Mojo users with amps using 6SN7 tubes: you should strongly consider getting a matched pair of Linlai Global E-6SN7.
I don’t know what it is about these tubes, but they have an incredible synergy with both the AD1862 and the AD1865 chips.
I rolled the Linlai in my Canary M90 on Wednesday and was immediately blown away. It was one of the largest changes my system has ever undergone, no joke. I had previously been using a matched pair of Shuguang Treasure CV181-z which sounded wonderful and were the previous best match when using the Lampi L4+/G4+. I hadn’t given much thought to it, but figured it couldn’t hurt to try the Linlai again.
This was another example of just not knowing how good it could possibly sound. Clarity is breathtaking at times. The depth of the stage and 3D/holographic nature of the image being created is absolutely incredible. There is so much better separation and layering with ridiculous positioning and imaging. Once again, my wife kept semi-joking that I must’ve installed surround speakers because of how deep, wide, tall, and 3D everything sounds.
The 12AX7 was a NOS Mullard that was, again, the best synergistic match for the Lampi with the Treasures. In 2021 when I was auditioning the MHDT DACs and discovered the amazing synergy between the Linlai and AD1862, I was using a new-production Gold Lion 12AX7 gold pins long-plate variant as it countered the Linlai’s neutrality with a touch of warmth. One complaint I had about the Linlai + Mullard combo was that despite the increased clarity, separation, and all that mentioned above, bass quantity was down, quality was also down, and it had no real punch or impact.
So I rolled in the Gold Lion and it was that synergistic magic all over again, but with much greater detail/resolution and clarity (probably in part due to very clear, linear signal produced by the Mojo–exactly the opposite of the Atlantis). Quantity, quality and punch were all increased, depth/holography was enhanced, and there was a much greater emotional connection to the music. On top of that, cymbals sounded the most real they ever have. One of my test tracks, “The Sights” by Enter Shikari, has a weird mix. On almost every DAC, amp, and tube combination I’ve tried, the hi-hats and crashes sound extremely zingy/tingy, often even getting harsh and sibilant depending on the chain. With the Linlai + Gold Lion, the cymbals sounded so liquid and splashy without even a hint of zing.
Still not content, I tried rolling in a NOS Valvo 12AX7 and lost almost all of the depth and 3D aspects of the sound, but bass was the punchiest and most detailed/texture it had been so far. However, gaining the bass performance at the cost of nearly everything else wasn’t worth it. This tube only lasted about 3 hours before I swapped it out for the last 12AX7 worth trying…
Sophia Electric’s laughably over-priced 12AX7 was the last one to try. I hadn’t been impressed with this one ever over the last year and a half of auditioning gear. It never seemed to pair well, except with the Linlais and the Atlantis, but in that chain, the Gold Lion was superior. The Sophia was bloated and veiled.
Not the case here. Not at all. It took everything good from the Gold Lion and added the bass of the Valvo and is easily the best match. The only trade-off between it and the GL is that the GL pushes the sound out a bit more; the Sophia brings it a bit closer, making everything a bit more intimate, but only slightly. It’s still a wide, tall, deep stage that wraps around and well outside the entire listening room.
I’m truly stunned with how much simply changing out those three tubes once again improved the performance of the Mojo and the entire system.
So, to recap: there is some synergistic magic between the Linlai Global E-6SN7 tubes and AD186x chips, as confirmed by two different DACs in two different chains. The standard Linlai 6SN7 are good, but nowhere close to the Global E. And Gold Lion 12AX7 gold pin long-plate completes the magic (results may vary slightly with it and Sophia).
I want to just enjoy it now, but I’ve also got a pair of Grant Fidelity Select Treasure Globe 6SN7-SE that need to be given an honest shot in this current system. I haven’t used those in over a year because in my previous all-tube chains, they just didn’t ever sound right. Incredible detail retrieval and amazing stage width and separation, but they had such a dry, un-engaging sound coupled with anemic bass. I’m keeping expectations low, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised again like I was with that Sophia 12AX7.
