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  #1  
Old 12-26-2011, 08:07 PM
dpod4
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Thumbs up Best 6sn7 tubes -- Sophia Electric

I have found that most equipment I've bought sounds best with its stock tubes (e.g., widely known that my VAC 300.1a amp is tuned by Kevin Hayes to sound best with new tubes he provides). But with my Modwright modified Sony XA5400es, I've found that the best tubes are different than what came stock. In the power supply, a NOS Mullard GZ34 5ar4 sounds best. And by a wide margin, a matched pair of Sophia Electric 6sn7 tubes in the transport sound spectacular -- they have sounded great from day one and have given me no issues. Makes listening to SACDs and CDs on par with my expensive vinyl rig on most recordings. No digital front-end completely captures the warmth and organic presence of vinyl, but the Modwright - Sophia Electric combo is pretty darn special. And, I just engaged with Sophia Electric many months after the fact related to two more pairs of tubes, and they responded perfectly, even tho I was pretty demanding they kept their cool. If I go to replace other tubes in my system, I'm going to gravitate toward Sophia.

Darrin

Last edited by dpod4; 12-26-2011 at 08:14 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-20-2012, 12:17 PM
FranklinLG FranklinLG is offline
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Just stumbled into this. I have the SE's, but greatly prefer my Ken Rad JAN's! I would look for a solid 1940's-1960's JAN and try them. Brent Jessie's Audio has a nice selection, and he has great customer service.
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Old 09-26-2012, 12:37 PM
JohnBal JohnBal is offline
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I would mush rather sink that money into some good old tubes from the glory days, even if they are used. Some old Siemens, RCA or Tung Sol's would sound great for much less $$$
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  #4  
Old 11-18-2012, 02:22 AM
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The Sophia Electric looks like a good choice as it edged out NOS Sylvania chrome domes in a review I read in Absolute Sound. To better the Sophia you would need to purchase some high dollar vintage 1940s 6SN7 tubes like: Tung Sol Round Plates, Sylvania 6SN7W tall bottles or Sylvania Bad Boys.
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  #5  
Old 11-18-2012, 01:47 PM
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I have never seen a "guest" post before.
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  #6  
Old 11-19-2012, 02:57 PM
NoahG NoahG is offline
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Sophia Electric 6SN7s appear to be relabeled TJs.





diyhifisupply.com/node/702

Last edited by jdandy; 02-17-2013 at 12:36 AM. Reason: active link to non-sponsor seller against forum rules.
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  #7  
Old 02-16-2013, 11:46 PM
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I just popped a pair of these Psvane CV-181TII's in place of my black glass Ken-Rad's in my Cary SLP-98P F1 and I have to admit they are pretty damn good. It's nice to see that new tube technology is finally catching up to NOS tube quality.

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  #8  
Old 11-28-2019, 12:16 AM
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Default How are the Psvanes holding up?

I just ran across this thread. Are you still using the Psvane tubes? How have they held up?
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-------------------
Analog sources: Garrard 401 in custom Baltic birch plinth, Jelco 850L 12" arm, Dynavector 17D3 into custom LCR phono stage, LP12 w/Ittok temporarily removed from system, Sony 2251/stock arm/Signet 33Ea into Plinius Jarrah phono stage, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2, Numark dj turntable for playing 78s
Digital: Old laptop streaming Spotify or Cambridge CXC into MHDT Orchid with Amperex 6DJ8 tube (via socket adapter), Naim CD 3.5 cd player
Preamp: Supratek Cortese with LCR
Power amplifiers: Audio Electronic Supply (AES) SE-1 300B SET, Quad 909
Speakers: Quad ESL 2805, JBL 4430 studio monitors (93 dB efficient, so they work well with the 300B amp)
Power: Goal Zero Yeti 1250 lead-acid battery generator, Core Power power cords into the amps, otherwise all stock power cables (Note: the Yeti has been a significant system upgrade)

What's next: maybe some new production 6SN7 tubes or some quasi-mesh TJ Full Music 300Bs in the SE-1.
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  #9  
Old 11-29-2019, 09:14 PM
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I've enjoyed the Sophia Electric 6SN7s in my Woo WA6 headphone amp. Were a nice step-up.
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