Shuguang Black Treasure CV181-Z

After dabbling with different 6SN7's on my MP-3 I stayed with the CV-181-Z the BT tubes, these to my ears sound better than many of other tubes including NOS.
I tried the Russian Melz (from Romania actually new or with minimal use) not that good, similar to the stock Shuguang
Tried the Sylvania's from the 40's 50's, 6SN7GTB, 6SN7W (bad boys I believe) different pairs, all testing good on my calibrated and restored B&K707, very good but no on par with the BT's, there is a brittle / harsh sound with the high frequencies which is annoying, granted maybe with my Klipsch P37F which lack on the bass this is more apparent than with other systems but I remember even with a sub the vocals had that "shhhhhh" at the end. The BT has a little more bass, black backgrounds etc. So far I have them for 120 days or so with no issues.
I tried the PSVANE's the CV181-TII and the sound was between the Sylvania's and the BT, but one of the tubes died, stop working, when gently shaken it rattle inside and after a week or two the top was all whitey like humidity and condensation got inside. Don't know is this PSVANE was faulty or not, maybe just a coincidence.

For the price for the MP3 I believe the BT is a great tube, you can get a pair on Ebay for $95 / $100 whether a pair of good NOS Sylvania's are roughly the same (from reputable vendors), time will tell how good the BT's are. I am planning to post with no bias (I am actually a fan of american manufacturing and quality especially from those good ole days) but I have to admit that lately the quality of products coming from China has improved and while the prices have also increased that difference is not proportional which makes it attractive.

Oh, on the MA-1 replacing the stock Shuguang for the Sylvania's aforementioned above was a big improvement and this is I believe very specific to Atmasphere, it might not be the same with another amp and another brand. I just had wished the Atmaspheres would have a slightly wider gap between the drivers sockets to accommodate these boutique tubes.

Last but not least the stock chinese tubes are amazingly good in quality and sound, the MA-1 bass will be improved with the NOS Sylvania's but you may lose a little bit on the mids, I'm not actually quite entirely sure about this assertion because the bass improvement may trick you into thinking the mids are not there as before, so basically you are trading sounds based on preference

I believe these amps and pre amps are "chameleons", you can replace the tubes and you have a new amp / preamp at your disposal with different sound and attitude. I'm not going back to SS (at least not on my plans)

I have been wanting to get an MP-1 but the MP-3 sounds so so good that I don't know if I will notice the improvements.

@dragon_vibe can you post your experience with tubes and the MP-1 in general please? I am very curious

Best to you all

Luis

I bought a couple of the Shuguang Treasure Cv181-z tubes for my Modwright LS-100 and one went microphonic in about 3 weeks.  I was able to get a refund and put the stock tubes back in.

Finally had a chance to start testing the BT Zs on my MP-3 and the first driver on MA-1, due to the size I cannot put 2 BTs next to each other on the Amp sockets.
Sound completely different, trying different styles of music the BT gives more uncontrolled not so tight bass as the stock shuguang, the midrange and highs on the stock shuguang is wonderful. 
Wife immediately asked "what did you change this time, sounds awful" she is a pianist and a singer with better music assertion and ears than mine and I noticed as well. 
I believe these BTs need some time to adjust so I'm planning to cook them with a few power Russian tubes I got as spares and will post again, I hope they will improve, I think I was expecting much initially. Also expecting some chrome domes and Russian melz which I will expect to be disappointed. 
If anyone can post more of their experience with Sophia and Sophia blue and psvane tii that would be great 

@dragon_vibe 
How's your MP-1 sounding with the CV-181s ? can you post your experience? is longevity an issue?

I’m a huge fan on Psvane Tubes

Prima Luna Prolog 7 Mono Blocks 
12axy & 12au7 TIl’s
psvane-philips-holland-metal-base-replica-el34ph. 

Cary SLP 98 pre Amp
x4 Treasure Globe 6SN7-SE
‘I have the CV181 TII’s as well but the globes are a little bit more refined. 

I have had previously used numerous NOS tubes, Winged C’s, Mullard, Jan, Raytheon, Svetlana,etc, and I prefer the Psvanes over everything else by a long shot.

A broader deeper sound stage with a wider sweet spot is my favorite attribute with this tube combo, but a taught punchy low end and the sublime delicate highs are also worththe price of admission. I’ve stopped tube rolling I’m done. I was going to upgrade my mono blocks but I prefer the sound of mine to systems worth far more expensive components. They are not cheap but worth the investment.

I have had 1 CV 181 get really microphonic after about 800 hrs? But that’s the only problem I have had. Great customer service and fast shipping are a bonus. 

I have lots of low hours NOS tubes for sake
+
KT88 x8
KT120 x8
New issues Mullard EL 34 x8
Numerous matched pairs of Raytheon, Jan, RCA, Gold lion 6ns7 tubes 
mostly brought from Upscake Audio or Tube Depot. 
‘Numerous variants and quads of both 12ax7 & 12au7 tubes 

I will never ever tube my VAC Phi 300 with any Psvane product again.   After months of assurances from Rachel in Grant Fidelity importers that their new 'higher plate voltage tubes' would work fine for me, they blew up my amp from a lint short.  And their CV-181's lasted maybe 7 months. Buyer beware.

Dragon Vibe.  Can you post your findings using these new tubes in the MP-1 and Any longevity issues?   

Psvane CV-181's, pricey and intially captivating, develop static around the 90-day mark. Psvane KT-88's in my experience are shoddily produced with little or no quality assurance testing, despite Rachel's claims.  Upon receipt  of 2 matched quads, one of them laid a 'lint short' on my VAC Phi 300, disabling it for 3 months. I notice now Psvane no longer offers the KT-88; they'd also changed their plate voltage to a value in excess of 100%, defying manual bias. Back they went, at my expense. Interestingly, Kevin no longer tubes his amps with Chinese tubes, deferring instead to Golden Lions. 

Brf,

That's good to know,that's probably why they Sound and look the same.

They are a good not great sounding tube,I wonder about their longevity though,Time will tell.

Best,

Kenny.

I would like to know if the TJ full music 6sn7 and the Sophia 6sn7 tubes are the same and who makes who.

Remember, Sophia does not manufacture tubes they are a re-seller/re-brander of Chinese tubes with "supposedly" higher screening and tolerances.  Grant Fidelity Audio provides a similar service but with a bit more transparency.  Yes, the TJ and Sophi are the same tube.

Hello all,

I would like to know if the TJ full music 6sn7 and the Sophia 6sn7 tubes are the same and who makes who.

Do they sound the same?


Kenny.

I just received a pair of the following:

TJ Full Music
Black Treasure Z (New Series)
Black Treasure T Series.


I'm About to Order The WE Replica 6SN7 and the Psvane TII Series.

So far the MP-3 Atma-Sphere Pre-Amp has been installed with the Z Series. The sound is opening up. Its a lot more quiet than few of my nos tubes.

My MP-1 is arriving within 2 weeks back from Ralph. I'm Planning to load all 6 different Chinese Tubes into the Pre-amp and see what happens.
If it becomes too lush I can start to remove them by the pair.

So far the Z Series seems to be promising. More info soon. Need to pass atleast 75 hours on the tubes to let it settle down a bit.

Thanks, mdemaio - I appreciate the feedback - think it's the BT "Z" for me and my Cary Audio SLP-05. Yes, all info I find online points to the BT "Z"s all fitting atop the SLP-05 without modification. I'll revisit this thread and post results once installed and broken-in.

Cheers.

Another strong endorsement for the Black Treasure "Z" tubes. More musical, dimensional, and transparent than the Sylvania Chrome Domes and Sophia 6SN7's I used prior in my MW 5400ES.

Dave

Hi msgtrlsmith – I can't speak to a comparison with Sylvanias, but I can tell you that the Black Treasures trounced the gold pin EH 6sn7s that were originally in my Blue Circle...to the point where it sounded like a different amp (in a good way): better sound staging, more air, sweeter treble, more precise imaging...and on and on. In every way that matters to me, the  BTs were noticeably better – as they should be, for 3X the price of the gold pins. But I've never regretted the purchase...it was a no brainer for my system. Just be aware that the BTs are significantly larger than stock 6sn7s...make sure your preamp can accommodate. I had to have my chassis altered to enable me to use them...but it was worth it. 

I have a pair of the BT CV-181-Z and I prefer the Sylvania's of course that could change depending on preamp. The manufacturer of my favorite preamp just changed the circuit and added a jumper so that I can use 6NS7 or 12SN7's. I have found an abundance of NOS 12SN7 tubes at far lower prices. I got a great deal on 40's Sylvania bad boys and Tung-Sol Black Glass Round Plate Oval Mica.

Old discussion, but thought i would elicit feedback - I want to replace the stock 6SN7 tubes in my preamp, but I'm unsure if I should go the NOS route or the "new Chinese" tubes? I'm leaning towards the Black Treasure CV-181-Z, but I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has had the BT tubes in a preamp for any extended period of time. At the prices being asked of these (and solid NOS tubes) I don't want to head down the wrong path - very expensive to recover from the wrong decision. My other option would be 1940s Sylvania black base (non-metal base) NOS tubes.

Thoughts . . . . ?

Love the Shuguang's but they got noisy after a few months.  Went to the Psvane's which I found to be a real close second to Shuguang and weren't nearly as noisy.  Got tired of the noise and went solid state.

I have the Z in a Modwright Oppo 105 am very pleased. Rolled a few well thought of vintage tubes and the Z is my choice. 
I have looked at the new Globe as well. The cost is sobering but the Z sounds so good it's easy to just ignore the new globe. For now..... Stupid hobby.

Thanks for the comments and info, guys. Yes, Mofi, these are the Zs and they seem to open and deepen with every passing hour. I contemplated the Sophias but took a chance with the Zs...glad I did. 

And in case it's unclear, I have no vested interest in saying such things...I'm just kind of dumbfounded at how much of a difference one tube has made.  It sounds like a completely different amplifier...

I have several pairs of the Shuguang CV181-Z, the Shuguang CV181-T and the Psvane CV181-TII.

I prefer the Shuguang CV181-"Z" in everything I’ve tried so far. Best 6SN7 out there, IHMO.  I found the "T" series to be just a tad to bright for my tastes.  Most listeners would say they had more detail, but to my ears, that also means brighter.

I also really like the Sophia Electric 6SN7.

Info on the difference between the two companies:

http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/who-is-psvane/

Look at these new limited edition 6SN7 tubes! I might have to try a pair of these babies:

http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/treasure-globe-6sn7-se-pair-gf-limited-special-editio...

Yes, the Psvane CV181-TII's are incredible.
It is my understanding that Psvane is the offshoot of Shuguang.

If you like the Shuguang, you should try the Psvane CV181-TII tubes.