mobile homeless Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 I forgot a page I was working on a few years ago where I was embarking on a big 6SN7- 5692 tube pictorial and sonic showdown/review. I was off on a mission to make the definitive 6SN7 page, you know, just like I was off on a mission to make the definitive EICO HF-81 page, Cornwall page, Moondog page, recommended components page, etc etc etc. Indeed. You get the idea. I get all fired up and ready to roll, take some great shots, write a few lines, throw up some mediocre code, and suddenly all hell breaks loose into the biggest procrastination nightmare known to modern man (I like to exaggerate as well...heh). Some day, I will finish some of these damn things; usually I have some project interrupt, like answering email and posting something inane in some forum...or perhaps REAL work. Anyway, here is an interesting page I dug out put of my HD. Of interest will be the close-up shots of the 6SN7-5692 tubes where you get to see the different plate structures. I have over three months of notes on the sonics and aural impressions of these tubes in various positions. I was mainly in search of use in my Cary preamp as well as my 2A3 Monoblocks. I imagine this post will not get a cavalcade of hits and follow-ups, but for those who love the 6SN7 and 5692, one of my favorite tubes, you will find interest here. Take a look and click on the tubes for FULL DETAIL. 6SN7 and 5692 Tube Pictorial Active Link: http://home.earthlink.net/~mobile_homeless/6sn7/ kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 Great pics. Of course I can't wait for the real meat of info to be put in there. I'm quite happy with the 5692s I have now, but they won't last forever... Soon I'll need to start looking for backups or replacments for the AE-3 DJH. I know very little about the 6SN7... isn't the 5692 considered a upgrade for the 6SN7? Isn't tube rolling fun.... - tb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 1, 2002 Author Share Posted November 1, 2002 Get this Tim, if you have one of the RCA/CBS/Sylvania JAN 5692 you dont have to worry too much; they last for up to 10 years! Indeed, it sounds insane but tis true. I have a super hand picked pair given to me in my original Cary Super SLP-70 preamp (along with a pair of 5691 as well). These are both RCA. Well, lets just say I got the beast in 1991 and it's now 2003 and my 5692 JUST NOW are getting tired and the ole 5691 ARE STILL GOING PRETTY STRONG, this for a preamp that is on ALL THE TIME except when I put it in standby when not listening. Like all tubes, they sound better in certain locations. I didnt like the 5692 in the Wright Sound 3.5 2A3 monoblocks. But I LOVE them in the second spot in my Moondogs and also in my Cary preamp. Yes, by and large, they are my favorite 6SN7 version. ps- you want to know the real reason I stopped with that page review? I suddenly thought "there goes my tube stash!!!" Heh... kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 ...Well, I can relate to your sentiment about posting things of forums Kelly. But to the point! This is a great investigation of the 6SN7 tube. I'm looking forward to a more in-depth look early tomorrow morning, and I just want to echo your enthusiasm for this really fine tube. VTV fairly recently published a great line-stage project based on a design by Eric Barbour (an extremely talented, if often unorthodox designer). This is the same fellow who created the 'Pocket Preamp,' which I built a few years back. What's nice about it, is that uses a 5Y3 rectifier, as opposed to a solid state ciruit -- the 5Y3, by the way, works beautifully in the Moondogs! George Wright, I discovered, also uses 5Y3s in his 2A3 monoblock amps (I know of a few people who think Wright's amps are LOTS better in a number of ways than the Moondogs...) The GZ37 is just overkill (just my opinion)for a 2A3, and could possibly damage vintage tubes at the voltages Ron W. specifies in the Moondog schematic. Anyway, I appreciate your posting this great info. on the 6SN7, and look forward to reading the research you've shared with us. ...talk about procrastination! I'm supposed to be changing the connections on the Moondog's OPT secondaries right now, not posting on this forum! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triode Pete Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 I agree with Mobile on the longevity of the red-based 5692 tubes. They are a very robust tube designed for a long industrial / military life. I have a pair on each of my 300B-50-10 convertible monoblocks. They sound fantastic & been on the amps for over 10 years! Have fun & enjoy, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 T-Pete - Nice pic of the Monos.... Talk about a thin IC... What are those ICs you got there? Mobile - Now that you have ample time to gobble up all your stash for the next four or five decades, I hope you will be more forthcoming with info on those 6SN7/5692 rolling comments... Heh tb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triode Pete Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 Tbabb, Those IC's are my homebrew 30 awg silver coated copper with Kynar insulation. I got a strand of white and red & twisted (braided) them together with the use a cordless drill. Used silver solder to connect to low-mass RCA's. Sounds very good...I'm a big proponent that thinner gage (IC's) are better than heavier gauge IC's. I even tried the Mapleshade Clearview (looks like 50 gauge); hard to see the conductors, worked & sounded excellent until I changed pre-amps. The Mapleshade started to pick-up a ton of hum (EMI) since they are unshielded. Anyone have any IC preferences when it comes to SET's, horns & digital front-ends? Audios, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 Nice photos, Kelly ... I was lucky enough to pick up four matched CBS (red base) 5692's on Ebay for $40 a while back. Two are in my AE-3 pre-amp and the other two are sitting in my buddy's Canary amp (they WILL come back to me someday). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 Pete, "Anyone have any IC preferences when it comes to SET's, horns & digital front-ends?" Since I see you've dabbled with silver hybrids, my interconnect of choice should not be much of a surprise. I use Silver Audio Hyacinth interconnects with my 2A3 Moondogs to connect with the Cary SLP90 preamp, connect my Rega Planet CDP to the Cary, and connect my phono stage to the Cary. The phono stage is connected to the TT with multiple strand very fine gauge copper IC. The speaker wire connecting the Moondogs to the Belles is Audioquest Bedrock(4 strand 12 gauge copper). Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 Mobile, I'd forgotten about that nice 6SN7 page of yours. I'll try to get some shots posted of the 6SN7s I currently use and have in "stash". The screened Brimars I have, are very similar in construction to the "National Electronics" 6SN7 on your page. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 4, 2002 Author Share Posted November 4, 2002 That "Brimar" looking a lot like the "National ELectronics" 6SN7 in that picture is not the best news in the world, at least for your Brimar as I am almost positive that is a plain old Russian National 6SN7 that does not exactly light me on fire sonically. Still, there could be some differences but National was known to be branded to all sorts of tubes, some of them really quite ordinary. Hope yours are not this way. DRop a photo in the mail or in here, your choice. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 The Brimar "foreign" pair with the "National" look were the pair I bought and did not like. It's the 60's and 50's clear top Brimars with black bases, red lettering that are worth auditioning. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arco Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Hi, Some years ago I had a correspondence on 6SN7 tubes with Dennis Boyle of Chimera Labs. He has sent me an interesting analysis (attached for your info...). Owning myself 4 of his references, can't say I agree 100% with his findings, but then the sound characteristics of a particular tube usually vary according to the circuit as well as the rest of the system... 6SN7 Sound Perfomance.txt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 4, 2002 Author Share Posted November 4, 2002 That analysis was posted by him all over the Audio Asylum forum a few years back. TRouble is, some of it corresponded with the stuff he was happening to promote at the time such as the VT-231 tube, a tube that I find did not go well with my Moondogs or my Cary pre. Ditto with the 6SN7W. His great comments, yet low marks for the 5692 made no sense as well and totally contradicted my listening tests over the three month period. I agree with some of his comments regarding the tubes but disagreed with the ranking on the whole. It is an interesting list and I had it to compare to my results. IT's well worth a download if you havent seen it. One thing I totally agree with in my findings with using 6SN7 in my amps (not preamp) is that MIXING a pair of different characteristics sounds much better to me if one is following the other. In other words, I preferred this almost 98% of the time via my Moondog 2A3 where the excellent Sylvania 60s WGT yellow lettering brown base sounded better leading into one of the 5692 variations vs either of them used in pairs. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobman Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Mobile: I'm sure you have seen these before, but it was the first time I had. They are currently on eBay. I'm not so sure about showcasing them on my tube amps for everyone to see. Pretty Funky. Jobman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.