Shuguang Treasure tubes....


I'm not sure if this is in the right place but this is about the tubes in my amp so here goes....Has anyone else given these Shuguan Treasure tubes a try?

I recently bought a used tube amp(VAC Phi 110) and the tubes that came with it were shot so I started poking around for some new tubes. I was looking for some Shuguang tubes, which are what I believe VAC supplies as standard/stock, and ran across Shuguangs limited production Treasure tubes. I poked around and did some reading, found a review or two and decided to give the only distributer for N. America(Grant Fidelity) a call. I spoke to a very kind and helpful lady who was patient with me(quite the task I might add!), was very nice and helpful and was darn knowledgeable on the tubes. Before I knew it my wallet had leapt out of my back pocket and I had splurged and ordered a matched quad of the Treasure Tubes, KT-88s. Within a couple of hours I had a tracking number and about a week later a box labeled "FRAGILE: GLASS!" was waiting for me when I got home from work.(A quick side note; during the short wait for the Treasure tubes to arrive I was using a borrowed quad of stock VAC KT-88 tubes and they were wonderful, great sounding tubes that I could live with forever....or that is until I found the Treasure tubes anyway.)

When the Treasure tubes showed up I ripped into the box and was shocked to see that each pair comes in a really nice presentation box with each tube very well protected in a foam insert, very classy. I removed the tubes, admired their beauty(they really are sweet looking tubes!) and popped them in the VAC and let them warm up for about 15-20 minutes. I then set bias on them and hit the play button expecting the usual tube break in time-wrong!...right out of the box these tubes sound fantastic! Seriously, I am shocked how at just good they sound fresh out of the box. Smooth clean highs, strong deep bass and all the other audiophile words we so endear. If they're this good right out of the box I can't wait until I get 100 hours or so on them. I'm no reviewer but I can say that these tubes offered a noticable improvement in my system and are worth every penny of their asking price, no doubt about it! So far they are chugging along and sounding beautiful and hold a rock solid bias, ZERO fluctuation.

Please understand that I have no affiliation with Grant Fidelity but when I run across a company that treats their customers so well and offers a product that performs at this level I feel I should share my experience with others, I'm one VERY hapy audionut!

Yes I actually do have a question and here it is; They(Grant Fidelity/Shuguang) also offer a 6SN7 substitute called the "CV-181", this is supposed to be a direct replacement for standard 6SN7's and I'm very interested in those as well. Has anyone else had the opportunity to give these tubes a try? Thanks for your replies.

Sincerely,
John
johngp
What i don't understand is why Grant Fidelity doesn't break the tubes in. How can they choose the top % of tubes if they change so much after they run for 300 hours. It wouldn't take much for a manufacturer / distributor to set up a rig where they could plug 50 tubes in and let them cook for a couple weeks. It wouldn't be too labor intensive. This comment really applies across the whole industry - if you have to run your system for 300 - 800 hours every time you buy a new piece of gear, your system won't lasst very long. I have heard some say that itis really our ears that are really breaking in; I dont know if this is true.
Honest1, you make an interesting point. As far as I know, Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio is one of the few, if any, people providing such service. Though, if I recall correctly, the position he takes is one of reliability. I think the way he has historically put it in his advertising is, "We do not use your amplifier as a tube tester."

Given that Grant Fidelity seems to be a customer oriented outfit, I would not bet against them taking your suggestion to heart. I believe it would make good business sense, as it would serve as extra incentive for those in Canada and the USA considering a purchase of these more expensive tubes. Since the Shuguang Treasure tubes are also available from HK/China and Europe (though likely without any price advantage in Europe) via outlets like ebay, any edge a North American importer can find in these instances is always welcome.
Jcspinks,

I really liked a lot of things about my Treasure 6ca7's right out of the box; I'm in the 275 hour range now and honestly can't say I hear a marked difference in the last 50 hours or so, but unfortunately that's possibly because I've not been able to 'critically listen' in the last couuple of weeks. My quad did go thru a period in the 50-80 hour range where I heard the slightly spitty/ragged edge of detail a bit, but seemed to smooth out fairly quickly. Maybe my mid/treble will continue to improve, but I'm really liking the sound right now!
I agree that a vendor break in is a good idea when they are so rough to begin with and require so much time. Believe me though this is not a customers-ears break in. The tubes change significantly.
I agree that a vendor break in is a good idea when they are so rough to begin with and require so much time. Believe me though this is not a customers-ears break in. The tubes change significantly.