What a Saturday night!
Early on, one of my NOS 807 tubes (in an amp I had running off to the side) started hissing and glowing purple and red inside like a 4th of July finale! A quick shutdown saved the amp, but not the tube—turns out the top cap connection on the 807 tube came off.
Kicking things off more peacefully, I started with the Analog Ethos 2A3 kit amp (also available assembled). This is a nice entry point into the 2A3 world—giving people the taste of the 2A3 tube sound for not a lot of money. Recommended around the $2K mark for someone looking to build or buy their first real 2A3 setup.
Then came the Tektron 2A3 / 45 amp, which lets me roll with more common 6SN7 tubes—great flexibility.
I began with 1940s Ken-Rad 2A3s and Cryotone 6SN7s as a baseline to get a reference with a modern day tube.
But then enter the WWII-era National Union 6SN7s. I wasn’t expecting much—but WOW. Dense, rich, holographic, and emotionally captivating. These really surprised me.
Next up: early 1950s Tung-Sol 6SN7s (clear glass). Honestly, the biggest disappointment of the night. Too much top-end, a bit flat, and lacked the emotional magic. They’re now officially heading to my “For Sale” box.
Then the WWII Raytheon VT-231s took their turn. Excellent refinement, very balanced with a silky top end—not quite as emotionally gripping as the NU tubes, but very close and absolutely worthy. In fact, some nights I’d call it a tie for first place.
Finally I dropped in the CBS / Hytron 6SN7s from the early ’50s. Huge, spacious soundstage, and very refined—though a little lighter in the mid-bass. Still excellent, and very much a top-tier tube that I'm keeping for sure.
Final Rankings:
National Union 6SN7 – Stunning, rich, immersive, tonaly dense and complex;
Raytheon VT-231 – Just a hair behind, maybe even tied on a different night;
CBS / Hytron – Big, airy, clean though a tad lighter in the mid-bass;
Tung-Sol (early ’50s) – Meh. These are headed for sale
To close the night, I fired up the Brunoco and Qualiton 6L6 amps with some 1940s Sylvania and Marconi 807s.
While they don’t match the detail layering of the 2A3 setups, they still deliver huge musical fun and great dynamics—and give me that extra power kick for some late-night rave tracks.
Here is a picture of the "morning after" although I only got to less than half the tubes I wanted to try.
Early on, one of my NOS 807 tubes (in an amp I had running off to the side) started hissing and glowing purple and red inside like a 4th of July finale! A quick shutdown saved the amp, but not the tube—turns out the top cap connection on the 807 tube came off.
Kicking things off more peacefully, I started with the Analog Ethos 2A3 kit amp (also available assembled). This is a nice entry point into the 2A3 world—giving people the taste of the 2A3 tube sound for not a lot of money. Recommended around the $2K mark for someone looking to build or buy their first real 2A3 setup.
Then came the Tektron 2A3 / 45 amp, which lets me roll with more common 6SN7 tubes—great flexibility.
I began with 1940s Ken-Rad 2A3s and Cryotone 6SN7s as a baseline to get a reference with a modern day tube.
But then enter the WWII-era National Union 6SN7s. I wasn’t expecting much—but WOW. Dense, rich, holographic, and emotionally captivating. These really surprised me.
Next up: early 1950s Tung-Sol 6SN7s (clear glass). Honestly, the biggest disappointment of the night. Too much top-end, a bit flat, and lacked the emotional magic. They’re now officially heading to my “For Sale” box.
Then the WWII Raytheon VT-231s took their turn. Excellent refinement, very balanced with a silky top end—not quite as emotionally gripping as the NU tubes, but very close and absolutely worthy. In fact, some nights I’d call it a tie for first place.
Finally I dropped in the CBS / Hytron 6SN7s from the early ’50s. Huge, spacious soundstage, and very refined—though a little lighter in the mid-bass. Still excellent, and very much a top-tier tube that I'm keeping for sure.
Final Rankings:
To close the night, I fired up the Brunoco and Qualiton 6L6 amps with some 1940s Sylvania and Marconi 807s.
While they don’t match the detail layering of the 2A3 setups, they still deliver huge musical fun and great dynamics—and give me that extra power kick for some late-night rave tracks.
Here is a picture of the "morning after" although I only got to less than half the tubes I wanted to try.
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