User Feedback for Sophia Electric Blue Glass 6SN7 Tubes By Morgan from California
"We have seen great strides in development of state-of-the art capacitors, resistors, transformers from Mundorf, V-Caps, Vishay and others. These latest electronic parts are lowering the noise floor, expanding the frequencies in the high treble and low bass, and adding extraordinary imaging clarity and spatial transparency to the music. Unless we have similar advancements in new generation of tubes, it won’t matter. We will be dependent on the NOS tubes designs from the 1950s or 60s to provide musical truths.
"I am glad to see Sophia Electric is taking tubes to new heights to companion the latest circuitry. The original Sophia 6SN7 from 2015 is a worthy substitute for the Mullard CV181 with its transparency, speed and superb bass. But I did experience the Sophia 6SN7 I purchased in 2017 had a shorter life after 6 months of play. Sophia Electric had informed me that the new blue glass 6SN7 would address the longevity issue. So I waited.
"I have to admit after using the new blue glass Sophia 6SN7 for 200 hours that it is a phenomenal upgrade. It’s like buying a new amp or preamp. The ability for this blue glass tube to generate large life size images and wall-to-wall sound staging is outstanding. Each instrument and every voice from my LPs have improved with rich dimensional tonality. The trumpet, the sax, the drums, soprano and chorus of singers are endowed with a body of sculptured power and natural sound solidity.
"Wow what amplification from this blue glass tube. My current collection of Music Matters Blue Note LPs has gone through a transformative new listening presentation. All the jazz instruments have a full dimensional 3D muscle punch to its sound. The trumpet and sax have a rich golden brassy bloom. You do feel the air coming off the instruments with a warmth sensation. The singers’ voices have no restrictions of fidelity. It’s a full embodiment of human emotion and breathy feel you can touch.
"I am happy to find that the blue glass 6SN7 is an amazing tube for mono recordings. I can’t stop listening to the original Capitol Records Nathan Milstein’s playing the Bach solo violin sonata and partitas on the first pressing green-gold label. The holographic glow of the violin sound is huge and detail like a stereophonic recording. The violin interaction with the microphone is clearly located in captured space. Some of the mono Thelonious Monk recordings on Riverside label are reborn with breathtaking addictive sounds.
"You will never forget when a component has the ability to fool you. As I was listening to one of the Blue Note LP, the left side of the speakers was a live with the trumpet but the right speaker was completely dark quiet. After a few moments went by I decided to check the connection if the right channel had gone bad. As I got up for a look-see, the sax started to play on the right speaker and rejoin the jam. Now that is impressive of a dead silent tube.
"It’s quite remarkable that this tube has the ability to capture a dead silent space, instead of a filtered emptiness from most solid state. You get a sense of this black matter space with this tube. There is a silence of dark body natural presence from this tube. Just imagine you are recording with an open mic with no music. What a performer!
"The music dynamic explosiveness from softness to loudness is astonishing. This tube has the ability to jump at you in split lightning seconds. But the true amazement is it carries the bloom of the ambiance airwaves as a part of the explosion. The high peak and decaying ambiance notes have weight that surrounds each instruments and voices. You can feel the gentle airy brush strokes of the bristle hairs from live nightclub recording like Jazz at Pawnshop record. Big Band music like the Mobile Fidelity LP Count Basie Live at the Sands is fabulously sounding, well it’s like you are sitting in the old Sands Hotel.
"No doubt transparency is the domain of great solid state as most tubes do have tiny residual noise. When I listened to the TAS HP records like the gigantic Mahler Symphony 8 by Solti and the Chicago Symphony with the massive Vienna State Opera, Singverein Chorus and Vienna Boys Choir, the blue glass 6SN7 performed without any edginess or strained brittleness. It was clean and clear from this recording. The tube has a transparency of a solid state.
"My experience is some of the great NOS don’t weaken quickly. Is the blue glass 6SN7 Sophia built for longevity? The blue glass Sophia 6SN7 is design for cool running and reduction in EMI and RFI interferences. I did touch the blue tube glass after 5 hours of play and I was able to feel the warmth. The old Sophia high heat will burn your fingers. We shall see if a year from now the new blue glass 6SN7 retains its measurement strength on my Hickok 539C tube tester.
"The blue glass 6SN7 is costly but a quality high-end performer to justify the upgrade. More importantly, you are going to have fun.
"Thanks, " -- Morgan Hew, Studio City, California