OK Gang after a few years of experimenting much time and re$ources . . . I arive to soem clear conclussions.
There si no reissue that will take teh place of a good NOS.
Though must confess that Tung-Sol reissue are decent, they're not great nor wonderful.
I have bought tried tested and played with dozens of NOS types too many to list here but it shall suffice to say that i will list them in order of my personal prefference granted that every tube sound different in teh context of different gear even interactions and synergy (or lack thereof)with the otehr tubes in the system, be power tubes, driver tubes and pre tubes, phase splitter tubes, etc. also rectification tubes also influnece greatly.
So here we go:
1- Tong-Sol round plate black glass (1940's)best overall
does everything right tube
2- RCA gray glass (1940's)very close to TS sweeter mids
slight softness in the bass but lots of detail.
3- Ken Rad parellel plates ribbed clear tops 1940's does
everything right more and tighter bass than TS.
4- Raytheon ribbed plates extra support rods in front of
the plates unknown year but presumed early 1950's.
5- Sylvania chrome domes and bad boys 1950's
6- Tung-Sol tall bottles black plates black bases top halo
getter or harp shape getter.
7- just as good as teh Sylvanias and teh Tung-Sols tall
bottle come the Russian 6H8C NOS 1950's only the NOS
tubes they present an absolute wonderful bass celar and
airy top end a slight forward mids nto as sweet as the
Tung Sols or RCA's. Warning: newer tubes are same as EH
8- GE 1950's and early 60's (GTA GTB)not as refined as the
RCA's and TS but definetely not a sloucha dn will easily
better any new production tube.
Recent production tubes TS better than CHinese recent production tubes older production tubes sound pretty decent actually this is true for the 6SN7 only.
There si no reissue that will take teh place of a good NOS.
Though must confess that Tung-Sol reissue are decent, they're not great nor wonderful.
I have bought tried tested and played with dozens of NOS types too many to list here but it shall suffice to say that i will list them in order of my personal prefference granted that every tube sound different in teh context of different gear even interactions and synergy (or lack thereof)with the otehr tubes in the system, be power tubes, driver tubes and pre tubes, phase splitter tubes, etc. also rectification tubes also influnece greatly.
So here we go:
1- Tong-Sol round plate black glass (1940's)best overall
does everything right tube
2- RCA gray glass (1940's)very close to TS sweeter mids
slight softness in the bass but lots of detail.
3- Ken Rad parellel plates ribbed clear tops 1940's does
everything right more and tighter bass than TS.
4- Raytheon ribbed plates extra support rods in front of
the plates unknown year but presumed early 1950's.
5- Sylvania chrome domes and bad boys 1950's
6- Tung-Sol tall bottles black plates black bases top halo
getter or harp shape getter.
7- just as good as teh Sylvanias and teh Tung-Sols tall
bottle come the Russian 6H8C NOS 1950's only the NOS
tubes they present an absolute wonderful bass celar and
airy top end a slight forward mids nto as sweet as the
Tung Sols or RCA's. Warning: newer tubes are same as EH
8- GE 1950's and early 60's (GTA GTB)not as refined as the
RCA's and TS but definetely not a sloucha dn will easily
better any new production tube.
Recent production tubes TS better than CHinese recent production tubes older production tubes sound pretty decent actually this is true for the 6SN7 only.