were made in Sweden,the the same Tube as the 33S30B and some,well I don’t know where they made because of all my research I could never find any proof that Telefunken ever made a 6SN7.It is well known that Telefunken relabelled Tubes ,like the 6SN7,because if they made them themselves they would have the diamond mark,like all great Telefunken have and made in Germany in Berlin or Ulm factory.So this is a highly debated story ,the Telefunken 6SN7 mystery and you will hear 100 different options,what is correct,I don’t know .Some were made in Eastern Europe and some were bought from Phillips,but where did Phillips got them from.who knows .All these tubes don’t fall under the best,they all sound great but lack dynamics and speed and detail and extended high frequencies and tight bass.
Keep on rolling these tubes,this is a hobby we must live,because we are the last generation,after us there will be no NOS left ,they will all be gone.
sorry for the long story
Cheers
