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Do the 6CG7 / 6FQ7 with the internal electrostatic shield sound better than the ones without one? And is it safe to say that the RCA cleartop is the best sounding 6CG7 / 6FQ7?
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No difference in sound with or without shields. The best 6CG7 I heard is the rare Raytheon USA manufacture 6CG7 with black plates.
The sound of tubes are different in various circuits and even your speakers may find one tube more to your desires. It is all about tuning.
shield doesnt really work till grounded
When I had my Premier 11A, pin #9 (the ground) was not attached. So electrically it didn't make any difference whether I used a 6CG7 or a 6FQ7. I did tend to prefer older tubes in this position but I think that may have had more to do with materials and construction techniques rather than the presence or absence of the electrostatic shield.
Joe
most modern circuits leave pin 9 unattached
IME, these are the best 6CG7 tubes. TS has a distinct inter-plate shield structure between the anodes. Where the shield has a squared-off bend at each end. Blocking the view between the anode plates.Best bass to mid transition. Cleanest treble of any 6CG7 I've tried. Unfortunately, very hard to find good ones these days.
8^(
Edit: after Stu's post. I did have the 6CG7 9-pin grounded. IMHO, the tone of the TS 6CG7 was better than their 6FQ7 (w/o inter-plate shield). Though, the 6FQ7 I tested were GP, only. Better bass. Slightly cleaner mid-highs.
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View of the inter-plate in a GP 6CG7:
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BP D-getter ring:
Edits: 11/30/14 11/30/14 11/30/14
Yeah, those are my favorites too. Hoarded a whole bunch back in the late 90's, probably have about 20 or so of the black plate, and another 10-15 in grey plate. Seem to be the best in a Cit V, among other things.
No, they do not by default sound better with the shield. Although the RCA cleartop is/was among my favorites, it's not the best sounding. That honor went to some Sylvania black plates made in the late '50's. A real close second was, of all things, was some Toshiba's.
The shield may lower noise in some applications. I don't hear any difference between the RCA clear top gray plate 6CG7 and the RCA gray plate 6FQ7 in my headphone amps.
I don't think the RCA clear top is the best sounding 6CG7. I like the older black plate RCA and black plate Raytheon 6CG7's best. The somewhat rare gray plate Tung Sol 6CG7 is a tube I like as well as the RCA clear tops.
Now, interestingly, I like the RCA 6GU7 better than any of the 6CG7's. The 6GU7 is very close electrically to a 6 volt 12BH7.
resurrecting this thread. I have RCA Clear Tops in my CJ Premier 12. I had some GE 6CG7's. I did not test them but tried them and they sound "ok". Is GE and Sylvania the same? Also who would get me the clearest sound. Not looking for warmth as the amp alreaady has it in spades. Thanks
I also think the top getter, black plate RCA 6CG7 sounds better than the clear top gray plate. The BP is a little warmer, though the GP is still a good tube. My understanding is that the 6GU7 is EXACTLY a 6-volt 12BH7. As you imply, a 6GU7 can sub for a 6CG7 in most applications. However, the only 6GU7 I have tried (a GE) did not sound as good to me as either RCA 6CG7 version.
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