[Bigfish]

I'll confess that I tried my Treasure CV-181-Z's in my MW Transporter a few months back and thought they sounded magnificent; however I only ran them for 10-15 minutes as I dug up the 'old' comments in this thread (or elsewhere in the forum) that at least 1 user had experienced a problem with his MW Transporter while/from running the Treasures.

Maybe Dan could shed some light on whether something has changed?  I know I really, really liked the sound of my MW Transporter when running the Treasures; maybe I'll get brave and slip them back in for another listen....

Thanks,

Randy

This is the reason why Philistine had them shipped directly to Dan for his approval to use in the Transporter.  Phil would never have told me about them if they were not approved for the Transporter.  We both own the ModWright Transporters with the platinum mods and bybees.

Ken

[Audioclyde]

Awesome; mine has everything except the Bybee's.  And I'm listening to the Treasures in it right now and sounding just next to awesome!!

Thanks!

Randy

[Philistine]

I've been holding off on a review of the Shuguang Black Treasures as they apparently require some hours on them and I've also had other equipment changes. I then plan to compare them against the Tung Sol Round Plate 6SN7's...

Ken's correct - Dan, and Ian at Grant Fidelity, wanted to ensure complete compatibility and Dan ran them under load in the Transporter, they operated right in the middle of the 6SN7 spec and have the Modwright seal of approval.

My prime objective was to find the signal tube equivalent of the EML: a tube that is readily available, guaranteed and equal or outperform vintage NOS 6SN7's.  So far the Black Treasure is stacking up to be a potential TSRP killer...

As an aside Ian and Rachel at Grant Fidelity have been great to work with and I can strongly recommend them as a guaranteed source.

[Audioclyde]

I'll chime in and say the same for Ian & Rachel as well; my first purchase was a quad of the Treasure 6CA7's that I run in my Cary SLI-80---their performance led me  to sell off my stash of primo pwr tubes, I loved the Treasure 6CA7's so much!

I bought the CV-181z's to use as the driver tubes in the Cary, and they work great there.

Then I purchased the RMAF demo A-534B 300B SET integrated from Ian & Rachel--it came with Black Treasure 300B output tubes, Black Treasure 6CA7's as the driver tubes; I've rolled in various NOS 12AX7's and 12AT7's in the pre section.  This is my first SET and I'm absolutely thrilled with the sound.  And Ian & Rachel were absolutely great to deal with; first class all the way.

I'll agree with the widely held sentiment that the Black Treasure tubes are not inexpensive (and I was skeptical at first that a Chinese tube should command near NOS prices), but IMHO they have matched or more often outperformed the primo NOS tubes I've had the opportunity to try.  So I'm a convert and happy there is a current production option of this quality so that hopefully the source will be there for the foreseeable future.

Randy

[Bigfish]

As an aside Ian and Rachel at Grant Fidelity have been great to work with and I can strongly recommend them as a guaranteed source.

I also would like to say my experience with the purchase of the Black Treasures from Grant Fidelity was totally positive.  Rachel provided excellent communication and shipped quickly. 

Also, I would like to thank Philistine for all of his efforts in discovering and proving the Black Treasures are a suitable signal tube for the Transporter. They are the real deal!

Ken

[Shredder]

Hey. I am a happy MW TP owner who is doing some tube rolling for the first time. I have Truth not Platinum mods but have an octal adapter so I can roll both 9 pins and 6sn7s. I have some familiarity with 6sn7s as I use them in my pre.

Anyway, as I have poured through this amazing thread, it seems that most  switched to 6sn7s once the adapters and Platinum version became available. Thus, I was wondering whether I should I stick to 6sn7s? Or are there any 9 pins-especially the 6h30p-dr-worth checking out?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Bigfish]

Hey. I am a happy MW TP owner who is doing some tube rolling for the first time. I have Truth not Platinum mods but have an octal adapter so I can roll both 9 pins and 6sn7s. I have some familiarity with 6sn7s as I use them in my pre.

Anyway, as I have poured through this amazing thread, it seems that most  switched to 6sn7s once the adapters and Platinum version became available. Thus, I was wondering whether I should I stick to 6sn7s? Or are there any 9 pins-especially the 6h30p-dr-worth checking out?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Shredder:

Prior to Ted and some of the other guys obtaining Dan Wright's okay to use 6SN7's in the Transporter we went through basically every 9 pin tube possibility.  I think the 6H30DRs were pretty good but not as good as some of the best 6SN7's.  Most of the serious tube rollers settled on the Tung-Sol Round Plates as the best 6SN7 Signal Tubes.  Right out of the box, as previously stated, I find the Black Treasures to be better than the Tung Sol Round Plates in my system but the Round Plates are still excellent performers. 

My advice:  if you already own 9 pin tubes then try them in the Transporter to form your own opinion.  If you do not own the correct 9 pin tubes, don't plow ground many of us have already plowed, invest your money in the Black Treasures or in the Tung-Sol Round Plates.

Ken

[ted_b]

Hey. I am a happy MW TP owner who is doing some tube rolling for the first time. I have Truth not Platinum mods but have an octal adapter so I can roll both 9 pins and 6sn7s. I have some familiarity with 6sn7s as I use them in my pre.

Anyway, as I have poured through this amazing thread, it seems that most  switched to 6sn7s once the adapters and Platinum version became available. Thus, I was wondering whether I should I stick to 6sn7s? Or are there any 9 pins-especially the 6h30p-dr-worth checking out?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Shredder:

Prior to Ted and some of the other guys obtaining Dan Wright's okay to use 6SN7's in the Transporter we went through basically every 9 pin tube possibility.  I think the 6H30DRs were pretty good but not as good as some of the best 6SN7's.  Most of the serious tube rollers settled on the Tung-Sol Round Plates as the best 6SN7 Signal Tubes.  Right out of the box, as previously stated, I find the Black Treasures to be better than the Tung Sol Round Plates in my system but the Round Plates are still excellent performers. 

My advice:  if you already own 9 pin tubes then try them in the Transporter to form your own opinion.  If you do not own the correct 9 pin tubes, don't plow ground many of us have already plowed, invest your money in the Black Treasures or in the Tung-Sol Round Plates.

Ken

+1   

[Shredder]

Thanks guys, that was what I needed to know.

The Black Treasures are really enticing given that they are still made.

Take care.

[mikel51]

I've been trying a few different tung sol 6sn7 varieties in my platinum transporter.  I have settled on the tung sol 6sn7wgta as my favs.  I have some mouse ear 6sn7gts from Brent Jesse that I think are pretty close in sound to the round plates.  Not sure why, but in my system the the wgta version has more pleasing sound for vocals, especially female vocals.  Both the mouse ears and the round plates have a bit more emphasis on the highs.

For those that don't want to spring for the round plates, the mouse ears might be a good cost effective alternative.

I guess I will have to spring for and try some of the black treasures....but it seems like the A-stock won't be available until January.

[Philistine]

Hey. I am a happy MW TP owner who is doing some tube rolling for the first time. I have Truth not Platinum mods but have an octal adapter so I can roll both 9 pins and 6sn7s. I have some familiarity with 6sn7s as I use them in my pre.

Anyway, as I have poured through this amazing thread, it seems that most  switched to 6sn7s once the adapters and Platinum version became available. Thus, I was wondering whether I should I stick to 6sn7s? Or are there any 9 pins-especially the 6h30p-dr-worth checking out?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Shredder:

Prior to Ted and some of the other guys obtaining Dan Wright's okay to use 6SN7's in the Transporter we went through basically every 9 pin tube possibility.  I think the 6H30DRs were pretty good but not as good as some of the best 6SN7's.  Most of the serious tube rollers settled on the Tung-Sol Round Plates as the best 6SN7 Signal Tubes.  Right out of the box, as previously stated, I find the Black Treasures to be better than the Tung Sol Round Plates in my system but the Round Plates are still excellent performers. 

My advice:  if you already own 9 pin tubes then try them in the Transporter to form your own opinion.  If you do not own the correct 9 pin tubes, don't plow ground many of us have already plowed, invest your money in the Black Treasures or in the Tung-Sol Round Plates.

Ken

+1   

+2

I've got a box full of rectifier and signal tubes as we've gone down this journey.
Ken's advice is bang on the money.

[NickS]

As with my friends Phil and Ken, I too have acquired a rather extensive array of rectifier and signal tubes for my hyper modded MWTP.  Each combination reveals compelling strengths and weaknesses.  Typically, my ears seem to drift to a "thinness" or an "excess" in one or more characteristics of the sonic presentation of any given combo.

An inflection point for me came with the arrival of a Tung-Sol VT244 rectifier several months ago (based upon a recommendation from mikel51 for which I would like to say a hearty "Thanks!").  I very much enjoy the EML rectifier and the Tung-Sol 6SN7 round plate combo and feel that they owe no apology for their exquisite performance.  Truly exceptional mids and soundstage but <in my system> a trifle lacking with bass drive and upper highs.  With that said, the TS VT244 always seemed to have more drive, dynamics and contol over the EML.  Unfortunately these qualities would shift unpredictably as new signal tubes were rolled.

Quite by chance, I would up with an inexpensive pair of NOS RCA 6SN7GTB's with the wafer bases.  These are probably the last generation of the 6SN7 design and were made in the mid to late 60's.  To my surprise, these signal tubes simply got along better with the TS VT244 than any of my tragically expensive, older issue 6SN7's.  My subsequent best efforts with rolling the other tubes in my collection finally succumbed to this combination establishing itself as a mainstay.   

Several posts back, our prez, Ted, recommended that "you don't mess with magic".  I agree.  While YMMV, this combo <in my system> really delivers the goods... solid image and excellent dyamics with nothing missing in the highs, mids or lows.  For the first time there was nothing whatsoever to criticize as missing, excessive or negative.

If memory serves, I snagged my wafer based RCA 6SN7GTB's for ten bucks.  A NOS TS VT244 is somewhat more rare and expensive, but when found, runs between $150-$200.

If Phil and Ken think that the Black Treasures rock, I'll probably have to buy a pair.  These guys have great ears and know their stuff.  Better than what I'm hearing right now would clearly put me over the top.

Nice to see activity in this valuable thread once again. 

[Audioclyde]

Due apologies if this isn't appropriate here, but anyone with a spare  High Wycombe gz37 or metal base gz34 available, please shoot me a pm; I've moved my EML 5U4G mesh over to my amp (and George won't have any available for quite a while), so I'm looking for another rectifier for my MW Transporter.

Thanks!

Randy

[Philistine]

Due apologies if this isn't appropriate here, but anyone with a spare  High Wycombe gz37 or metal base gz34 available, please shoot me a pm; I've moved my EML 5U4G mesh over to my amp (and George won't have any available for quite a while), so I'm looking for another rectifier for my MW Transporter.

Thanks!

Randy

Randy, I've got an EML in my Transporter and have tried a second in my 36.5 - my initial reaction is that having two EML's can push the overall sound towards being too full and bloated.  I recall Ted and Rydenfan had a similar experience.  You might want to check with them first!
Phil

[zybar]

Due apologies if this isn't appropriate here, but anyone with a spare  High Wycombe gz37 or metal base gz34 available, please shoot me a pm; I've moved my EML 5U4G mesh over to my amp (and George won't have any available for quite a while), so I'm looking for another rectifier for my MW Transporter.

Thanks!

Randy

Are you looking to buy or borrow?

George

[Philistine]

As with my friends Phil and Ken, I too have acquired a rather extensive array of rectifier and signal tubes for my hyper modded MWTP.  Each combination reveals compelling strengths and weaknesses.  Typically, my ears seem to drift to a "thinness" or an "excess" in one or more characteristics of the sonic presentation of any given combo.

An inflection point for me came with the arrival of a Tung-Sol VT244 rectifier several months ago (based upon a recommendation from mikel51 for which I would like to say a hearty "Thanks!").  I very much enjoy the EML rectifier and the Tung-Sol 6SN7 round plate combo and feel that they owe no apology for their exquisite performance.  Truly exceptional mids and soundstage but <in my system> a trifle lacking with bass drive and upper highs.  With that said, the TS VT244 always seemed to have more drive, dynamics and contol over the EML.  Unfortunately these qualities would shift unpredictably as new signal tubes were rolled.

Quite by chance, I would up with an inexpensive pair of NOS RCA 6SN7GTB's with the wafer bases.  These are probably the last generation of the 6SN7 design and were made in the mid to late 60's.  To my surprise, these signal tubes simply got along better with the TS VT244 than any of my tragically expensive, older issue 6SN7's.  My subsequent best efforts with rolling the other tubes in my collection finally succumbed to this combination establishing itself as a mainstay.   

Several posts back, our prez, Ted, recommended that "you don't mess with magic".  I agree.  While YMMV, this combo <in my system> really delivers the goods... solid image and excellent dyamics with nothing missing in the highs, mids or lows.  For the first time there was nothing whatsoever to criticize as missing, excessive or negative.

If memory serves, I snagged my wafer based RCA 6SN7GTB's for ten bucks.  A NOS TS VT244 is somewhat more rare and expensive, but when found, runs between $150-$200.

If Phil and Ken think that the Black Treasures rock, I'll probably have to buy a pair.  These guys have great ears and know their stuff.  Better than what I'm hearing right now would clearly put me over the top.

Nice to see activity in this valuable thread once again.

Good to see you around Nick, looks like you've had fun tube rolling this year.
Over the summer I explored the 7N7 and 6F8G path, and settled on 6F8G's.  I've spent yesterday and early this morning swapping out my 6SN7's, 6F8G's and the Black Treasures - the Black Treasures are just overall more musical than all the others.  I'll try and post some pics later today and more detail on why they're so good.

[ted_b]

Due apologies if this isn't appropriate here, but anyone with a spare  High Wycombe gz37 or metal base gz34 available, please shoot me a pm; I've moved my EML 5U4G mesh over to my amp (and George won't have any available for quite a while), so I'm looking for another rectifier for my MW Transporter.

Thanks!

Randy

Randy,
I sent you a PM 20 min ago.
Ted

[Audioclyde]

Thanks Phil, George & Ted (Ted, just pm'd back).  I'm definitely looking to buy (although I may have worked out a trade for an Amperex metal base gz34). 

The EML sounds so good in my 300B SET integrated (options there are more limited; basically 5U4G/GB at this point; maybe 5AS4) that I hate to pull it and put it back in the MW Transporter (although I, like most, haven't been very tempted to roll anything in its place in the MW since I plugged it in).....I'm running one of my Mullard gz37's in the MW now; fine sound, but I'm hoping I can bump things up a notch yet.

The High Wycombe sounds like it might be a great match for me, but the only source I've found has a $300-350 price tag!  I've read before that the big bottle Cossur gz37 (U52) is as good or better and a few of those are available for a  bit less.

Thanks again for all and any input!

Randy

[Bigfish]

Guys:

I know you aren't suppose to make too many changes at one time but I think I have struck upon a magical tube combination in my system.  I have the EML Mesh 5U4G Rectifier and the Black Treasures in the Transporter and the Tung-Sol 6SN7 Round Plates in the Mapletree Preamp (along with a new  Umbilical Cord made by Chris Hoff).  Others have told me that I will know when I get it right and this is definitely the best I have heard my system sound. 

System is as follows:

Source:  ModWright Transporter
PreAmp:  Mapletree 2A-SE
Amps:    Odyssey Mono SEs
Speakers:  Usher Dancer Mini II's
ICs:       JPS - Superconductor 3's
SCs:      JPS - Superconductor 3's with JPS Jumpers
PCs:      Black Sand Silver MK -V's
Dedicated 20 AMP Circuits with JPS Outlets
Room has a substantial amount of wall treatments.

[Audioclyde]

I just wanted to take a moment and again publicly thank the AC'ers that have put lots of time, effort & $ into compiling this wealth of info., and also those of you that have responded with insight and/or offers re my quest for another rectifier.

At this point I have a Amperex metal base GZ34 and a High Wycombe cv378 on the way, so I'm thinking I'll be a happy camper soon!

Thanks again guys, even though interracting via the 'net and email is impersonal, I feel like I have a new group of friends (and ones that understand my crazy addiction to boot  )!

Happy Holidays to all!

Randy