Category: Feedback by Tube Model

Treasure 6SN7SE Globe: ‘I got the chills from this thing’

Feedback received from customer Noah via email:

“Hey there, I just received a Treasure Globe  6SN7-SE

I dropped it in my (Schiit) LYR+ / BIFROST and I’ve been listening to it on my (Sennheiser) HD800S. This thing is mind blowing – thanks for selling such a great tube in Canada.
I got the chills from this thing. It completely evens out the tone of these headphones while still keeping a massive soundstage. I have been using them for every genre and it all sounds good, as long as it was mastered well.  I’m going to have to get more spares . . .  “

‘Treasure 6SN7-SE GF Special Edition’ – ‘better than ANY tubes I have ever used!’

Treasure Globe 6SN7-SE (pair or single, GF Limited Special Edition)

Mark S. acquired a pair of Grant Fidelity special edition Treasure 6SN7SE top grade with us recently for his Moon Audio Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp. Below is his feedback via email. We hope this will help other headphone amp owners when choosing upgrade 6SN7 tubes!

“Rachel,

Bless your heart! My order of the Globe 6SN7 tubes arrived in just 3 days! (seller note: Mark ordered our Express shipping upgrade for extra cost)

I realize that there is a break in period for the tubes, but they are already better than ANY tubes I have ever used! 

For the first time, my amp has ZERO noise with headphones! I can’t believe it. Also, I have never heard the sound so incredible as it sounds with these tubes!

Thank you so much for your great service and the best tubes I have ever heard!

Very best regards,

Mark”

Customer feedback on GF Premium Tubes:

Here is an email feedback we received from customer Thomas L about his personal experience of buying from Chinese vendors vs. Grant Fidelity:

“Hi Rachel,

  Just thought I’d give you a little feedback with my recent purchase.  

  Your tubes are expensive (adding in all the fees and shipping).  I think you would agree as well, although you may argue nothing is cheap with this Audiophile hobby, which I would agree as well. With my recent purchases, I think it was pushing around $2000 CAD.  This was for 5 845s, and two pairs of 300Bs.  Honestly, I had been looking at the GF tubes for a while now, never had the $$ or the guts to pull the trigger as the number of tubes that I need for my amps in total would put a dent in my bank account.  With the boxing day / black friday sales, I figured it would be a good time or timing to replace my existing OEM tubes.  So …. Here’s what I have learned.

  Prior to this purchase, I had been buying tubes online from China or locally from a friend.  But what did I get exactly?
  *  Noisy tubes.  

  *  Tubes that broke after a listening session.  

  *  Tubes that looked like they were shorting out (they were supposed to be new!!!!).

  Then I had to contact my friend or vendor in China to have the tube(s) replaced.  And on one occasion I had to pay duty for the replacement tube.  

  So, after I plugged the GF tubes in my amp(s), I had a moment where I was thinking, “this is what I get for paying a premium price.”  

  The tubes are quiet, like very quiet.  The difference between OEM vs the GF tube is obvious.  I used to think that my amps were noisy, but only after I plugged in the GF tubes, I realized a good amount of noise was actually from the tubes itself. 

  Balanced sound stage.  I am referring to the left and right channels.  With that comes a solid image.  You have vocals that comes directly to you.  I’m particularly picky when it comes to this as I hate to hear vocal lop-sided.

  Last but not least, sound quality.  Smooth, very Smooth but not losing both top and bottom end.

  Overall was it worth it?  The decision is leaning to a Yes.  With the tube and sound quality accounted for.  And most importantly, this is a case where I plugin, dial in and enjoy the music without having to worry too much about reliability (knock on wood, so far so good).  

  Lastly, great service.  Thanks again for the quality products and super fast shipping.

  (Now, I will have to save up again for the next tube upgrades).

Linlai™ Global E-6SN7 on Feliks Euforia Headphone amp: from Germany

We have just received the feedback below from Greg K from Germany! Greg owns a ‘Feliks Euforia headphone amplifier’ which came with Psvane CV181-TII as driver tubes.

Read about his first impression after swapping to [Linlai™ Global] E-6SN7 for 26hrs – it might help those who wish to know how the E-6SN7 compared to Psvane tubes: (note: Linlai tubes full burn-in will take approximately 100hrs)

“I have now burned in the tubes for a good 26 hours so far.And on the Feliks Euforia, where the Psvane CV181-TII were before, a lot has happened. I listened with the Audeze Lcd 2 C headphones which are quite neutral. And relabelled 6080 Sylvania power tubes which also arrived on Saturday.

Compared to the Linlai Global E-6SN7, the Psvane are quite neutral in sound. I noticed this immediately after the exchange. This is no longer the case with the Lin Lai, they play much warmer.

The bass has increased considerably where before they were bloodless in direct comparison to the Psvane CV181-TII. The good thing about the Linlai is that the mids and highs are relatively unchanged compared to the Psvane CV181-TII. I didn’t notice any loss there, they seem to have gained a bit of sparkle.

They are also more accurate, closer to the music and go a bit deeper in the highs and a bit longer in the low end. Detail resolution is also very good, I like it better than the Psvane tubes.

Vocals are a bit more distant and more central than with the Psvane, or less voice accentuated, which I personally find better.

All in all, they are definitely worth the money and improve the sound of the Feliks Euforia dramatically. Before I was always getting disturbed by something, but that has gone since the first hour since the Linlai have been in. I don’t regret buying them. Much more the Psvane that you can book at Feliks.

It makes the Feliks neutral but cold, with the Linlai it’s just the opposite.

That was my first impression and I know they still need a little time to burn in. But they are getting better by the hour. Linlai has done a really good job. It also shows that after such a short time they are already so open and show the direction they are going in.

I am enthusiastic about the tubes. And I wanted to tell you that much about how good they are in the first hour.

With Kind regards
Greg”

Can your 6SN7 replace my 6SN7GT, 6SN7GTA, 6SN7GTB?

We sometimes receive amp owners question about tube substitute related to 6SN7. Here is a short summary:

  1. GT stands for ‘Glass Tube’.
  2. GTA is an enhanced version of original GT version – to allow higher plate dissipation than the GT version.
  3. GTB is variant of GTA, with a heater warmer control to further enhance reliability when this tube was used in TVs.
  4. Very early 6SN7 tubes can handle max 300V. Today’s new production 6SN7 tubes can handle max 450V.
  5. In short, new production 6SN7 can replace your old 6SN7 without frying the tubes. But you should not use a NOS 6SN7 designed to handle 300V, into a modern circuit of 450V.
  6. All our listed 6SN7 tubes (no matter what suffix it has) can electronically replace 6SN7GT, 6SN7GTA, and 6SN7GTB.
  7. Do check dimension clearance to make sure the different glass bulb shape can fit into your amp space!

Happy tube rolling!

6SN7SE Globe Tube Tips – ‘You Raise Me Up’

Some amps have preamp 6SN7 tubes placed in a very tight real estate – i.e. two tubes are placed very closely to each other so the new high end 6SN7 with curved larger / wider glass enclosure cannot fit in side by side.

A customer from Europe recently told me his solution and I think it is worthwhile to share! That is – use a socket saver to raise one of the tubes up!

Just google ‘8 pin socket saver’ (not ‘socket adapter’ which may change pin layout connections) and make sure to purchase from a reputable audio parts vendor. Some lower quality socket saver can introduce current leakage to your circuit and cause unexpected noise issues.

Happy Listening!

6SN7SE Globe – ‘The SE blows them all out of the water’

Feedback received from Craig M. on GF Special Edition – Treasure 6SN7SE Globe:

“Rachel,
I got my SE’s today!  I must say … I have spent a LOT of money on boutique 6SN7 variants and I have never heard anything like this before!  I am running a DIY 6SN7 line stage that was designed by Jack Elliano of Electra-Print.  This is by far the best 6SN7 I have ever heard.  I have NOS Sylvania Bad Boys, TJ, Black Treasure, various JAN and there is NO comparison!  The SE blows them all out of the water…”

Hear what the cable pro said about [Linlai™ Global] E-845….. ‘real keepers!’

Eric D. from France is an industry pro specialized in ultra high end cabling. His audition skills are professional and field proven, and here is what he said about after owning a pair of [Linlai™ Global] E-845 top grade tubes:

“The Linlai E-845s are very nicely built. You can tell by looking inside
the glass tube that they are manufactured with care. When brand new,
they performed nicely, but it was after about 120 to 150 hours that they
really came alive. They really need that burn-in time to reveal their
full potential. I’m not the patient type, but this time I was glad I
waited.

All the qualities the best 845s are renowned for are there. Let’s talk about dynamics first : a bit timid during the burn-in time, dynamics become quite exceptional after 100hrs and when tubes and amp reach their optimal operating temperature. They are extremely fast, with lots of impact and speed, speed and more speed. Extension in the bass is quite impressive and treble is exactly what you expect : not a trace of harshness but lots of details. Midrange is just exceptional, voices come alive to a point that I’ve very rarely experienced before. The timbres of acoustic instrument are very real, and that is quite obvious on violin or cello.

Soundstaging is outstanding, both in depth, width and accuracy. And there’s air between the instruments, something you can only hear when you are in the presence of real high-end gear. Pitch-black silence is another telltale sign of that.

On rock or blues, you can easily identify what guitar or amp is being played. A Strat sounds like a Strat, and there’s no mistaking a Les Paul or a Tele for anything else.

Comparing them to a pair of RCAs a friend brought around, the Linlai E-845s did at least as good as them in all fields, but they have a greater sense of immediacy, something that makes you feel more connected to the music….

Thanks a lot Rachel, those tubes are real keepers!

Cheers,

Eric”

Positive Feedback review: Linlai™ Global E-300B vs. Psvane ACME300B

Review Juan C. Ayllon spent time with both tubes on his ultra high end Lampizator Big 7 Mk1 Digital to Analog Converter for ‘An Aural Indulgence‘

  • “If vacuum tubes were wine, the Linlai would be a sophisticated French red Bordeaux blend from the Left Bank of the river Garrone in Bordeaux, France, while the ACME would be a top shelf Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Napa Valley served in posh steakhouses. 
  • Don’t get me wrong; both the Linlai E-300B and the Psvane ACME 300B render rich, well-balanced presentations, and if I were not making conscious A to B comparisons, it would be easy to miss the differences. And, either vacuum tube will deliver luxuriant listening pleasures worthy of the most discriminating audiophile, enhancing high end tube gear performance and pairing them nicely with highly resolving components like the Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier or X250.8 amplifier for a spectacular aural finish…”

Read the FULL REVIEW here.