Anybody using the 6H30 "pi"?

[jakegt3]

I am looking for some new 6H30's and it seems that what's available now is the 6H30 "pi" version, for example:
thetubestore.com/Tubes/6H30-Tube-Types/Sovtek-6H30PI
upscaleaudio.com/russian-6h30pi/
Has anyone tried these and if so, what do you think of them?

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by jakegt3

I am looking for some new 6H30's and it seems that what's available now is the 6H30 "pi" version, for example: www.thetubestore.com - Sovtek 6H30PI Audio Tubes Russian 6H30Pi - Upscale Audio Has anyone tried these and if so, what do you think of them?

These are what I am running in my Ref 3. Truthfully, I have not tried the EH 6H30 or the NOS. Really can't help much in terms of comparison.
They are the same tubes that ARC specs with their equipment.

[tima]

They're all made in the same factory and labeled 6H30П. The current stock or default version typically has an 'EB' suffix (6H30П-EB). This is the tube in both the Upscale Audio and Tube Store photos that you linked. It is the tube you'll find as stock from manufacturers who offer gear using this tube, including ARC. (If you buy from ARC they'll be thoroughly tested and position matched.)

There is a NOS varietal from the days when the tube was made primarily for the Soviet military; it has a 'DR' suffix. After its introduction by Viktor Khomenko of BAT, the 6H30 gained greater usage primarily from adoption by Audio Research and Conrad Johnson. For a while the DRs were going for $25-$40, but as more folks sought them the prices shot up. You may still be able to find them but they'll be much more expensive. While there is a small sonic difference between them, having tried both in a variety of gear, imo it is nowhere the sort of difference that usually commands a NOS premium, for example as found among better members of the 6DJ8 family.

[Myles B. Astor]

This might be of interest.

http://www.aca.gr/index/hiend/hiendArticles?row=1988

[jakegt3]

Thanks everybody. I knew I could count on this forum for good information!

[Cabbagetown]

Originally Posted by Myles B. Astor

This might be of interest. http://www.aca.gr/index/hiend/hiendArticles?row=1988

Thanks. I ordered the gold pins a couple of weeks ago from Upscale.

[jakegt3]

Just a follow-up to my original query here ...

I ordered the 6H30's from Upscale Audio and installed them in my Reference CD7. The sound has gone through some pretty significant changes over the initial "burn in" period. During the first 50 hours, the sound was rather "hot" and thin, to the point of being rather unpleasing. Between 50 and 75 hours, the hotness diminished a lot and now the midrange richness is starting to come through, which is what I was hoping for. At this point, I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm continuing the "burn in" and am waiting to see how much more the sound evolves.

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by jakegt3

Just a follow-up to my original query here ... I ordered the 6H30's from Upscale Audio and installed them in my Reference CD7. The sound has gone through some pretty significant changes over the initial "burn in" period. During the first 50 hours, the sound was rather "hot" and thin, to the point of being rather unpleasing. Between 50 and 75 hours, the hotness diminished a lot and now the midrange richness is starting to come through, which is what I was hoping for. At this point, I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm continuing the "burn in" and am waiting to see how much more the sound evolves.

Jake...let us know if there are any other sonic changes. Thx.

[jakegt3]

One more update on the new 6H30's in my Reference CD7 ...

The sound of the new tubes seems to have stabilized at the 75-100 hour mark. Upscale Audio said to expect the tubes to sound "zippy" for the first 100 hours and they were right. Now I'm hearing a big improvement in smoothness and midrange richness.

It's also a big improvement on the old tubes that were in the CD7. I suspect those tubes were "tired" because I was hearing compressed dynamic range, distortion on massed violins in the upper octaves (my favorite acid test for components), and loss of detail on louder musical passages. There was also a some deficiency in top end "air". The flaws were not fatal ones but they did make their presence known over time.

I don't know how many hours were on the old tubes. However, the bottom line is when you suspect things don't sound right, it may be time to replace the tubes. It's a simple and relatively inexpensive thing to do.

[cmalak]

John...any plans to similarly replace the 6H30s in your LS-27?