1920’s True Mesh Type 50 Replica now available

Steve 50 amplifier

Instead of typical tech talk about a new tube launch, this time we have a story to tell about the type 50 replica tube’s birth… by Steve Berger, a long time audiophile and music lover resides in NY:

If you cannot wait to finish the whole story and wish to order right away, get to order page here.  

“Foreword by Steve Berger:

In the early 1990s I got a call from Vincent Gallo. He had seen an ad for a Gibson GA-50 guitar amplifier that I was selling.

When I walked into his apartment, performing delivery of the goods, Chet Baker’s “Happy Little Sunbeam” was playing on a system consisting of a Western Electric 91A 300B amplifier and a lone Western 757 speaker mounted on the wall.

I had never experienced such sound before: Chet’s trumpet was right there in the room!

This was my first introduction to directly heated triodes and my life would never be quite the same after that day.

Chasing the sound I had heard at Vinny’s, I walked into the now legendary “Fi” audio store located at 30 Watt Street in New York City – what an address! Walking through the door I looked behind the counter only to see the father of my boyhood best friend – Pere – Don Garber. “Stephen, is that you?” Don said and once I acquiesced and he kindly let me peek into the secret vault of New York’s most extreme underground audio society. There, I heard Noriasu Komuro’s three stage, direct-coupled 300B amplifiers, J.C. Morrison’s three stage, split RIAA phono preamplifier, playing through J.C.’s Focal-based speaker system. I was floored. Never had I heard such truth, honesty and such coherent clarity. “Waltz for Debbie”. I was at the Village Vanguard!

I was hooked but the price of Don’s wonderful amps was out of reach, even for the committed and hard working jazz guitar player I was. However, being a plucky kid from Brooklyn had me develop the thought that I could learn how to build such a machine. J.C. walked in, ever most charming and kind, and asked, “can you read a schematic?” to which I replied with utmost confidence:“Sure!” (not that I really could actually). I left the premises with two chassis, a complete set of power transformers and output transformers and the rest is history.

I built my first amp from J.C.’s schematic. It was glorious! Life, continued study, hard work, and luck, brought me to Tadataka Uchida and my first “50” amplifier.

Uchida was a magician, an accomplished cook, an audio aesthete of the most supreme sophistication. He also happened to be the importer of some of the finest and most esoteric Japanese audio components including Tango, Tamura and Denon cartridges, all at a time that many would qualify as America’s darkest of audio ages.

He welcomed me into his home and into his life. We became very close friends, ending many evenings at his place enjoying his wonderful food and listening to his RCA phono stage into a two stage WE 205D amplifier playing into vintage Altec Valencia’s.

One evening in 1995 , Uchida gave me a pair of un-marked Globe “50s” and said, “Build an amp with these”. I just about cried. It was like he had given me the key to the kingdom.

I immediately went to work on it. I showed Uchida each and every drawing. By this time, Uchida had been diagnosed with very late stage 4 cancer, and we spent many many hours together. I became his caregiver in his last days. He wanted me to build this amp. It was my mission to finish it for HIM and so I did!

Steve 50 amplifier

“Uchida” Bronze 50 amplifier by Steve Berger – Picture by Dave Slagle

“It looks like a city” he proclaimed and he loved it.As a final step to my “induction”, he gave me the “precious of precious”: a pair of ultra rare, never seen before mesh plate 50s!

Those who saw The Wizard of Ozwill without doubt remember Dorothy walking out from the cabin, when the picture went from black and white to Technicolor! The depth, color, vibrancy was heretofore, unheard.

For the last 21 years, I’ve been playing these magical devices to all in my circle to much applause and adulation, leading to this courageous attempt to revive the best audio tube to ever have been produced.

These ARE better than the originals!

So, after all this time, we now have access to a new production, genuine replica of a pre-1929 mesh plate 50. While we made every possible attempt to accurately replicate the original tubes – making use of many non-working samples, manufacturing processes allow us to produce a tube with better vacuum and better quality materials. We went so far to source some of the critical parts in the US, so as to ensure the highest possible quality and consistency.

We hope to provide many years of the most vibrant audio listening experience.”

Intrigued to have your own 50 tube if you already got the right amp? Click here to order!

Another Treasure! – ‘Black Bottle’ 845-Z introductory pricing on


845-Z singleA new addition to the highly popular Shuguang Treasure series! We have brought in a very limited quantity to test market – if you are adventurous and experienced in tube rolling, we welcome you to take advantage of our introductory pricing and let us know how they compare to other 845′s on the market.  Order yours HERE.

Like the rest of the ‘Black Bottle’ original Treasure Series that was introduced back in 2008, this model is the first venture to introduce carbon coating to high voltage 845 tubes as a technical break-through.

Feature:

– Carbon compound coating to quickly dissipate heat generated from tube operation to achieve a ‘self cooling’ effect, plus absorbing external interference

– High quality German cathode material and 10% more enlarged emission area than typical 845 tube to ensure sufficient emission at time of high dynamic signal playback

– High voltage resistance design to ensure no flashing short will occur in operation

– Pure 24k gold coated grid to reduce internal noise and reduce secondary grid emission

– Elegant design tube base and leave no finger print residual

– Gold coated tube pins to improve conductivity, reduce signal loss and improve output efficiency

– Suggested burn-in time: minimum 100 hours, recommended 200hr for full break-in

Black Treasure 12AX7-LS: “They are absolutely great”

treasure 12AX7LXFeedback received from Peter in Germany via email:

“These tubes really needs time (120+hr) to grow.  Now, they are absolutely great. The best i’ve ever heard before, period……I’m very happy too with the big sound of the LS-type in my big amp. Even after 72 hours they sounds good, but now, after 120+hours, I’m in heaven. Tonality, detail (!!!) and room are just great. An absolute notably improvement to the Psvane 12AX7. The warm, precise, detailed and big sound fit perfect to my preference.

This new tube-setup let me discover several tones, noises, coherence in my musics I’ve never heard before, incredible!

 

Treasure 6SN7-SE Globe – TNT Audio review published

Treasure 6SN7SE pair in foamHere is what reviewer Mark Wheeler said about these globe shaped tubes:

“If your 6SN7’s are on show and there is space for them, there is every reason, sonic and aesthetic, to install the Shuguang Globe 6SN7-SE. In a high resolution system, especially of the low-to-no negative-feedback persuasion, these Shuguang globe 6SN7-SE bottles are the state of the new-wave-of-valve-production (NWOVP). So far Shuguang have not put a foot wrong and we can hope they continue to innovate new versions of those classic valves we all love.” Read the full review here.

“Your (Treasure) 300B-Z is unreal”

SG-2A3-6Feedback received from customer Vismantas B via email:

“Wow, your 300bz  tubes are unreal… Sound is of another world, i use with lm-210ia amplifier .. Definitely i buy one more pair of these tubes:)”

Treasure KT120-Z: “I could live with this tube for a long time.”… “it is a steal”.

treasure KT120 quad boxIt is official! The Treasure KT120-Z has been reviewed by Stereotimes and here is what the reviewer said – “I could live with this tube for a long time.”… “It is a steal!”

The review was done with a high end Ayon integrated tube amp which uses KT88 and KT120 type tubes.

“On various cuts the Shuguang Treasure KT-120 tubes sounded more interconnected across the entire frequency spectrum. The Ayon Audio tubes seemed less controlled and transparent by comparison almost lacking in headroom and while the Shuguang Treasure KT-120 tubes were more illuminated in the midrange and high frequencies displaying a more live sound. I clearly preferred Shuguangs it to the Ayons.

Over the course of this review, some cable and system grounding changes were evaluated and based on the transparency of the Shuguang Treasure KT-120 tube, it was always easy to hear even the subtle differences each system change displayed.  You know what I really like about this tube in this application?  It’s the reliability.  I’ve power cycled my Ayon Audio Triton MKIII many times over the course of this review and have never once had a tube failure but I have almost a dozen tube failures with the stock tube.

Conclusion

After hearing the Shuguang Treasure KT-120 tube I can declare my search for the best KT-88/120 tube is over.  I have no desire to reinstall the Ayon Audio KT-88SX tubes if that tells you something.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these tubes and at the price of $349 a quad they’re a steal. ” Read full review here.

New ‘affordable and most reliable’ rectifier tube added – Psvane HiFi 5U4G

psvane 5U4G single - largeThis Psvane HiFi series 5U4G is claimed by factory as ‘the most reliable and affordable rectifier tube ever made’. It is a replica of NOS Phico black plate 5U4G rectifier, but maintained a very friendly price tag.

Rectifier tube is probably the most ‘consumed’ tube on a tube rectified amplifier. It will need to be replaced more frequently than a power tube over time, so reliability and price are both sensitive factors for tube amp owners. Now Psvane is offering a new option for tube amp owners who are not only cost conscious, but also sound driven. Click here to order yours.