Valve advice

[Johnny nocash]

Hi guys, I was listening to my mates Copland CSA14 amp the other day & thought that a fresh pair of valves might be order of the day. It uses 6922/ecc88. Has anyone out there tried tube rolling with this amp & recommend a particular valve. Failing that, any advice on which types of 6922's to look out for? Cheers

[Haselsh1]

I have only ever used Harma 6922's from Watford Valves and although they were good, they're never going to set the World alight.

[Johnny nocash]

Cheers Shaun, I'll probably look for something else then:hmm:

[Hudz]

I use nos JAN SYLVANIA 6922s in my cdp, very lively but could be a bit toppy on some systems.
Tried some Mullards- way too syrupy and lush for my tastes.

Try putting a post on Private Exhibitions for some part worn/usable ones, that way you get the flavour of different valves for less and when your happy with the sound buy some new/nos ones.

[Haselsh1]

Just as an addition; I have used Genelex Gold Lion valves with gold pins at around thirty two quid each and they were staggeringly good. I did only use 12AX7's and 12AU7's though. Sadly, I have only ever bought them from Hotrox UK and there is no way I would ever recommend that dealer to anyone.

[Johnny nocash]

Thanks guys.
The old ones have been in the Copland for years so I think my mate will be pleased when he hears a 'good' matched pair.
I feel he'll prefer a 'brighter' sound so I'm not gonna go down the warmer sounding Mullard route.

[CageyH]

I quite liked the following in my old Pre Box RS:
1977 Vintage Russian "REFLEKTOR" Tubes 6N23P-EV (E88CC/ECC88/6DJ8 equivalents)
1970's E88CC TUNGSRAM
6N23P Voskhod Rocket NOS valves

Each were slightly different sounding, and my favourites were the Tungsram.

[Haselsh1]

Thanks guys.
The old ones have been in the Copland for years so I think my mate will be pleased when he hears a 'good' matched pair.
I feel he'll prefer a 'brighter' sound so I'm not gonna go down the warmer sounding Mullard route.

The Gold Lion valves have a characteristic 'bright' and 'breezy' sound with really good 'air' and 'space'. Highly recommended but costly.

[vinyl]

Hi guys, I was listening to my mates Copland CSA14 amp the other day & thought that a fresh pair of valves might be order of the day. It uses 6922/ecc88. Has anyone out there tried tube rolling with this amp & recommend a particular valve. Failing that, any advice on which types of 6922's to look out for? Cheers

Of the many 6922 types I've rolled - the Amperex and Telefunken (Siemens) have been the most enjoyable so far, I use a single in my Conrad Johnson Premier 140 power amp.

The tube on the left with 'PQ' is an Amperex 7308 E188CC USA and has etched VR5 code, it's early to mid 1960's. Sonically it's a very dynamic sounding tube, (similar to what the Tesla E83CC and Telefunken ECC803S do sonically) - so you get a full on soundstage, if you haven't heard any of these previosuly they can be quite a revelation, the most common response I get is, 'I didn't think that was possible from a tube'. There are numerous 'PQ' types and I've only found one reputable site that describes what the VR5 code signifies, there is also debate what 'PQ' actually indicates.

The right is an Amperex Bugle boy grey plate 6922 - also very, very good.

The Telefunken PCC88 is what I'm currently using, no diamond on the base. This is very nice and sonically even handed - my favourite. The diamond base Telefunken PCC88 is also great and has a slight midrange slant (no longer have them).

I've only been able to find the Amperex in singles and the 7308 E188CC are near on impossible to get in pairs. The Telefunken PCC88 I found were still sealed untouched and so I didn't hesitate and bought the 2 carton's to keep me going.

You'll no doubt read superlatives what these do, I'd just try them to see if they suit you.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2814/32716541944_df27f3b253_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RR3Q6o)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3794/32745599823_2d0931e220_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RTBKZi)

[walpurgis]

I hate the term 'rolling'. It's an American import. We should be doing comparisons. The only thing I roll is cigarettes! ;)

[Jimbo]

I hate the term 'rolling'. It's an American import. We should be doing comparisons. The only thing I roll is cigarettes! ;)

I suppose you hate the word tube as well.:D

[Marco]

Ha - in Glasgow 'tube' [pronounced as 'choob'] has a rather different meaning! In that respect, 'choob rolling' could be very interesting... :eyebrows:

Marco.

[anthonyTD]

The original Siemens [IMHO] are by far the most "Right" sounding of the ECC88,E88CC,7308, 6922 Variety.
But, as others have said, it will depend on your taste, and system setup, be careful of NOS versions, as all the variants of these valves tend to suffer badly with noise issues, [they werent paticularly designed for Audio purposes] so, be sure they have been tested properly!
Good luck on your quest!
A...

[struth]

Ha - in Glasgow 'tube' [pronounced as 'choob'] has a rather different meaning! In that respect, 'choob rolling' could be very interesting... :eyebrows:

Marco.

Aye, doon a steep hill :D

[Johnny nocash]

Thanks again guys, loads to take in. The world of valves is a bonkers place:eek:

[Arkless Electronics]

I suppose you hate the word tube as well.:D

I do! and "rolling".... We're British FFS! :D

Also PCC88 is not really compatible with ECC88. It has a 7V heater as opposed to 6.3V so whilst both will work it's not ideal. For optimum performance and reliability heater voltages need to be fairly accurate, believe it or not...

As Anthony said the ECC88 was not designed for audio use (VHF cascode RF amplifier is its intended use) and so they are not really tested/graded for low audio noise. They can be one of the lowest noise valves in general use but you will find lots of rogue noisy ones around which, whilst they make the grade for their intended use, are way too noisy for the first stage of a phono stage for example. "Good makes" can be the worst in this respect (ie that out of say 10 valves 3 may be noisy) and Russian ones often the best as far as consistently low noise IME.

[Marco]

Aye, doon a steep hill :D

I could think of a few suitable candidates, some of which would cause a bigger rumble than others! ;)

Marco.