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which 6sn7 gives the most air??

guys I have the triangle arts amps that came with the NOS rca 6sn7 which sound good BUT would like a little more air to the top end- what is the best ones out there- i have read about the Popes but mostly with cary preamps- any thoughts would be appreciated- thks
bopper
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 
Read what Brent Jesse says about the GE short bottle side getter. Also, there’s comments like this on other websites about this tube. Appears to be champagne taste on a beer budget. Have a friend that tried a pair and they stopped him rolling tubes.
bopper OP
11 posts
 
Ok- since there seems to be a lot  of Fake tubes out there  I want to get them from a trusted source- Brent and Andy at Vintage tubes seem to get alot of good press- Is that where I should go  or any other sources that are recommended- thanks for the advice-
On a side question the amps run on 4 -KT88's per side- Do these make a difference or are they just there for power??- thanks for the education!!!
wig's avatar
wig
831 posts
 

@ bopper

It's all personal preference and own the tubes mentioned except the Tung-Sol, but the Sylvania VT-231, Sylvania Chrome Dome or Ken-Rad will give you great results at a reasonable price.

Also, the Ruby or Golden Voice KT88s are very good which I own and other brands as well but for the price these are more lively and open sounding and my favorite :)

Wig


geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
The Sylvania Bad Boys have it all. Air, dynamics, tone. But make sure you the real Bad Boys, not the ones that look almost like Bad Boys. I used the WWII Tung Sol rectifier tube with the Bad Boys. Not too shabby.
auxinput
1,538 posts
 

Coming in late again (I've been out of town for 10 days!).  You should listen to a couple youtube videos that showcase the 6sn7 tubes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kQaCdjylc&t=212s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtL4jIEgfSc&t=122s

In my own listening opinion, the tube that has the most resolution (and as a result, the most air) are the modern Electro-Harmonix 6sn7 tubes.  Listening, it is possible that the PSVANE CV181-TII also has excellent resolution and air.  It is hard to determine listening to this video, but the PSVANE tubes sound a bit harsh - though the amps and preamp stack are Behringer and Crest pro audio stuff.  The PSVANE could be revealing flaws in the Behringer/Crest.

As far as all the tubes goes, the true Amperex tubes are the winner for me.  For some reason, they had an immediate emotional connection with me whenever those tubes played during the video.  The Amperex didn't have the resolution of the Electro-Harmonix or PSVANE, but they just reached out and grabbed me.  The remaining NOS tubes didn't seem to have this magic.  It can be very expensive to get "real" Amperex tubes.  PSVANE is also very expensive.  Electro-Harmonix are very cheap.

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