The Tung Sol tubes came in the other day, so i dropped em in and biased em at 39.0 ma, about 55%. I'm a lil tired as i write this, so i apologize if i ramble 

New Sensor/Reflektor did a nice job with these. They are not just a plain ol Sovtek put into a short bottle with a fancy logo forged into the top of the tube and Tung Sol screened on the base; they are a totally different build, and look nothing like any of the other tubes they produce, whether it be Sovtek, EH, Gold Lion, Svetlana, etc. The plates are very nicely welded, the spacers are nice and straight, and the plates have a nice black dusty look to em. Also, these tubes have very little blue glow to them, which means they were evacuated very well. One thing i've noticed about Russian tubes compared to Chinese ones, and even Czech ones is that the Russians seem to have a knack for getting their tubes evacuated nearly completely before they seal em up. Some people will say this doesn't matter much, some will say that it makes all the difference in the world. To me, it just shows an attention to detail and the willingness to go a lil further to make the tube as reliable as possible. One thing Sovteks were always known for was their reliability and toughness, if not their tone. Well, this time, it seems that Reflektor/New Sensor was listening to their customers, and delivered a product that was both reliable, and sounded sweet.

The first thing i noticed sonically is that there are alot more clear and well defined than the TADs, all through out the frequency range. The mids are very present but not overbearing or honky, the low end is nice and tight and crisp, not as mushy and flabby as the TADs. The highs are much more present than in the TADs, but not overbearing or ice picky, just was i was looking for to bring the BM to life. Overall they are punchy and lively, with a much better soundstage than the TADs. Boosted cleans are amazing on these tubes. They don't fold under the additional low end that comes from the Mega PAB and a clean boost and they handle the overdrive being produced by the boosted cleans amazingly well. The Drive channel also sounds 100% as well. The lows are nice and tight, and the mids and highs are present, but again not overbearing, which can be a problem when the HRM is bypassed on the BM. Overall, they are just more "alive" than the TADs and will faithfully reproduce what your amp is putting out and aren't loose in the low end like alot of 6L6's are. They are just nicely balanced.

These tubes are just what Reflektor adverstises: 5881 tone in a 30 watt over 400 v capable package; indeed they sound almost identical to my beloved Jan Phillips 6L6WGB's, but i don't have to worry about them red plating at full plate voltage or have a compromise in tone by lowering the HT voltage.

If you are in the market for a new set of tubes for your OTS, I suggest you give em a try, they may make you smile

Gregg

I got em from mike at kcanostubes.com

Some techs say it is a good idea to change the PI when you change your output tubes, kinda like preventive maintienence. If the rest of your pre amp tubes still sound good, I'd leave em alone. Don't fix it if it ain't broke

Gregg

Awesome review Gregg!
I'm sure I'll be trying different tubes at some point so I'll be referring back to this.
I just picked up an original 67 Bassman with a set of USA 6L6GC's in it. Not sure exactly what they are or how to identify them but it would be interesting to try them in my BM possibly.

Gregg,
Yeah I'm not planning on trying that any time soon...lol...don't want to screw up a good thing!

Actually, no I haven't. I've been pushing the ones I have as long has possible. But like before, I was just telling myself I need to get new tubes right away. I have been going through an acoustic playing spell the last 2 months or so and haven't been playing the amp as much. I have some electric playing situations coming up and I don't trust not having a good set to start with.

Are you still loving the Tung Sol's?

P.S. Good to hear from ya!!