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Opinions On New Production Tubes....


SWL

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I've had bad luck with most new production tubes that were not shuguang/psvane... namely those touting the vintage monikers.
 
I don't think they sound very good when doing a critical listening back to back scenario... the Chinese units do. 
Schu, I'd say you're right on.

So far, I've tried three sets of 12AX7 new production tubes (Genelex, Mullard and Sovtek) as well as a Genelex Gold Lion GZ34 rectifier tube. They are all the same.....they have a warm tone but lack detail. It's like they slightly veil the sound compared to my NOS tubes.

I've found the exception is the Preferred Series tubes I've gotten from The Tube Store. They say in the description....and I never noticed this before Schu's comment....that they are made for them by the Shugyang(?) factory in China.

Just yesterday I received a Preferred Series 5AR4 rectifier tube and I really can't tell the difference from my Amperex Bugle Boy GZ34. I've got about 8 hours on it. Sounds great.

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Not sure how anyone can give a very good tube review before the tubes have had a chance to break in. Rolling tube after tube after tube seems like a waste unless you're giving them a chance to live.
That's true.....I should have stated that these are initial impressions. I'm not getting any younger so I'm a little impatient.

My initial impressions of all my NOS tubes were much, much more promising than the new production tubes I've tried so far. The exception being the Preferred Series tubes that they say are made at the Shugyang plant in China. Those I have a lot of hours on them. They have proven themselves over and over.[emoji106]

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Got these tubes today. No wonder I thought they were so expensive.....I ordered two pair by mistake. [emoji39]

 

So far, initial impressions are very good. They're not subdued with low gain like the much cheaper new production tubes I've tried prior. Excellent tone, smooth with a very controlled bass.[emoji106]037e279e32e006ed75231f6c5d897b5a.jpg

 

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On 10/27/2018 at 2:35 PM, SWL said:

Been using NOS Mullard 12AX7 long plates in the preamp section of my HH Scott 222c for a few years now.
 
A week ago I bought some new production Mullard 12AX7 long plates as well as a pair of some Genelex Gold Lion 12AX7's.
 
These tubes sound really nice. What is the lifespan of these newer tubes? Are they as robust as the older ones?
 
Thanks for any input.
 
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In my experience longevity of new manufacture tubes vary a lot more then unused NOS, especially power tubes. Some of the small signal tubes, for example 12AX7 are fatter than NOS tubes and won't fit well in metal sleeves in old Scott and Fisher amps/receivers. That said, there are some good sounding tubes being made today in Europe, China and Russia. Wb

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I am thoroughly impressed so far with the Preferred Series 5AR4 rectifier tube I got from The Tube Store. I've got about 20 hours on it so far and comparing it to my NOS Amperex Bugle Boy GZ34 the difference is there but I could go either way.

Of course different results in different amps but in this case I could swap these tubes depending on my mood/ears on a given day. The Amperex has a slightly richer sound while the Preferred Series 5AR4 has a more open transparent quality to it. Of course it only has 20 hours on it but it's very promising......unlike those cheap 12AX7's I tried.

Speaking of 12AX7's.......these Psvane/Treasure tubes are absolutely impressive. Same 20 hours run through them as well. Anxious to hear how they develop after 75-100 hours on them. I've got this whole week off from work so I'll be doing some jammin. [emoji106]

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On ‎11‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 10:31 AM, SWL said:

This morning I just tried out another set of new production tubes.....Sovtek 12AX7's. They sounded nice but not as good as my NOS Mullard long plates.

 

They had the same thing in common as the new production Mullard and Genelex 12AX7's I just tried recently. One tube is quieter/louder than the other. They are not exactly the same. I didn't give these Sovteks enough time but the other new production tubes lost gain over a 12 hour period and I'm not gonna waste my time with these Sovteks.

 

Can't wait to try out these Psvane Treasure tubes. Good reviews and the price tag was very close to what I paid for my NOS Mullard long plates and Telefunken smooth plates from Brent Jesse about 7-8 years ago.

 

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New production tubes are getting much better. It is best to get them from a dealer that thoroughly tests them. Not all do. Look at the videos by Upscale Audio on you tube.

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6 hours ago, KlipschFan61 said:

I'm coveting the Treasure CV-181's for my little KT88 single-ender. Still can't quite pull the plug on them yet as the PSVane 6SN7's in there now just sound too sweet to roll out..

 

The sound of the Black Treasure CV-181's which are really 6SN7's is beyond any NOS 6SN7 I've tried, and I've tried them all, AFTER you run them a minimum of 50 hours. Killer tubes! 🍒🍒🍒🎶

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The sound of the Black Treasure CV-181's which are really 6SN7's is beyond any NOS 6SN7 I've tried, and I've tried them all, AFTER you run them a minimum of 50 hours. Killer tubes! [emoji523][emoji523][emoji523][emoji445]
I agree. I used to bounce back and forth from my NOS Telefunken smooth plates and my NOS Mullard long plates for years. Love the Mullards!

But now......I've got about 60 hours on the 12AX7 Psvane Treasure Super tubes and it sounds awesome. They've got the 'authentic' NOS sound quality and man are they smooth.

In the near future I'm gonna put my NOS Mullard's back in to compare again but it's gonna be tough........tough to take the Treasure tubes out.

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21 hours ago, Schu said:

I've got a single cv181 if that will help you..

Thanks for the offer Schu. I'm eyeing a matched pair right now but I've got the holiday money crunch going on and spending $195 on a set of driver tubes when I have yet to finish my Christmas shopping will surely bring me bad karma!

 

My b-day in in January so I'll probably buy them then. Got to be able to rationalize buying more tubes ya know....👍😁

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On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 6:17 PM, SWL said:

That's true.....I should have stated that these are initial impressions. I'm not getting any younger so I'm a little impatient.

My initial impressions of all my NOS tubes were much, much more promising than the new production tubes I've tried so far. The exception being the Preferred Series tubes that they say are made at the Shugyang plant in China. Those I have a lot of hours on them. They have proven themselves over and over.emoji106.png

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I've got about 60 hours on the 12AX7 Psvane Treasure Super tubes and it sounds awesome. They've got the 'authentic' NOS sound quality and man are they smooth. 

 

I believe the Preferred Series tubes are more rigorously tested and that is a good thing. Shuguang is the largest tube manufacturer in the world they made the original Treasure series.

 

I bought one of the Sophia blue glass 6SN7's and it sounds better, in my rig, than any NOS I have and I've collected a lot of them over the past 20+ years.

Edited by Les Lammers
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