6sn7 tube question


I understand that older, NOS 6sn7 tubes are almost always better sounding than the new stuff. However, my question is, which of the newly manufactured 6sn7 tubes is the best sounding?
jppenn
Not sure if they make 6sn7's, but the Euro Audio Team (EAT) has gotten some great reviews on their new tubes. Worth a look see.
Just a side note; It could be a short lived sonic experience if you don't watch the maximum plate voltages. NOS 6SN7's can run from 275 VDC (for a 5692), up to 450 VDC for a 6SN7GTB series. You should contact your amp manufacturer before dropping serious $$$$ on NOS to see what the electrical environment is for this valve. Also, some power amps use 6SN7's in both the input and driver section and again you may have two different values to deal with.6SN7's are alot of fun, especially in flavoring preamps!Good Luck!
I find it much more enjoyable to purchase low noise current production 6SN7 vs "by at your own risk" NOS exotic. Almost every exotic NOS 6SN7 that I have purchased, most from very reputable sellers, was either noisy or had a very short lived life.
Outside of the Tung Sols (which I have never heard, the only other new 6SN7's that I am aware of are ElectroHarmonix, Sino, and Sovtek. The EH sounded pretty good in my preamp. It is also well constructed and should last a while. The Sino was actually the stock tube that came with the preamp and I found it to be strident and almost confused musically. I have never heard the Sovtek because I moved right into NOS VT231's and even 5692's after using the EH for a few months. I think it would be safe to say that the new line of 6SN7's cannot compete with the older NOS tubes for sound quality.

For your interest, here is one of my favorite 6SN7 web sites:
http://www.tubeseller.com/ratings.html
I haven't tried many of the new 6sn7's but the reissue Tung-Sol's held up quite well compared to vintage Tung-Sol's and Sylvania VT-231's in my AES DJH preamp.