I've been using the Psvane Horizon tubes for about a month now and I'm pleasantly surprised. They're a noticeable step up from my previous tubes without breaking the bank. The sound is warmer and more engaging, with a good balance of detail and richness.

Hereafter: Ron at NRD has a new video out on the Horizon series.

I have been hesitant to respond as I have been sidetracked from burning in some 845 Horizons... not sure where they will go yet, and they have been in and out with a lot of visitors, so I lost track of time with them in. But with maybe 80 hours (?) I am comparing them mostly to Linlai 845 WE, and 845 DGs (I don't use the black coated Linlai 845-TAs anymore...revealing in many ways, but a little too colored and sluggish by comparison for me). Most recently, the DGs were in, and compared to those, which are pretty open and very resolving once burned in, the Horizons are notably clear in what they offer, focussed and exceptionally powerful feeling, not masked/smeared, and quite spacious. They seem to do everything... really, everything, in sort of a big way, and without damage to any balances or complexity per se. For some, this could be too much of good things, and something I have not quite heard in the tube before. Often notably powerful/dynamic tubes tend to consolidate detail and shift the balances darker here, and these don't.

Here, they feel powerfully articulate while remaining balanced, spectrally, and in speed, all across the spectrum. That alone an accomplishment I think. So far though that comes with some rigidity that can be hard leaning especially on sharper recordings, the other 845s I use handling that better. But that is part of its compelling traits also... everything... overtones, decays, textures are notably focussed yet still complex in the articulate and powerful expression.

So far, for me, they are still too obvious at times...somehow all these aspects of great stuff being a little separated from the rest. Integration is getting better with burnin though, so fingers crossed, this interesting clarity quality could end nicely. They do seem to have hit on some breakthrough tech with the new coatings or whatever causing notable clarity and dynamic power across the range without consolidation that kills complexity. As the articulation grows more complex and integrated, underlying articulation remains a nice trait with tight bass, notable macro dynamics, as well as good immediacy. Also the tube's style of revealing a little warmth where nothing is masked or dark feeling is nice to me.

I am listening now to Gene Ammons "Gentle Jug 2" which is a great test recordings for complexity and dynamics that are very clear... like cut your ears clear with the wrong setup on some tunes especially... Why I love it, beyond loving the music, it is a great test recording. And it shows this tube, in this tube set, as pushing limits, but not quite run from the room scary here. I have been working on allowing total detail without hardness for a really long time though, so don't know how that would convey.

And I could chill it with other tubes and settings... but wanted to test it in direct comparison to what I was using, the very revealing DGs that are more refined with more complex detail, so less obvious focus... the tube set starts with some short bottle Raytheon side getter 6SN7s, a nice revealing tube that is quite complex in its mild warmth, clear and no masking, and not hard here, Linlai WE-300Bs, a pretty neutral and revealing tube with what I perceive as a warm "layer" that is interesting. Like the Linlai WE-845s, it is almost like the relatively low-key warmth comes from an added layer to the basic sound, yet still quite resolving and open, something I don't recall hearing before these tubes. Subtle and odd, but it is easy to integrate by adjusting tubes and settings to where the "layer" is not noticeable. This old WE version 300B has hanging filaments, helping with its delicacy I think, contributing to not being as pushy as a lot of 300Bs here. Still it is fast enough and present without being in the face, pleasantly articulate, and quite refined with subtle finesse. Though the bass is a little soft, that can be solved here with other tubes and settings. And it is my driver tube. I can't exactly recall its sound in my 300B as power tubes, that being quite a while ago, and having been a pretty new amp to me when I got these tubes with this amp coming relatively soon after. But I recall being amazed how much the character of the 300Bs as power conveyed to 300Bs as drivers... being able to expect the same traits from changing tubes to tune the sound. Anyway, I think the Horizons are helping the WE-300B in bass very nicely, though I really like these 300Bs before with the DGs and WE 845s also.

All in all I am enjoying these Horizons as they burn in. I was sort of afraid of them at first, too intense, and actually sounding sort of fake... like the tones mixed with the clarity were off. But more and more they appear to becoming an interesting tube. I can imagine them becoming a fav for nice and clear representation that is complex and a touch warm, especially if they continue to reveal all that is there with more and more integration and subtle complexity, as I imagine and hope they might.... the timing is impressive indeed.

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 I just saw the new Horizon series today. Guess that I missed the boat on their introduction. In my case, I was looking to getting maybe a couple of 12AU7 tubes for a project.
I spotted a pair of PS vane "Classic" 12AU7 tubes, and bought them for a great price, but honestly have never heard the classic series.
I would like to know where the classic series is in the pecking order, and am thankful that it was posted as to which is which for other series in the lineup.

Unchilled,

So many variables playing into what makes a tube great in a system or not, I am not generally one to recommend tubes. But I can try to characterize them in relation to others in my room. My mostly tube setup is extra resolving and fast, really good revelation of complexity in space contributing to being naturally musical. Relatively neutral, it is big, lucid, and dynamic, but with lots of open space, its timing expanding complex detail in space and contributing to its "alive" feel. Showing everything clearly makes balancing all musical qualities with tubes easy in ways, not much getting in the way of the tube sound qualities. But with recordings so variable, it is also a little demanding to pull the ultimate balances with realistic immediacy and beauty across recordings. Finally, tubes all balanced as an average, gain tuning is my friend for an optimal room tune, and for adjusting for individual recordings.

For the sound that sort of always pulls me in, I need a power tube that is resolving, fast, spectrally balanced and giving the right speeds across the spectrum... I can like an artfully done euphonic tube... one that does "warmth" sweetly, slowing/darkening without feeling too draggy, while retaining a lot of fine detail, like the Linlai 845-TA does here. But still I have not been able to totally love that tube, especially across recordings. Musically beautiful with the right company to open/speed it up, for my needs it still goes a little far to feel real, a little too sweet/warmth affected for me, and especially low down, too slow... Alternately, both the DG and Horizon are faster and more "alive" here, and so far, I can tune either into the beauty that leaves me pretty amazed and entranced. They are different for sure, but both are close enough to my baseline needs, similar enough that sometimes I can find supporting tube combos that work well with both with some gain tuning to adjust for each. But for the deeper magic, typically I need to play with drivers, inputs and other component tubes to dial each in fully.

I have been listening to the Linlai 845 DGs lately, so set up to support their amazing resolution of fine detail in space, and to compensate for a slightly soft/thick feel mids-down in this setup.

The Horizons on the other hand are more evenly neutral, spectrally and in speed top to bottom... There is lots of space to show musical complexity and speeds with fast clarity. Harmonic complexity is quite good, but less differentiated than the DGs, they are more focussed/concentrated. Contributing, the design somehow causes the sound to emerge with a pronounced articulation, unusual clarity and space in and around the edges... like sounds are rising out of a more notable emptiness. Especially not having as much very fine detail as the DGs to expand textures, decays and space, softening edges... Along with the Horizon's relatively even and spacious speed, having less "warm" fullness, they are notably clear tubes here, which can be too intense with the wrong tubes elsewhere. That said, I seem to need more harmonic complexity than most, and they do have good harmonic revelation with enough hints of smooth warmth to let me forget about analyzing them in the right company. And with good spectral and speed balances, I really like their low end speed, the Horizon's bass tighter and faster than the DGs in direct comparison, allowing bass complexity to show easily.

Alternately, the DGs, not unpleasantly, fill in more of the space. Overall "warmer" here, to me this is not overstated, a good warmth that does not sacrifice fine detail or feel affected. Once tuned to compensate for being fuller/slower mids down, within their subtle warmth and exceptional fine detail complexity, they show time really nicely, feeling more relaxed in their sophisticated musical expressiveness. This is not a slow "relaxed." It sounds to me like really good revelation showing good timing without smearing, supporting a clarity of complexity, and associated, timing that feels like it slows things down while enhancing harmonic and dynamic complexity. Along with a subtle euphonic sweetness that is not in my face, but comforting, once tuned, these tubes are impressive to me.

Whereas, the Horizons, once tuned, are also exciting tubes to me, leaning more toward actively "alive," their open lucidity enlivening them and me.

Both give a sound I really like, but with different flavors of musical expression.

I would say their absolute clarity mids up is similar, but guess the hanging filaments and other design considerations of the DGs contribute to their exceptionally well developed fine detail complexity (once the long burnin is through). Causing textures and decays to differentiate beautifully, their clear but sweet complexity of harmonic information makes them more textural and nuanced than the Horizons. Still, with the Horizons, especially once I have a tube set that pulls a little more warmth and complexity, the overall clearer Horizons also give convincingly authentic and refined fine textures, decays and space. The complexity is more concentrated, contributing to their "alive" sound, though to me, not adversely focussed, still having a seductive harmonic complexity.

So which "is better" ...they both can be tuned/balanced well in this system, and both do really good things with the right company and gain tuning.


On that, 1st, a reminder that I do not use my pre stages for volume. I prefer the volume on amps, being pretty neutral. Where, at least with the pre stages I use, I don't find their adjustments particularly neutral. Along with their tube tuning flexibility, they can adjust the signal tone, lucidity, density, complexity, dynamics, weight, etc. So I use the amp gains as volume when they have them, and the pre stages as signal tuners to refine the many balances that make music captivating.


With the DGs fuller/slower lower end, I tend to choose supporting tubes and gains adjustments that can sort of "push though" the slight bass softness without losing too much complexity. This might be as simple as, in the ZR2+, using a little more articulate 12AU7 in the place of my usual fav Mullard that is open and very complex, and running the tighter tube a little hotter, and articulating everything top to bottom. Or maybe a more powerful GE JG 6829 in the place of the 12AU7, turning down the ZR gain knob to near unity, a different setting with the higher gain from the tube. The signal being stronger and more focussed, it activates the amp with more clarity and dynamic complexity, in this case, with luck, tightening up and articulating the low mids down without making the mids up too intense.

Or, with all else pretty good, I might keep the same ZR2+ tube and run my ZBIT a little higher in the blend, the slightly higher gain on the ZBIT strengthening the DAC signal, making it more dense, dynamic, and lucid to a point. With this, I might also turn down the input tube gain knobs of my CSP3+ and run the main gain a little higher. Keeping the same basic sound qualities present, in my setup this CSP adjustment can subtly shift the whole toward a little less bass weighting in the spectral balance, making the sound more open and fast. And since the main gain is set in the upper ranges (pretty high voltage going to the amp), the signal remains optimally dense, lucid, and dynamic, and can end up especially good with subtle gain tuning with the ZBIT and ZRock2+ to refine balances.

With the Horizons, being "bolder" and clearer feeling tubes, I tend to choose supporting tubes that subtly warm the Horizons with increasing textures, decays... complexity. With that, I might run the CSP3+ and/or the ZRock2+ with just a little higher gains, balancing toward a just so amount of more weight, fullness and bass in the spectral balance. Or I might change the more articulate straight bottle solid plate Telefunken RGN-1064 rectifier in the CSP3 to a Philips or Telefunken mesh plate globe of the same type to increase complexity while softening articulation....or shift to a little warmer but also complex 6CG7 for CSP3 power tubes.....


All that said, I just put in a new Musical Paradise MP-DX DAC, which has a big isolated power supply, lots of caps, 4 output tubes (6N1Ps) and caps, connectors, etc. Even with just a few hours on it, I am impressed that in many ways it is pretty close to my well burned in, highly modified Gustard x20pro, so encouraged. But the Musical Paradise current state, having only bypassed the stock caps with some Miflex copper/oils and Mallory M150s, it is a little draggy and masked, making it warm/slow enough that I am, if anything, wanting to clarify the Horizons a touch. Makes sense, lots of parts unresolved and needing burnin. And it is good enough now to be excited to see where it can go with burnin and tuning, changing pretty quickly just a few hours in. I imagine that most, if not all of this will pass into more and more refined dynamic beauty as things open and speed up with burnin. Also, this DAC is easy to tune with filters, with output tubes and output caps... and the rest looks relatively easy to access for soldered modifications.

So I am excited... But I just wanted to convey this recent experience of how easily the "qualities" of good tubes, or cables, or whatever can be adjusted by other things... impressions of how "good" this or that is so system/room influenced.

Also I hope this writeup points to how close my needs are, everything effecting everything, and no longer having changes that are very subtle in this system. With most masks and limitations removed... what might have once been smaller things, more fully revealed, can be big now.

Hey Harvey,

Thanks for the tip on Linlai E-6SN7s. I did not buy from Linlai Global. I have bought 845s and 300Bs from hifi-amplifier in the past with good results. They say they have a 15 month warranty for Linlai. Though a pain, having to send back a pair of Linlai 7300B-Ds when one failed, it took a while, but I did get a new pair and it has held up.

The 845-DGs I bought from a seller on AliExpress who had good ratings at the time and low prices. They also have a 15 month warranty on Linlai. They had arranged a replacement for a WE-845 I broke that worked out well, so I ordered some DGs. When one of the DGs failed in less than 30 days, their system was to send videos of a tube that lost its vacuum and then they sent a replacement. The replacement works fine, but it is from another batch with a noticeably shorter bottle, and it looks to me like the gold plating on the pins are a little thin with a dullish look and slightly irregular surface color wise. I have been struggling with, I think language and cultural barriers, also thinking the seller's own financial challenges with having sold tubes so inexpensively, and now knowing that the oversite of sending a replacement tube that is off, and having to fix that, probably means losing money ... My argument is that I want a true pair like I bought, that measures correctly (like these do) but that also looks the same with normal pin plating. I think I am getting there, but challenging.

One time in the past, I had an order for parts go a little funny with language issues, and AliExpress intervened, making a judgement in my favor, and getting the seller to fix things. But I have not wanted to use this unless absolutely necessary, feeling for the seller's challenges. Has that been worth the 170 or so saved compared to Global's factory matched pairs, don't know, not having dealt with them with tube failures.