Excellent. This Brimar branded Russian 'Reflector' 6SL7 (6H9C) valve/tube is A1! Very pleased indeed, so pleased in fact I'm gonna get a couple more. No sign of bad storage, clean as a whistle, brand new appearance (which I'm sure it is). Thank you.
I purchased these to replace a pair of more modern Soviet 6SL7GT valves to see if the sound improved in any way. Comparing the two sets of valves visually, their design and construction seemed very similar. However when I installed the new valves, the sound was a major improvement with much more transparency and openness. The Sovteks seemed to compress the sound and push vocals into the background. I thoroughly recommend these Brimars.