[Odin412]

Have you listened to either Psvane CV181-T MkII and/or Linlai E-6SN7? If so, can you compare/contrast them against this one?

Prices are pretty insane on these.

-Ed

I have both of those tubes and to my ears the Psvane CV181-T MkII is a very nice tube indeed - one of my favorites. The sound of the WE6SN7Plus reminds me of the Psvane tube. The treble on the Linlai E-6SN7 has an unpleasantly sharp edge to my ears, but I'm very treble sensitive so YMMV.

 

[Edward Ng]

I see…thank you! Any estimate on number of hours burn-in on each type?

-Ed

 

[JerseyD]

There seems to be a lot of love for the Kenrad VT231 / 6SN7GT. Have never heard them, but at $400 a pair for "WWII era with smoked glass", are they worth it?

 

[Melting735]

I should have heard more than 30 different 6sn7s or equivalent. Melz 1578, kenrad vt231, bad boys are my favorites. I haven't heard mullard cv181, sylvania 6sn7w so I can't comment on those.

If you are patient enough, you should be able to find a good pair under $300. The clear glass version is much cheaper, but they have same construction and sound pretty much the same.

 

[ARCXENOS]

There seems to be a lot of love for the Kenrad VT231 / 6SN7GT. Have never heard them, but at $400 a pair for "WWII era with smoked glass", are they worth it?

Is that price from a dealer with money back guarantee, and it comes with the ww2 contract boxes in perfect condition?

For me, I'd just buy from eBay, 200 USD per tested pair still seems possible. The ones people typically want are the staggered plates, the parallel plate variant is by GE

 

[Odin412]

I’d like to know what comparisons you’ve made with this as well. I’ve been sticking with NOS tubes- haven’t seen or heard any of the newer stuff out there.

If you'd like to try a new-production tube I would recommend a Psvane. I've had good experience with their tubes. A couple of favorites are the CV181-T MkII, the 6SN7-SE 'Tennis Ball' and the UK-6SN7. From what I've read Psvane was started by a few of the folks working at Shuguang, and then a few of the Psvane folks broke away and started Linlai.

 

[Edward Ng]

If you'd like to try a new-production tube I would recommend a Psvane. I've had good experience with their tubes. A couple of favorites are the CV181-T MkII, the 6SN7-SE 'Tennis Ball' and the UK-6SN7. From what I've read Psvane was started by a few of the folks working at Shuguang, and then a few of the Psvane folks broke away and started Linlai.

How does that SE/tennis ball sound compared to the CV181-T MkII?

-Ed

 

[Odin412]

I see…thank you! Any estimate on number of hours burn-in on each type?

-Ed

I generally start listening to the tube right away. I have noticed that it gets a bit getter after a couple of hours, but I don't really notice huge changes after that. Basically, my experience is that if I like a tube from the beginning it gets better with use, but if I don't like a tube (too bright for my ears, for example) burn-in doesn't make me enjoy it more. The good ones get better, but the bad don't get good, if you will.

 

[Pastwa]

I have both of those tubes and to my ears the Psvane CV181-T MkII is a very nice tube indeed - one of my favorites. The sound of the WE6SN7Plus reminds me of the Psvane tube. The treble on the Linlai E-6SN7 has an unpleasantly sharp edge to my ears, but I'm very treble sensitive so YMMV.

It might be amp dependant, not sure. On my unit it was the opposite, Linlai sounded softer up top (easier on the ear) while Psvane were sharper/more energetic in the treble region.

 

[Odin412]

It might be amp dependant, not sure. On my unit it was the opposite, Linlai sounded softer up top (easier on the ear) while Psvane were sharper/more energetic in the treble region.

Good point! I've given up trying to predict amp/tube (or amp/headphone) synergy. The only way to figure out what works well is to try it, IMHO.

 

[Edward Ng]

I have both of those tubes and to my ears the Psvane CV181-T MkII is a very nice tube indeed - one of my favorites. The sound of the WE6SN7Plus reminds me of the Psvane tube. The treble on the Linlai E-6SN7 has an unpleasantly sharp edge to my ears, but I'm very treble sensitive so YMMV.

Between the Psvane CV181-T MkII and the ShuGuang WE6SN7 Plus, do you have a preference between them? Any specific differences at all in their sound?

Or better said: since I already have the CV181-T MkII in my amp, should I even bother with the WE6SN7 Plus? Keep in mind that unfortunately for me it is an investment of at least two if not four units (Schiit Freya+ —yes, I know this is a headphone-focused forum, but this thread is a major resource for anyone researching 6SN7 tubes in general).

I do have an OTL tube headphone amp, but that one does not take 6SN7 tubes (xDuoo TA-66).

-Ed

 

[Odin412]

Between the Psvane CV181-T MkII and the ShuGuang WE6SN7 Plus, do you have a preference between them? Any specific differences at all in their sound?

Or better said: since I already have the CV181-T MkII in my amp, should I even bother with the WE6SN7 Plus? Keep in mind that unfortunately for me it is an investment of at least two if not four units (Schiit Freya+ —yes, I know this is a headphone-focused forum, but this thread is a major resource for anyone researching 6SN7 tubes in general).

I do have an OTL tube headphone amp, but that one does not take 6SN7 tubes (xDuoo TA-66).

-Ed

On my amp (Schiit Lyr 3) I would say that they are more similar than different. I do like the look of the WE6SN7 Plus, though. Also keep in mind that my experiences on the Lyr 3 may or may not translate to your Freya. (However, I did use the CV181-T MkII in my Saga for a long time and I enjoyed it very much.)

I believe that your Freya requires each pair of tubes to be the same, so if you like you could get two of each to play with. Expensive hobby, I know.

 

[Edward Ng]

On my amp (Schiit Lyr 3) I would say that they are more similar than different. I do like the look of the WE6SN7 Plus, though. Also keep in mind that my experiences on the Lyr 3 may or may not translate to your Freya. (However, I did use the CV181-T MkII in my Saga for a long time and I enjoyed it very much.)

I believe that your Freya requires each pair of tubes to be the same, so if you like you could get two of each to play with. Expensive hobby, I know.

Thanks! I ended up ordering a quad set of LinLai E-6SN7 tubes to compare against the Psvane CV181-T MkII. My reasoning is that if the ShuGuang WE6SN7 Plus sound very similar to the Psvanes that I already have, it would not be worth the cost to acquire for more of almost the same. With the LinLais, we shall see what fits my taste (and my amp) better.

I will of course report back with my final results, but it may take quite some time, as I need to wait for them to ship in from overseas, and then I need to give them a good burn-in before I can compare them fairly (at least 150 hours or a week of nonstop playback).

-Ed

 

[Promee]

Just wanted to alert folks in this thread to a new comparison I just put up in the Apos 6SN7 Reserve thread. It might be of particular interest to those of you who are in the Psvane, Shuguang, LinLai world. TL;DR - they sound awesome, their relative price is kind of extreme, but they are similar to the Psvane CV181-t mkII premium with a bit more low bass extension, slightly elevated upper bass, significantly more air, and similarly excellent technicalities to a great Psvane pair (which is not guaranteed, unfortunately). More thoughts here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bes...os-ray-6sn7-reserve-vacuum-tube.971649/page-8

@Edward Ng this could be of particular interest to you given your posts above. You might also want to check out the LinLai Grant Fidelity specials, which I like a touch more than the E-6SN7, but they are both great tubes.

 

[Edward Ng]

Just wanted to alert folks in this thread to a new comparison I just put up in the Apos 6SN7 Reserve thread. It might be of particular interest to those of you who are in the Psvane, Shuguang, LinLai world. TL;DR - they sound awesome, their relative price is kind of extreme, but they are similar to the Psvane CV181-t mkII premium with a bit more low bass extension, slightly elevated upper bass, significantly more air, and similarly excellent technicalities to a great Psvane pair (which is not guaranteed, unfortunately). More thoughts here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bes...os-ray-6sn7-reserve-vacuum-tube.971649/page-8

@Edward Ng this could be of particular interest to you given your posts above. You might also want to check out the LinLai Grant Fidelity specials, which I like a touch more than the E-6SN7, but they are both great tubes.

Thanks! Yes, it was originally my interest in Apos Ray Reserve tubes that led me to buy the Psvane CV181-T MkII tubes that I am running now because so many people said that they are basically the same tube except Apos’ are just hand-picked top grade pieces. We’ll see how the LinLai E-6SN7 compare when I get them in. The only other tube I’m interested in is the ShuGuang WE6SN7 Plus, but there’s just so little first-hand experience from anyone able to compare those directly to either the Psvanes or the LinLais.

-Ed