I still use the Soviet Melz metal-base tubes (black plates, no holes), for my preamp output and amp driver tubes, along with their 6SL7 variant for voltage gain.
The nice thing about 6SN7 is their overall superior design means they are one of the most linear tubes, and while there are differences, they are all good tubes. At least I haven't found any bad ones yet, although I admit I haven't specifically tried.
Some may be overhyped, for example I agree with the author of the article Marty just posted that 5692 tend to sound a bit flat. Low-noise for sure, but subdued in their overall presentation.
The nice thing about 6SN7 is their overall superior design means they are one of the most linear tubes, and while there are differences, they are all good tubes. At least I haven't found any bad ones yet, although I admit I haven't specifically tried.
Some may be overhyped, for example I agree with the author of the article Marty just posted that 5692 tend to sound a bit flat. Low-noise for sure, but subdued in their overall presentation.