Voskhod Rocket 6J1P-EV / 6ZH1P-EV, Matched Pair

The TLDR version: This made a huge impact on the sound over the GE 5654 tubes from Riverstone and the stock Chineese ones. Improved highs and lows, more definition and details. Amazing value for the improvement.The long version- If you are reading tube reviews, there's not much to explain, so I'll go to the details. I am driving a pair of Sony SSCS5 from an Aiyima A07, connected to a cheap Succa tube headphone/preamp conected to a Fiio BTRk3 streaming from my phone. I originally was driving the Sonys with the A07 and although pretty good, it was nothing to write about. Tinkering around I decided to connect a few months ago the Succa headphone amp as a preamp, and on the way also connect the Fiio unit. Holy lord that made a difference and loved it so much I even built an eclosure as if it was all part of an integrated system. I even started OpAmp rolling to see if I could squeeze more out of the system, but honestly OpAmps did't gave me much in return. Setteled on the Todiys LM4572NA, since it gave me a bit more low end. But honestly, these are not a huge improvemnt. I decided to keep the system as it was and just enjoy it.Of course, the itch started again and decided to give this tubes a try not expecting a lot of change... WRONG. The improvement so far has been miles from anything I was expecting. Everything opened up. Separation of instruments is incredible in comparison to the GE tubes, and both highs and lows were taken to another level. The GE 5654 are good. They initially improved the bass and gave it a really plesant rounded sound the music. I guess it's that "tubey" sound people always refer to. Honestly, I really like them and was perfectly fine with them. But these Voskhod tubes not just improved the bass, it gave the music balls. Classical music now has that live grunt, basses, horns, the percussion seccion, they all now sound authorative and yet some how more defined/less vailed. Vocals that were hard to hear are now crystal clear and you can hear every single instrument. I have to admit is less warm that the GE tubes, but not in a bad way.The only issue I had a first was that the bass felt a bit too much and that the highs were a bit more piercing than before. Tinkering around I learned that now my speakers need to be about a foot extra away from the wall, and that the listening volume needed to come down a bit, since it is not nessesary to crank the music to hear detail. Pretty amaizing testament for a $40 product.I can only speak for my equipment and my set up, but these have been the single greatest improvent I have noticed in my music after the speakers. Full marks!

Using these in a Douk T4 Phono Preamp replacing some Riverstone 5654 tubes. The Riverstones after 50 hours are definitely sounding better than when new, especially high frequencies. After installing the Voskhods, the highs were immediately clearer, cymbals smoother, with longer sustain especially. After 10 hours, the bass is becoming noticeably more punchy and detailed, longer bass notes made up of individual vibrations on the best recordings. Midrange seems to be getting smoother; it seemed a little harsh at first compared to the Riverstones. Overall, these tubes are brighter and offer more dynamic range than the Riverstones, which I was looking for. Depending on your listening environment and tastes, this may be desirable or not. These were a surprising upgrade for my system, playing mostly 70s/80s Jazz LPs.Seller shipped these very quickly First Class, then my local Post Office sat on them for 5 days, which was disappointing.My Mid-Fi System:Yamaha Aventage RX-A2070 HT ReceiverParadigm Studio Monitors, Bi-AmpedSVS SB2000 Subs (2)Technics SLQ 300 Turntable w/ Shure 104 CartridgeDouk T4 Phono Preamp

I've tried a pair of the GE JAN 5654W (WARM, great bass, good mids, rolled off highs, OK imaging; classic tubey sound if maybe overly tubey) and a pair of Mullard 8100 "CV4010 aka 6AK5 aka 5654" tubes circa 1960s vintage (less warm, good neutral bass, excellent mids & highs and excellent imaging) and now these Voskhod 6J1P-EV.These Voskhods are very close to neutral, slightly toward the warm side, but sweet baby jesus the holographic imaging these things have... They have excellent bass, mids and (for a tube) almost sparkly highs. These are the tubes I run 90% of the time. All around they're just EXCELLENT and easily the best 6J1P tube I have so far. I read the vintage new-old-stock Voskhod 6J1P-EVs are even better, and I have a pair of circa 1964 examples on their way to me from Russia via Etsy. Very excited to hear them.For reference, I am listening to these tubes in a modified/upgraded Little Dot 1+ hybrid solid state/tube headphone amplifier with a Burson V5i-D opamp swapped in. I'm using a $1000 pair of Beyerdynamic T1 headphones (which are slightly cooler than neutral with VERY analytical highs) -- which is to say the amplifier itself and the headphones are fairly neutral and there's not much wire or any other variables between the tubes and my headphones to color the sound. SO with this setup I can DISTINCTLY hear the differences between tubes, where as with a tube preamp going to a hifi system, there will be more variables that can influence sound signature sometimes dramatically, which can obfuscate the tubes sound signature.These Voskhod 6J1P-EV tubes are criminally good for the price. If I had to change any one thing about them, I would prefer if the highs were a tiiiiny bit subdued. Like I want to keep the detail, but perhaps a little less sparkle and grain. My Beyerdynamic T1s can really belt out the treble - That said, this is only a minor minor complaint from a very picky person. I'm hoping the 1960s-era versions will give the perfection I desire.YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THESE TUBES, PERIOD.Also, shout out to the Little Dot 1+. If you have any desire in a premium, dare-i-say "audiophile" headphone experience, get one of these bad mamma jammas and stick these Voskhod tubes in it. Pair with some Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser headphones and prepare to scoop your jaw off the floor. It's THAT good.

These tubes are high quality and sound great! I think a lot of people will like these. I ran them in for 24hrs before making an assessment. That being said the sound is more open and clear than the JAN GE tubes and Mullards. I think they lack the "tubey" sound. So I just wanted to put that out there. Perhaps you will like these perhaps you will prefer the warmer sounding GE or Mullard tubes. I think I prefer the Mullards and GE tubes more. Glad to have these anyhow.