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BRENT JESSEE RECORDING & SUPPLY, INC.

1566 West Algonquin Road #111

Hoffman Estates, IL 60192

Voice Phone 847-496-4546, Monday-Friday 8AM to 4PM USA Central Time

FAX only 847-963-1561, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

e-mail: brentjes@audiotubes.com

6SN7 TUBES CURRENTLY IN STOCK

This page lists all of the 6SN7 tubes I currently have in stock, including all industrial and European versions.

It is a long page, use your scroll button and scroll down the page to see it all.

These are extremely high demand vintage tubes, so I have these listed on their own page, as my stock changes rapidly. If you need a quantity of these tubes, or have specific needs such as matching, special construction, etc., please e-mail me.

NEW! CURVE TRACER MATCHING AVAILABLE! We can match most small signal preamp tubes on a Tektronix 576 curve tracer. This runs the tube at full rated plate voltage, and plots the curves at 10 different grid bias levels. The most accurate method to test tubes, the curve plots can actually be compared to the printed examples for each tube type that appear in the manufacturer technical data sheets and books. Each triode of a 6SN7 can be compared both internally (balanced) and to other tubes (matched). Curve tracer internal balancing, or matching of two or more tubes on the curve tracer, adds $10.00 per tube to the cost and is done upon request. Prices listed below for "matched pair" tubes are Gm matching only, and there is no additional charge for Gm matched pairs. For most uses, Gm matching is fine. Curve tracer matching would be recommended if the tubes are to be used in a phase inverter circuit, phono or microphone preamp, or other critical or demanding circuit. Curve tracer matching is an additional special request item and is charged in addition to the listed price of the single or matched pair tubes on this page.

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An Important Note About NOS Tubes. Please Read.

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The 6SN7 tube is a medium-mu twin triode in an octal based package, usually glass, although some metal envelope types were made. In normal use it operates as a class A amplifier. It was widely used in the early days of television as the vertical amplifier, and it's use was so common in most TV chassis designs that vintage 6SN7 tubes are still fairly easy to find today. Audio designers soon found it made a great audio preamp with it's large plates, ample power reserve, and low microphonic octal package. The GTA and GTB types, having been fine tuned for demands in television chassis vertical sweep circuits, can handle up to 7 watts maximum plate power!

The demands for these tubes today are primarily in vintage and recent design audio amplifiers and preamplifiers of the high-fidelity type, up to and including the most expensive and esoteric. It seems there is a 6SN7 tube for every taste and budget, and some of the vintage versions are being hunted to extinction, especially those made for the military. I will try to explain the differences between some of these tubes, and list specifically what I have in stock. I expect some of these tubes will skyrocket in price worldwide as more and more audio designers find out that this preamp tube is a design that really can't be improved upon....and that the fine vintage tubes just cannot (and probably will not) ever be duplicated by a current production tube.

Three envelope sizes are common in the full octal base version: SHORT, glass is 1.5 inches high; MEDIUM, glass is 1 3/4 inches high; TALL or "TALL BOY", glass is 2 inches high.

6SN7GT / G:

This is the original version of this tube. It may be found in all three sizes of glass envelope. The Sylvania Tall Boy types have two triangular shaped plates facing each other mounted high in the tube, with either a top or bottom getter. Later GT versions were in a medium glass envelope with a green label and blackplates with bottom getter, sometimes called the "Bad Boy" 6SN7, and are sought after for their excellent sonics. The Bad Boy tubes are virtually identical to the military VT-231 from the early 1950s and are currently a less expensive alternative, but this could change as the Bad Boy fad catches on! A side note about Bad Boys, there were versions with 2 rivet holes in each plate, and versions with 3 holes. Both types sound identical. Don't fall for the bogus story that only the 3 rivet hole types are the true "Bad Boys"! You will miss out on some great sound from the 2 hole type, since the 3 hole versions are more difficult to find, more expensive elsewhere, and don't sound any different! I suspect the "3-hole only" story got started by my competition to justify charging a higher price for these tubes!

The early Sylvania GTA and GTB types had a top getter and silver flashed the entire top of the tube, sometimes called "chrome tops" or "chrome domes". Many brands used this design, but the high mounted triangular plates means it most likely was made by Sylvania. An unusual twist on this design is the "Mouse Ear" Tung Sol 6SN7GT. This medium glass envelope tube has the high mounted triangular plates like the Sylvania, but also includes two large round clear mica supports at the top edge of each plate, parallel to the glass sides, looking a bit like Mickey Mouse Ears. These Mouse Ear Tung Sol tubes sound very nice and are worth seeking out. The early RCA "GT" types were usually in either a medium or short envelope and have a grey RF shield sprayed on inside the glass. The GE and KenRad types were similar, but the inner glass coating is deep black. These tubes usually have flat black plates, like large 12AX7 blackplates. The military versions of these are the VT-231 and are in very high demand today. Two rare early types worth grabbing at any price are the nickel base Sylvania 1940s vintage, and the early Tung Sol 1940s types with the black oval shaped plates, often found in blackglass. Both are very scarce and in high demand, which has depleted new old stocks. These have excellent sonics are are worth the extra price, if you find one. Tung Sol also made the SAME oval plate blackglass type for many other brands. Don't hesitate to grab these, they are the same incredible tubes!

6SN7GTA / GTB:

This is the later improved version, and the improvements were primarily geared toward the TV chassis designers who demanded more max. plate wattage and voltage, where vertical circuits can put up to 1500 volt pulses at 7 watts on the plates. For hi-fi audio use, these improvements are meaningless. These are fine tubes, nonetheless. Most are found in the short glass envelope, but some brands like Raytheon used the Tall Boy style. Sylvania made tubes have the triangular plates mounted lower, and set at angles to each other, although some of the very earliest examples of the GTA types still used the dull blackplates facing each other. RCA used the flat black plates "sideways" to each other, and GE used the grey plates parallel to each other. The Sylvania types in demand have a large top getter patch. The earliest Sylvania GTA types have a green label and heavy top getter flashing extending down the sides of the tube. The early GTB types are similar, but most have a yellow or red label, with some rare first production run tubes still out there with the 1940s green label. Watch for these tubes, made by Sylvania for other brands like Zenith, Philco, and Motorola. They are currently bargain priced and are the same fine tube as those with the Sylvania label! The versions from the 1960s have the getter just covering the top of the tube. All of these have the same black triangular plates and are excellent tubes. The GE types have a side getter and large parallel grey plates, and the RCA used both bottom or side getter. Some side and bottom getter types have 2 getter patches on top, right above the plates. This often happened during the factory gettering process with 6SN7 types that did not have top getters. It is not a sign of use, as the spots are usually bright silver and visible on tubes still sealed in the box. Most other vintage USA brands you find will have been made by these three vendors, and will be one of the above variations, regardless of brand on the label. A few were made with brown micanol bases, the RCA types being very dark brown, the GE types being a lighter, marbled brown. The brown micanol bases are most often found in military tubes, as they resist heat, moisture, and fungus/mildew growth. It was not uncommon, however, for manufacturers to repackage unsold military surplus tubes in "civilian" boxes and sell them to the general public. Many audiophiles prefer either the Sylvania chrome tops, the RCA, or the GE side getter over any others, even over the military or redbase types. These are all a great bargain now, and are sure to be rare and expensive tomorrow.

6SN7W / WGT / WGTA:

This type indicates a military spec tube that was not made for consumer use. These usually have extra support posts on the plate structure, heavy mica spacers, and brown micanol bases. These also have the famous triangular shaped black plates. They have been ruggedized to withstand shock, the brown low loss micanol base resists mold, mildew, and fungus growth, and they can withstand heat even if used upside down. The early Sylvania 6SN7W types from the 1940s had a metal collar around the base, then later a black base. These look internally alot like the early Sylvania GTA types listed above. Sylvania made these for other brands as well, including RCA. Easy to spot as they have the triangular blackplates facing each other in a short bottle, with a very heavy chrome top flashing extending down the sides of the tube. These are RARE and worth seeking out! The WGT and WGTA types all had brown bases. Only the WGTA types made in the late 70s and 80s reverted back to black bases then coin or wafer bases. These are all wonderful tubes, are long lived, and sound fantastic. No wonder they are fast disappearing from the vintage market.

ECC32 and ECC33:

A fine European version of the 6SN7GT. These don't often turn up in the USA. The few I have seen have been British and manufactured by Mullard or Brimar. This tube is usually medium glass, large, sometimes fat, full octal base, and some have a dark grey inner glass coating which hides the plates from view. I believe nearly all ECC32 tubes are cylindrical or oval plates. These are very rare, and worth seeking out. The early 1950s oval plates with brands like Cossor, Marconi, Osram, Mullard and Brimar are awesome. They are noted for their excellent sonics in audio use. Look for the early Mullard with the distinctive late 1950s brown micanol base with the "gold dust" appearance, of sparkling mica flakes in the brown matrix. Some may be labeled with either ECC33, 6SN7GT, CV1988 or a combination of these, or even made for other European brands. Some have the BVA label, and the older versions often have the date and factory codes on the bottom of the base between the pins. Be careful when buying these! Later versions were made in Russia, but still say "Great Britain" on them! The Russian tubes have a rounded glass top, and a cup or square shape solid getter. They also often have a large, very shiny black base NOT made from bakelite but from an inferior plastic. We do not carry these types in our stock.

CV1988:

Another fine military version of the 6SN7GT, this time from Western Europe. These don't often turn up in the USA. The few I have seen have been British and manufactured by Mullard or Brimar. This tube is usually medium glass, dark brown full octal base, and has a dark grey inner glass coating which hides the plates from view. I suspect these are cylindrical plates, as most of the European 6SN7 varieties have been this type. Sometimes Brimar from the Footscray, UK factory turn up. Mostly clearglass with flattened oval plates at angles high in the glass. These are rare, and worth seeking out. Not only do they sound as good as the best industrial 5692, but they have the higher specs of a 6SN7GTB with regards to plate current and voltage, and have the long heater life and overall ruggedness of the US military types. A winning combination!

6H8C:

This is a rather difficult to find Russian made tube that is a direct replacement for the 6SN7. This tube can be confusing to buy for the novice, as there are several versions available. The common version has a medium glass envelope and a black plastic base, and are still in production in Russia. They are of fair to medium quality, but certainly are not worth much more than $20.00 each. I have seen these tubes sold for export to the West, labelled as 6SN7GT. THE RARE VERSION, and the one to look for is the Russian military version. This tube has a medium glass envelope, with a nickel collar around the base. It has black T-shaped plates facing each other, with small holes in the sides of the plates. There may be an "OTH" production number inked on the base, and the tube type is etched within a circle on the glass. These military tubes are rare, and are built like the Tung Sol oval plates, with spring mounted spacers at the top touching the inside glass, and heavy support rods for each plate element. These tubes have incredible air and accurate bass, kind of like what a Telefunken sounds like! They are amazingly dynamic, and at the same time delicate, and very quiet. These tubes are actually rarer than the fabeled Tung Sol oval plates, and clients have told me these sound better!

5692:

This is the premimum commercial / "industrial" grade of 6SN7. The most famous of these are the RCA "redbase" series, with their distinctive red marbled full octal bases. These are always in the short glass envelope style, and most have four support rods joining the four corners of the top and bottom mica spacers and supporting the plate structure. These have 10,000 hour life filaments and are very resistant to shock and vibration, making them low in microphonics. The RCA versions have the "stop sign" label on the top of the tube with the number 5692 inside, and on the older tubes this was often smeared off, being printed with a chalky white paint. ALL of the redbase versions of this tube were made by RCA, regardless of the brand on the label. TungSol, GE, and Raytheon can often be found branded on the label, but RCA made them all. Other brands like CBS/Hytron and Sylvania made brownbase versions of this tube, but I suspect all were actually made by RCA, as they are identical inside. The brown and black base versions are a bargain compared to the rare red base types, and most have very similar construction and sonics. These are all really fine tubes, but have been hunted nearly to extinction. I usually only have a few in stock, but they are worth the higher cost in overall long life and great sound.

OK, SO TELL ME HOW THEY SOUND!!

A tough question if there ever was one! The best advice is to get a few types and hear for yourself the good sounds you have been missing. All of these vintage tubes are excellent, much better than the Russian or Chinese yuck that is being made today. When replacing any stock Russian, Chinese, or East Europe tube with any of these vintage NOS types, you will notice immediately that the midrange glare is gone. Gone too is that honky, boxy quality, and the tiring upper midrange screech that current production tubes are famous for. Here are some VERY GENERAL observations about some of these vintage tubes:

TELEFUNKEN, and the rare RUSSIAN 6H8C METAL BASE, NOS: These tubes are usually characterized by an impressive open "air" at the top end. The soundstage is large, even in mono applications these tubes have a great 3-D image. The midrange is ruler flat, and the bass is tight and accurate. These tubes have a fine sense of dynamics, and most are impressively quiet. These are not "warm" tubes, and to some ears their lack of midrange warmth may be heard as bright. I tend to think of them as accurate, and their clean, focused sonic image is astonishing. They are both scarce and the prices are high when found. The Russian tube must have the metal base, and has T-shape plates inside with spring supports at the top, and round holes in the sides. The black plastic base version is NOT the same and only worth a few dollars. Be careful when buying these as later versions with black bases are sometimes being passed off as the early 1980s rare versions!

AMPEREX, PHILIPS, POPE, MAZDA and other Holland/France/Belgium made NOS: These tubes are a great balance of a clean, airy top end, nice midrange warmth, and accurate bass. They are very pleasant, clean, and musical to listen to in hi-fi applications. Most often found are the military CV1988 types, and the rarer ECC33 types from the 1950s. Detailed, sweet, and very three-dimensional tubes. The rare French Mazda has the air and sparkle of the Telefunken, the touch of warmth of the Amperex, and adds a nice bit of dynamic punch to the sound.

MULLARD, COSSOR, BRIMAR, and other British made NOS: Like a warm British jacket of the finest tweed, these glorious tubes have an attractive sweet warmth in their midrange and lower regions. The top end is silky and pleasant, without being rolled-off. The best of these tubes retain a fine sense of "air" at the top, and the upper midrange is smooth and liquid. These tubes reproduce the human voice, especially female voices, with haunting realism. Found both in ECC33 and CV1988 versions, sometimes with the CV1988 types merely labeled as 6SN7GT. Very rare in the USA but a very rich sonic treat to listen to.

RCA, RAYTHEON, GE, SYLVANIA, and other USA made NOS: This group is very diverse. The Tung Sol oval plates, both made for the military and civilian use, usually get the nod as the best. They are dead quiet, accurate, detailed without being sterile, holographic sonics, and an amazing smoothness and silky depth to the sound that draws the listener deep. More often found at a lower price point, the Sylvania family of 6SN7 tubes offer a nice sparkle and air at the top, a brush of midrange warmth, and nice accurate bass. The nickel base and early "W" military types are often cited as the best, but great satisfaction can be had at a lower price from the WGT, VT231, and GT/GTA/GTB chrome dome types, whose sonics are very similar to the early military versions. The "Bad Boy" GT 2 and 3 rivet hole versions are an especially nice sounding tube for the price. The GE "side getter" is a sleeper bargain tube as it sounds great and usually all versions cost less that other USA tubes! The GE is like an Amperex: airy, light, great warmth in the mids, and a nice if rather thick bass. Finally the RCA tubes hold the fort with deep impressive bass and rich and liquid midrange tones. The top is silky. The best examples are the VT231 greyglass types, and the early GT. Best bargain in the RCA camp is the early GTB tubes. Same rich sonics and these are usually priced well below all other types!

For more information on 6SN7 tubes, see TubeSeller.com at http://www.tubeseller.com/6sn7info.html

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