NOS 6922 Recommendations

[KeithR]

Have an ARC LS25 preamp coming in and want to swap out the stock tubes with NOS....recommendations? A bit warm in nature would be nice.

 

[Dimfer]

EAT ECC88 - new production, but I preferred this over the other popular NOS (including the Siemens CCa goldpins) that I own

 

[jazdoc]

You'll hear about the usual suspects: Amperex, Siemens, Telefunken, Mullard...

This is one man's comprehensive survey:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#6DJ8
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#6DJ8-2

Use a good dealer with a good reputation to avoid getting ripped off...

 

[LL21]

i have read that one...good read. i used mullards in my zanden and ended up with amperex 7308...white label, US or something. maintained the natural tone of the mullard but with greater clarity/speed. i bought 2 as backups once i'd realized how much i like them. BTW, i use an EAT tube dampber...incredibly good.

 

[KeithR]

At 225 apiece, why would I buy these instead of NOS?

 

[JackD201]

My favorite NOS 6922/6dj8 is the Mullard CV2492. Warm but still clear and well extended.

 

[mep]

My favorite 6922 variant is one that makes no noise and is not microphonic. I have a NOS pair of gold pin Mullard 6922 tubes that are unusable due to noise. I have a NOS pair of Telefunken CCa tubes that one of them went noisey. I have a pair of Mullard E188CC tubes that sound great. I have a pair of Siemens 7308 tubes that also sound great. Both the Mullards and Siemens are currently in my 5.1. I have a whole box of 6922 family tubes and another box of straight up 6DJ8 tubes. Most all of the 6DJ8 tubes are noisey and/or microphonic.

 

[LL21]

Hi mep,

i used to use the stock JAN Phillips 6922 that came with Zanden...incredibly musical. also extraordinarily microphonic. i used to snap my fingers in the room and hear it come thru my speakers...crazy. i then got an EAT tube damper for 19 bucks...and shockingly it stopped! and the sound improved too. if you havent already, worth a try though it sounds like u have already got tubes you like.

 

[microstrip]

(...) i then got an EAT tube damper for 19 bucks...and shockingly it stopped! and the sound improved too. if you havent already, worth a try though it sounds like u have already got tubes you like.

The conrad johnson ART preamplifier used 10 x 6922 tubes (5 in parallel per channel to build a composite tube). Although cj delivered the tubes with tube dampers I soon discovered that 6922 could easily get microphonic - the first symptom was listening to the mechanical clicking noises of the volume control relays through the speakers!

At that time I got excellent sound from Tugsram 6922 that I could get matched and selected for low noise from Hungary.

BTW, a very effective, but expensive, anti vibration device comes from Allnic - the Absorb GEL vacuum tube dampers.

http://www.acoustic-dimension.com/absorb/allnic-absorb-gel-tube-damper.htm

 

[jadis]

My favorite NOS 6922/6dj8 is the Mullard CV2492. Warm but still clear and well extended.

Ditto. Getting the best of both worlds, so to speak. Another warm sounding tube is the Amperex USN-CEP 7308 but it's hard to get in NOS condition, and it may be too warm for some systems. The Telefunken CCa and ECC188 provides excellent clarity and separation of instruments but lacks the warmth provided by the Mullard CV2492.

 

[JackD201]

I have you and Mullard88 to thank for 'em Phil. I agree about the Tele CCas and Siemens CCas as well. I've never heard any USN-CEPs though. Do you still have some?

 

[jadis]

I have you and Mullard88 to thank for 'em Phil. I agree about the Tele CCas and Siemens CCas as well. I've never heard any USN-CEPs though. Do you still have some?

Anytime, Jack. I sold my first and only trio of USN-CEPs years ago. It was too lush for my taste, despite my love for lushness. LOL. But, those are tubes will mesmerize you when it comes to vocals. They're kinda like the Koetsu's of the 6922 family, imo.

 

[KeithR]

My favorite 6922 variant is one that makes no noise and is not microphonic. I have a NOS pair of gold pin Mullard 6922 tubes that are unusable due to noise. I have a NOS pair of Telefunken CCa tubes that one of them went noisey. I have a pair of Mullard E188CC tubes that sound great. I have a pair of Siemens 7308 tubes that also sound great. Both the Mullards and Siemens are currently in my 5.1. I have a whole box of 6922 family tubes and another box of straight up 6DJ8 tubes. Most all of the 6DJ8 tubes are noisey and/or microphonic.

Thanks mep---my friend wants me to go with Siemens/Tele CCa route---but they are pricy since i need 4.

 

[LL21]

I am looking for something linear, tonally pure, extended...and quiet. i think i am getting tube rush. AFter about 700 hours of breaking in my CJ GAT...i can hear 'white noise' thru both speakers (no change in loudness of the white noise with volume change)...and i can hear it from my listening position with no music and a dead-quiet room (usually after 1am) with no noise outdoors or indoors.

1. Does this sound like tube rush? (my gain is GAT: 25db, Amp: 31db, Speakers: 95db). Or is it just too much gain?
2. Has anyone compared the Amperex US PQ white label to the EAT 6922? Both in terms of musicality...and in terms of "quiet".

Thanks for any advice!

 

[jadis]

I am looking for something linear, tonally pure, extended...and quiet. i think i am getting tube rush. AFter about 700 hours of breaking in my CJ GAT...i can hear 'white noise' thru both speakers (no change in loudness of the white noise with volume change)...and i can hear it from my listening position with no music and a dead-quiet room (usually after 1am) with no noise outdoors or indoors.

Hi Lloydelee,

Does it sound like 'hiss' from the tweeters? And did it manifest itself only after 700 hours of using your CJ GAT? If it were tube noise (as hiss), then it should have been there from the beginning and in my experience it would not be loud enough for you to hear it from your listening chair. Normally you would have to poke your ears at point blank range of your tweeters to hear this and this sometimes happen though not in all tubes. I still regard the Mullard CV2492s as the best compromise among all 6922 variants, and my other favorite is the Amperex USN CEP 7308 which as a very warm and full midrange presentation. As for quietness, I guess it all depends on your source and how well he tests them.

 

[LL21]

Thanks, Jadis. Yes, it sounds like hiss from my tweeters. It is louder than my laptop when the fan runs, but in a dead-quiet room (like right now at 5am), a laptop is already audible across the room. I suspect it might be the high gain and sensitivity of my system...hence why i am thinking perhaps "quieter tubes". This is seriously not a big deal...but during quiet passages, i do wish it were quieter.

 

[jadis]

Thanks, Jadis. Yes, it sounds like hiss from my tweeters. It is louder than my laptop when the fan runs, but in a dead-quiet room (like right now at 5am), a laptop is already audible across the room. I suspect it might be the high gain and sensitivity of my system...hence why i am thinking perhaps "quieter tubes". This is seriously not a big deal...but during quiet passages, i do wish it were quieter.

Anytime, lloydelee. Good luck on your search.

 

[LL21]

Hah! i remembered i had 2 Mullard 6922s from when i was tube rolling in my Zanden DAC. (in the Zanden, i ended up vastly prefering Amperex white label us pq 7308 and just stored the Mullards as back up). So i put the Mullards in my CJ GAT...voila!....utter silence unless i stick my ear to the tweeter! Now, that said, the reason i did not use these Mullards in my Zanden was because i felt they were a little stiff and a touch bright...(i know, the exact opposite of a Mullards reputation...but that's just what i heard) In the end the Amperex was supremely better (imho) and in my Zanden.

Fortunately, the GAT seems relatively less sensitive to different tubes...though relative to the Mullards, the EH's still seem to have a slightly more musical, mellifluous lilt to them in the CJ GAT. In any event, the Mulllards are way quieter, so i am going to wait a few days and see what happens after they've settled in. After all, the Mullards have been in the closet for probably 2 years.

I will also ask CJ for replacement EH's since they should still be under warranty. And further, i may venture out to buy NOS Amperex 6922s or even the new EAT 6922s...

...in any event, problem solved! I will post if i re-tube with Amperex, new CJ EHs or EAT 6922s.

 

[jadis]

...in any event, problem solved! I will post if i re-tube with Amperex, new CJ EHs or EAT 6922s.

That's great to hear, lloydelee.

 

[LL21]

Thanks for that...i have spoken with Brent Jessee with whom i have had a lot of good experiences. I have emailed to buy some Amperex US PQ White Label 6922s. I really like the Amperex White label 7308 i bought from him in my Zanden...stick with what works i suppose.

Lloyd