While I was shopping for a vintage McIntosh MC240 amplifier, I asked Jim McShane for some 6L6GC tube recommendations, and Jim told me that his all-time favorite 6L6GC vacuum tube is "the JAN Philips 7581A - a remarkable tube!"
Jim also went on to tell me there are a lot of really good current production 6L6GCs out there too, like "the Genalex KT-66 or the Tung-Sol 6L6G - with the SED 6L6GC in the running too. There are SO many excellent 6L6s out now..." (I just remembered that I've got a set of the Tung-Sol 6L6G in my vacuum tube stash, so I'll have to give them a try in the Mac and report back)
After I bought the little McIntosh MC240 that I've been blogging about here and here, I checked back in with Jim about some 7581A tubes. I really like the stock RCA 6L6GC tubes that came with the MC240 (below), but I thought it would be fun to try some other tubes too.
Jim said, "I would be delighted to send you a quad of 7581A - but I have none to offer I'm afraid - but ... I do have a very slightly used set of 7027S ECG Philips/Sylvanias. They are all matched within 4 ma cathode current and about 10% on Gm. That is great for a Mac. As you may know the 7027 was an OEM tube for the 240, and they tubes have identical internal structure to the 7581As."
Sure enough, there on the top plate of my McIntosh MC240 the output tube sockets are labeled 6L6GC / 7027A. So I bought the JAN Philips 7027A tube set from Jim and they're in the MC240 amp and playing right now.
According to the Watford Valves website, the Philips JAN 7027A is a "Premium military specification valve which was designed on the famous Sylvania STR387 6L6 valve for long life. The valve has the most power and clean head room of any 7027A and is noted for producing a large sound stage with superb tonal balance.They are brighter with a more foward treble that the RCA. This is what makes them my personal favorite."
I would tend to agree word for word with the Watford description of the 7027A's sound quality, although, I think I prefer the more laid back treble of the RCA in my MC240. It'll be interesting after I get my Mac MX110Z preamplifier to pair with the MC240 to see which one gets the nod then.
Ok, since I just remembered I had a couple quads of the new production Tung Sol 6L6Gs I had to put them in the MC240 and give them a listen. They sure are pretty with their big bottles! Jim's right, they do sound good too!
My favorites are the RCAs ...
(Here's a close-up of the RCA 6L6GCs in the MC240 ... I asked Jim if he could tell if they were the RCA 6L6GC 'black plates' or not and he confirmed that they are indeed that fabled vacuum tube)
... followed by the 7027A Philips JAN (which are really, really, good too) ...
... and finally the new production Tung Sol 6L6G, which also is a really nice tube!
Thanks for stopping by!
Oh wait ... I almost forgot ... Jim told me:
"BTW - on a different topic, I am just about out of the 6P3S-Es except for about 100 with the slightly tilted bottles. For some reason people think that those tubes are substandard in terms off sound, life expectancy, etc. So you know - the tilted bottle tubes are PERFECT electrically, they just have the minor cosmetic flaw. Most vendors just sell them at the regular price, but I sell them for about $20.00 less per quad. And if you have a Leben amp where the tubes are hidden they are a perfect choice. Just so you know, I would NEVER sell them if they weren't electrically 100%."
Jim's advice is a 100% reliable just like he is, so if you're looking to save some money on some really nice tubes for your Leben CS-600 you might want to stock up at a discount before these tubes are gone.
Thanks for stopping by!
