Back at it!
I’ve been loving the Sylvania 6ez5 tubes in the amp. I’m pretty sure they are actually GE grey plate 6v 6v6gt tubes but tube labels were more like approximations in the later days of production lol.
I switched out the tall sylvania 6sl7gtw with a clear RCA 6sn7 with a black bass and silver lettering. Wow! It’s a bit darker than the Sylvania but it has the same bass control and adds some “fatness” to the sound. Kind of like a thicker liquid sound I guess.
After a few weeks of that I finally got around to trying out one of my Ked Rad round plate 6f8g tubes. Compared to the RCA it is much more open and clear. Also bigger, almost like the whole soundstage has risen. The bass has maintained its solidity but now the darkness has been lifted. I will say that I found the additional clarity a bit fatiguing on some recordings.
I have since moved the 6f8G tubes into my preamp and put the RCA back into the Firebottle. What a combo! Woo! Unfortunately I forgot to switch my power setting on my preamp so I zapped the 6f8G tubes with 12v for several moments. Ugh. They do sound OK now but I worry I took years off of their life. SOB!
|