[carusoracer]

Have you heard the new Psvane CV181 TII Grey Bottle Tube? Any impressions of the sound versus the previous version, or the Black Treasure CV 181Z?

I'm looking at other alternatives to NOS for an Ultraverve.

Thanks!

[music lover]

I have a pair in my Purity Audio Basis Preamp. I like the sound. It has a very good midrange and good bass. I was told by the distributor that this is a more refined version of the Black

Treasures, with less bloated bass and a more refined treble. The Psvane is very quiet and pleasant sounding and I can listen for many hours without fatigue.

I have not heard the Treasures, so I can't say which is better. But from what I've read, both are supposed to be excellent sounding tubes and more similar sounding than different.

I hope this helps.

[borism]

I have the first generation Psvane CV181 and have used it in my Atma-Sphere MP3. It is very good but I ended up replacing it with a NOS Ken Rad VT-231 and slightly preferring the NOS tube in this preamp. Both had extended bass and a smooth midrange. However, the Ken Rad seems more realistic to me. I like the Psvane but somehow felt that it seemed more artificial sounding in comparison. Having said that, it is a small difference and I am just trying to highlight the contrast as I experienced it. I could certainly live with it.
Another issue is cost. Good 6SN7 NOS tubes from reputable vendors can be bought for less then $200 and the best version of the Psvanes are almost $300 (for a matched pair).

[Syrah]

I would also like to hear from anyone who has done any direct comparisons.  I had the Black Treasures and thought they sounded great, but I had horrible reliability problems with them.  IMO they were not built to last.  I now have Sophias.  They are less liquid and lush sounding but probably more neutral. My taste leans to the lush side.  But hey, at least they continue to work.  It sounds like the IIs have dealt with reliability issues, so my interest is rekindled.

[Freo-1]

Why would you consider buying those, when one can get RCA Red Base or CBS 5692's (used, but measure like NOS) from a reliable dealer for under 100.00?  Rest assured they will last.

[roscoeiii]

Why would you consider buying those, when one can get RCA Red Base or CBS 5692's (used, but measure like NOS) from a reliable dealer for under 100.00?  Rest assured they will last.

Umm, because they have characteristics that you prefer to the RCA or CBS tubes?

It has been a while since I rolled 6SN7s, but I recall the RCAs being a bit warm for my tastes, with less well-defined bass. Ended up replacing them with Silvania tubes. IIRC...

[carusoracer]

Great responses. I'm always interested in other tube rolling experiences. I don't believe one individuals taste as the gospel. A collective response from others will at least give me insight into the overall sound or flavor.

I'm most familiar with the nine pin 12au/ax/at and El34 families. The larger tube families IMHO have a distinct  sound or fullness

[Pete Schumacher]

We recently replaced the 6SN7 in the 805 SET monoblocks with the CV181 and are very happy with the results.  Those amps were playing at Axpona.

[jhm731]

It has been a while since I rolled 6SN7s, but I recall the RCAs being a bit warm for my tastes, with less well-defined bass. Ended up replacing them with Silvania tubes. IIRC...

I have a pair red base RCA 5692s that Scott Frankland sent me in my Aesthetix Atlas Signature, and they sound ultra transparent with tight, fast well defined bass.

[roscoeiii]

I have a pair red base RCA 5692s that Scott Frankland sent me in my Aesthetix Atlas Signature, and they sound ultra transparent with tight, fast well defined bass.

Good to know

[carusoracer]

We recently replaced the 6SN7 in the 805 SET monoblocks with the CV181 and are very happy with the results.  Those amps were playing at Axpona.

  Wow nice looking setup!
Nice to hear they worked out for your setup.

[carusoracer]

How do the Sophia Electric tubes stack up against the Psvanes or Black Treasures?

[underdawg]

I have a pair of black treasures in my oppo cd player and rhet beat out everything I tried incluing the red base 5692.WE tried rca, ge, sylvania,different constructions. Cant speaker for reliability but these have tons of hours , still sound great, still test way into good scale.
just my opinion , everyone has their own preference. We have a group of us since the audiomart days that send tubes to each other for testing since we each have our own stash.

[Syrah]

I've had RCAs, Black Treasures and Sophia in my pre.  The RCAs were too lush and lacking in detail.  I'd say the Sophias and the BTs are as good, with the BTs leaning to lush and the Sophias leaning to neutral.  I slightly prefer to tone of the BTs.  However, I couldn't get the BTs to last longer than a year (after two pairs).  Maybe it's the voltage of my pre, who knows.  But the RCA went strong for 3 years and showed no signs of stopping.  I've had the Sophias going strong for 2 years now.  Grant Fidelity seemed to think one year was about right for the BTs.  So per listening hour - that makes the BT a very, very expensive tube.  This is why I'm curious about the TII Psvane.  I only put about 15 hrs/week on them, so I really considered the BT's build unacceptable.

[roscoeiii]

IIRC, the Psvanes have been described as less lush than the BTs. Were the BTs that only lasted 1 yr a pair of the Grant Fidelity Grade A matched tubes, or factory matched? Grant offers that Grade A option with its heafty mark up in part with the promise of longer tube life (as well as better matched specs).

[carusoracer]

Wow,  1 yr for the Treasures seems awfully short?  Would that be just the CV 181 Z

I have zero reliability with the 6CA7 Treasure tubes in my mono blocks. Strong as ever

[Diamond Dog]

IIRC, the Psvanes have been described as less lush than the BTs. Were the BTs that only lasted 1 yr a pair of the Grant Fidelity Grade A matched tubes, or factory matched? Grant offers that Grade A option with its heafty mark up in part with the promise of longer tube life (as well as better matched specs).

I've tried both the BT's and the Psvane 300B ( theoretical upper-grade in "gift box" ) in my pre and would say that description's accurate as to what I heard. Tried a set of EML 300B's on the advice of Quiet Earth and they are more refined-sounding and better-built than either of the Sino-bottles. With the new ( higher ) Psvane pricing, the EML's are cheaper as well.
 
Here's how the differences between new and old generation Psvane tubes are described on the GF website:

" Last but not least – Sound Quality not a tiny bit less: TII series offers not a tiny bit less sound quality than the previous T-series. The new coating materials offer an even better music presentation in terms of minor 3D imaging improvement, layering and clarity. You will not lose anything in terms of sound by going for the latest and newest TII series if T-series are phased out and will gain all the greatly improved workmanship mentioned above."

The " if T-series is fazed out " remark is interesting as they are dropping the BT's and blowing out the T-series according to the website.

They go on to describe a few other differences as well which seem largely cosmetic ie: logos on bases instead of on bottles will face outward and not fingerprint from handling adding to "prestige."

D.D.

[Syrah]

It was just the CV 181 and they were the top grade from Grant Fidelity.  They were reasonably good about it.  One of the tubes started to make crackling noises almost exactly 2 weeks out of their 1 yr warranty.  Grant said to send them back and they would test them.  The tests showed they were OK, so they replaced them with used tubes that tested at about the same age.  I'm actually surprised that a one year old tube would test much less than new.  So I got the used pair, which were fine at first, then started to fizzle out after about 6 months.  My RCAs never had any problems, nor do my Sophias.  I got the Sophias because Dan Wright swears by them and I can see why.  But I do like a sound that is slightly lush of neutral, and the BTs were that.  If you're shooting for neutral, the Sophias are great tubes.  Maybe the new Psvane have the BT sound with better longevity?

[ufokillerz]

I have the CV181-TII in my modwright oppo 105, but sadly i have nothing to compare them against, i haven't even tried the stock electroharmonix tubes they came with. I do like my sound enough to not tube roll around for the time being.