NEW Re-issue (Russian) Tung-Sol 6SN7 in SLP98 preamp?
 

Has anyone here actually compared and prefer the new reissue Russian Tung Sol 6SN7 tubes over the original vintage Tung Sol version in your Cary gear? (SLI-80, SLP-98, SLP-05), others...


---------

.

Looking forward to reading your review!

Pack66184, sure thing.

In the process of burning them in now. Some early signs of goodness.

.

UPDATE:

I’ve been running the quad of new production re-issue Tung Sol 6SN7s in my Cary SLP-98 tube preamp for the past three days solid.
Not bad for new reissue reproduction. I like these for different reasons, for the money a real bargain and could benefit a system that is midrange shy.


-Full sound, added weight, bass. Bottom end is here immediately.
-Midrange+ is a tad forward (pro or con) depending on your speakers.
-Slightly Grainy at first during early break in, better with a little more time on them.

Hey decooney. Glad to see you still have your 98. I am running nos rca’s in mine and am a happy camper. These were black base - I think 1960s. I want to say they were 58 each - so not crazy money. I really like them.

My system is directstream ->slp98p (direct coupled/ hexfreds and other cap upgrades) -> sunfire signature-> Maggie 20.7. Any future tube suggestions?

Hey Timm, Yes Sir, this 98 aint goin' nowhere. I had the exact same RCAs you have now (in a prior rig) and like them too, a lot, and particularly for your tube pre and SS amp setup with the Maggies. I ran a similar combo and it was very nice before I went back to tube mono blocks.

Well everything seems to be sounding swell. So no goals here. I know...sad I have no goals!! Lol. Do you leave yours in standby? I’ve been doing that for the past year. every time I think about an slp05 - I think again and say what for?

Sounds like you've accomplished what you need and that's a financially smart place to be my brother! :thumbsup: Don't second-guess yourself if you like the sound. Some times change is just different not always better. My buddy compared his upgraded 98 to preamps at 4x the cost up to $20k. Both of us preferred the 98s sound - music. I use standby periodically, not always.

I've tested various tubes in my preamp again recently. EH 6SN7s (ok), vintage black base long plate Sylvania 6SN7GTs (nice, resolution), Tung Sol re-issue (full, forward midrange), TJ Full Music (musical, 3D, deep soundstage). They all sound different and testing continues. With more time on the new TS reissues, sounding better than day-1.

Haven't tried them in a Cary product but did in a Dennis Had Inspire tube amp. I had 16 different 6SN7 tubes and tried to compare them all. Did this over three listening sessions, taking notes. In my system and to my ears, the new Tung-sol was the worst of the lot.

I didn't want them to be the worst and I'm not prejudiced against new tubes, some of my favorite tubes are new production. With them in my amp the soundstage was flattened and sounded boxed-in. Took the joy out of the music.

Tried them three times, over a couple of months, and this was my impression each time.

I've spoken to others who liked them. I know of a high-end system which won Best in Show in a major audiophile exhibition which used several of them in both the preamp and amp.

Bombadil, seems to be circuit dependent, eh? I remember my DH Inspire Hot Rod came with a brand new TS 6SN7, sounded okay I'd say, and okay in my current preamp, just a different presentation, more forward, a tad harsh at times and I really have to run the preamp warm for 3+ hours. Not sure how they may sound after 100hrs burn in.

By chance was this your post on AK about $78,000 VAC amps using new Tung Sol 6SN7s? https://audiokarma.org/forums/index....#post-11965490



.

Sylvania 6SN7GT vintage - nice clean typical NOS sound, mid sound stage. Nothing overly noticeable. Maybe a tad tipped up on high frequency on my system.

Tung-Sol 6SN6GTB - forward midrange, wide sound stage, not as deep. Full sounding and a tad rolled of on top at 40hrs burn in.

TJ Full Music 6SN7 (now NOS) - Nice smooth, deep soundstage at first. More musical at strings and piano early on. Then got veiled over for a bit during burn in at 20hrs. At 40hrs started opening back up and getting fuller - slowly. 100hrs burn in required I'm told. So far so good. We'll see how long long they last.

RCA Black Plates - already tried them a while back. Nice, sound similar to my Sylvanias.

Letting the TJ FM tubes run. Don't want to pull them out, just enjoying them. My buddy runs them in his Dennis Had Inspire and likes them a lot too.

Yes, it was. I made contact with someone from VAC and they told me that they loved the new production Tung-sol. They said they liked some vintage tubes better but they could not reliably obtain vintage tubes in quantity which met their testing standards. The new T-S can be purchased in any quantity and a high percentage of them test well.

It would be interesting to hear those VACs with the new-production tubes they were designed to run, and see if NOS sounds better or worse.

.

The new reissue TS 6SN7 smooth out a little more with some break in time. Not as 3 dimensional or textured as some of my NOS tubes or newer TJ Full Music. For less $ they certainly hold their own with fullness and a nice tone. For new production not too bad in my system. It's been fun trading back comparing.

Two years later, new TS 6SN7GTB re-issue tried them again -

Checking a quad of 6SN7s for possible noise in my preamp, just for grins I popped in the new-reissue Tung Sol 6SN7GTBs again two years later. They had fewer hours on them and kept them around for testing. I let them run in for a few days this time. While waiting, I re-read in a few places on different forums how common these new birds are now days for use in new tube preamps and amplifiers instead of NOS. Known as the "5692" replacement.

Trying again, noticed:
-dead quiet
-not so recessed or deep staged as some of my NOS 6SN7s are
-midrange comes forward, immediately, front and center and all across the front (nice)
-they do clear up and open up more after first hour of play each time i fire them up
-sound stage opens up after you put more time on them, improves each time now
-can actually be quite musical, particularly in the midrange, better than some of my NOS
-grainy at first when band new, and its true, this DISAPPEARS after 50hrs+ of burn-in
-3D holographic affect kicks in more so after they've been playing 2+ hrs

Kinda fun to try these every once in a while again. Maybe they just have gotten better with more play time on theme since brand new, i don't know.

Anyone else running these new birds as your primary 6SN7 now?

I run them in my SLP-98P and am pleased.
However, like all my small signal tubes, I run the them 24/7. They are good for years, so not worried about minimizing hours on them. They do a very good job.

Unfortunately, my SLP-98P will be gone once my new Pass Labs INT-25 arrives (still some weeks out). Am sure I will miss it, but.............. times marches on.

Good to know, running them in my SLP-98 preamp now too. All four spots.

Compared to my TJ Full Music / Sophia Electric 6SN7s which have a tad more depth and clarity, the newer re-issue TS 6SN7s have more weight, body, more forward midrange closer to the front of the sound stage. The TS 6SN7GTBs eventually offer clarity but the preamp needs to be powered on over 30 minutes+. Not sure if this will change after I get 200hrs or on them. If I use my OCC interconnects, they are plenty transparent and plenty of depth. Swapping back to my OFC copper interconnects adds a little weight back in with these re-issue TS6SN7GTBs.

Both types sound good for different reasons.