these are new production-Shaguang Blk treasure. Purchased from reputable seller.
If you’ve ever used 6SN7’s in an amplifier, you probably know about Tung Sol round plates. They have a variant that’s called a VT-99. It uses the round plate structure that is loved for its rich sound. It uses a wire on top to connect an internal plate. I ordered the 6SN7 to 6922 adapter and used a WOO Adapter for the VT-99. The sound is lovely and gives a little more lush Bass and mid range with nice detail in the Treble.
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nice! The only thing I am not crazing about the 6sn7’s is that the board is exposed. My room will get dusty from time to time.
Custom covers…
sh$t-Dat’s an idea!
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You can make your own grill for a few bucks. I made one using a gutter guard from home depot for $10.
Cut it to size with dremel using the original as template and eyeballed the holes. Then use screen rubber (which i had to hand but it’s cheap). Use a Stanley knife to make a slot to insert the grill into to make a wrap around to protect topplate. Looks ok.
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Awesome
Hi kcleveland123,
Thanks for your response - the Citfe’s seem hard to find. I’m going to keep my eyes open for some and get a pair when they are available. I have Tungsrams &DJ8s in the BHK Pre & BHK 300s and do notice that although quiet in the amps - they do seem to be a bit more noisier in the pre with a minor amount of background hiss. No Volume control issues(pops) though - so have been pretty happy with their musicality.
So many tubes … so little time!!!
Cheers
Kevin
Dear All,
I am looking for a pair of 12AU7 tubes for my PS Audio BHK Preamp. It still has the original Gold Lion 12AU7 tubes, has about 1100 hours on them. From the very beginning, there is a soft hiss from the speaker, I can hear it when my ears are about 16 inches from the tweeters. I think it’s from the BHK Pre. I bought a new pair of Gold Lion 12AU7 from PS Audio, similar hiss. Maybe this is just the nature of the circuit. Or, maybe a different tube will lower the hiss. I am not looking to change the sound, just want to lower the noise. Has anyone have experience with Upscaleaudio’s Gold Lion 12AU7? Their website listed three grades, Gold, platinum, and Kevin’s stash. Or a different brand 12AU7? Thanks for the advice.
I have a lot of experience with the J2/BHK combination and they produce a wonderful sound together.
My feeling is that all the new production 12AU7 tubes sound like they come from the same line.
If you want a little more warmth, first play around with your speaker position. Tweeter height relative to your ear level can make a bigger difference than swapping tubes.
But if you’re after the McIntosh house sound, sell everything and buy McIntosh.
The Gold Lions are a better sounding tube than the Psvane’s that PSA supplies and sells. You just need to make sure you get match triodes in each tube to avoid the volume control clicking. The hiss within 16" is normal especially if your speakers are 90 db or better. I bought mine from hear and check the matched and balanced option.
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It seems that the hiss is part of the package, and I believe BHK himself noted such. I’ve got 89dB speakers and hear it more prominently with the 6DJ8 family of tubes, but less hiss with the 12AU7 family.
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I have a BHK Pre in route to compare to my Modwright. Now off to read the +900 posts in this thread to consider what tubes to roll. 
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Same here. Hiss with Tungsrams. Dead silent with Gold Lion 12AU7s. Unfortunately the gold lions don’t sound a beautiful as the Tungsram.
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I accept a certain level of hiss is going to be inherent in my tube gear. Tubes have a noise floor that includes noise due to thermionic emission. It’s a fact of life for that type of device. If the hiss can only be heard with my ear in close proximity to my speaker but is inaudible at my normal listening position, it isn’t a priority when deciding what tubes to use. If it sounds great with the tonal balance, imaging and liquid presentation I like I’m good.
Remember tube grading like what Upscale Audio offers is certainly one way to obtain hand selected tubes that are the best of a lot, but tubes are still tubes.
I get it. I’m near field so I always hear the hiss. My tungsrams are from upscale and tubemonger. I bought a pair from an eBay seller to compare. Just as good as the pairs from the “reputable” guys.
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Which Modwright Pre?
I’ve had an original Modwright SWL 9.0 SE for 15 years; it has upgraded caps, but is otherwise a stock version of the SE build. I’ve grown to like the 5687 and variant sound, but with no balanced option, I’m optimistic the BHK will win me over.
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I had one of those a while ago the BHK will probably be better. I really like Dan’s phono preamp the PH9.0
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That is a wonderful phono stage by Dan. My goal is to replace my main system with new/better components and move my existing to begin a 2nd modest system in another part of the house.