6SN7 tubes are made in USA, one marked as such, the other in NJ. The reason for my post is to find out what more substantial preamps would bring to the table vs. my Mapletree. Hoping an ex-Mapletree user would chime in. Or just anyone may comment. This preamp cost me new < $900, but it seems well done, and besides, NOS 6SN7 tubes are used so I expect it to sound good. Just curious what I might be missing, if anything, with a much more expensive piece. |
I imagine what you're looking for is the naturalness of the 6SN7 with maybe a bit more robustness and elegance than the 2A SE is capable of. I would look at the Tubes4HiFi SP14. It employs 4 6SN7s in an "Aikido" topology, which is a very popular noise-cancelling circuit developed by John Broskie of TubeCad. It maintains the ease of the 6SN7 but offers a richer, deeper tone and blacker background. It's what I use (in my own DIY version) and I never get tired of it. You could also look for a used Don Sachs version of the SP14. He souped them up a bit with premium parts and some modifications and better cosmetics. A terrific preamp. |
@dogearedaudio Nice! Thank you. That is the type of info I hope to find. |
The SP14 is one of the great bargains in audio, IMO. ;-) Someone else mentioned the LTA MicroZOTL, which is a headphone/pre combo that uses the 6SN7. There's also the Icon Audio Pure Valve but it's pretty pricey. The Cary SLP-98 is a classic 6SN7 preamp. It's very musical, but I find it slow and thick compared to the SP14, which is faster, cleaner and more transparent. You can also easily upgrade the SP14 or have someone do it for you. |
@dogearedaudio It is the Cary SLP 98 preamp that I base all my 6SN7 opinions on, although mine is the F1 version, sort of a hot-rodded version made for sale through Upscale Audio. Anyway, I don't find it to be slow or syrupy or thick or whatever other descriptions have been used on the original SLP 98's. @rockadanny It's good that your Tung Sols are US made but they are not the premium Tung Sols by any stretch. Buy a new preamp any time you want but if it was me, I'd sure try some better tubes first. It can make a huge difference in how a preamp sounds. Worth a try if you ask me but it's certainly your call to make. Keep us posted on what you do or what you find. |
