6922 tube rolling recommendations

Ditto for me, alhthoug I'm looking for recommendations for the 6922s in my BAT VK3i. Looking for a LITTLE bit more forward sound to go with my Vandys.

try the Siemens E188CC(7308) packed in blue/orange box. very good stuff.

High db, stick with the Amperex and Siemens. When it came to the 6DJ8 family they were in a league of their own. As usual with NOS tubes, older is better. How many tubes does your unit use? Hopefully not more then two. Prices for primo tubes in this family are rising even as I write. If you plan on keeping your pre for a while, load up. But there are still some bargins to be had. Amperex 6DJ8s are a great sounding tube, finding even some good used ones should be easy. But if you want the best look for the 7308s. They were the quietest and longest lasting. Maybe the best sounding is the Siemens CCa,an upgraded 6922. Very rare and expensive.Did VTS have all the tubes you mentioned in stock? What his webpage says and what he actually has are two different things.I believe there are tubes I've mentioned for sale here at Audiogon...pricey though. If you want to email me I can steer you in a less costly direction.

Siemens E188cc 7308/Excellent choice.I used one in an Anthem CD-1.Best upgrade ever.Andy at VTS can help.You dont see tubes for sale on this site saying bought from VTS.That say's alot.

I have Siemans CCA in my Art Audio Diavolo and they are the best I've tried. Very hard to find.I see them on Ebay sometimes but don't know how to judge the quality.

I have tried Telefunken CCa's, Telefunken 6DJ8's (ECC88), Amperex 6DJ8's, Mullard 6DJ8's, Telefunken 6922's (E88CC), Telefunken 7308's (E188CC) as well as Telefunken and Tungsram versions of 12AX7 in my CAT Ultimate. I don't think that anyone can tell you very much about what will work in your system unless they have every piece of equipment you have. I recently made a change in speakers from Snell C/V to Vandersteen 3A Signature, a change which one wouldn't expect to be huge, since both speakers are on the warmish side. The difference was huge and forced me to completely reevaluate all the interconnects and cables which I was using PLUS the tubes in the preamp. Tubes that I was going to sell before now sounded excellent and the tubes which I was using had to be reconsidered. The only way is to listen yourself with at least the speakers and preamp you intend to use and then to make your own decisions.

Thanks for all of your responses.....Longplate has been so gracious as to hook me up with some spare amperex tubes....cool deal. Rayhall....I agree with you on system synergy...I'm most likely changing amps soon (SS to SET...big change), so I'll need plenty of tubes on hand to find the combination that works best (the jota I'll be demoing uses this tube, and comes stock with a brimar I think?) I'm keeping the rest of my equipment for a while.
I'll let ya know how it all works out.

I don't have the same pre-amp (I have an Audible Illusions 3A), but when I pulled out the Russian tubes and put in some Volvo (1963 tubes)6DJ8/6922's from the Parts connection, it blew me away! I've tried several others, but these have been the best in my set up.

I own the Bel Canto sep 1 which came with amperex 6922's. I hated the sound of the pre-amp (harsh and shrilly) I decided to change to telefunken 6922's to give it one more chance to shine.(By the way Kevin Deal woundn't sell me the telefunken 6922's to me because I bought my pre-amp through Audiogon) With the telefunken in place the sound is richer with more resolution. The difference between the two tubes was astonishing. best of luck Harvey

Run a search in the archives of the "tubes" section of audioasylum.com and you'll have more opinions than you know what to do with. Also have a look at "Joe's Tube Lore" in the FAQ section. But it's all equipment/system sensitive, so ymmv with any of this. Personally, I like Tungsram E88cc's in my Melos MA-333. Have fun, Jim

The best place to find out more info about various 6DJ8/6922/7308 tubes is at www.audioasylum.com Check their FAQ section. There's an excellent post specifically comparing various 6DJ8 family tubes available. I find it excellent reading. But, of course, results will vary depending on equipment. Also, there are various vintage for each tube. That said, I ended up collecting about 300 tubes in this family within the past 3 years, and was able to test different ones in my system. I've just tried some Siemens CCa in my system, and found them to be too lean and dry for my system. Every other tubes has tradeoffs. For me, the best one so far seems to be the Mullard 10M 6DJ8s. Except, they are very, very rare. I've settled for Amperex 7308 PQ White label.

I agree Joe's tube lore is an interesting read. But bear in mind this is coming from a guy who thinks all 12AU7s and 12AX7s suck. He then goes on to sing the praises of the 5751 tube. The 5751 is a good tube...in the right application. It is NOT a drop in replacement for a 12AX7! Fact is, if you do use a 5751 instead of a X7, you run the risk of doing damage to your gear. I know Mike Sanders of Quicksilver says don't even think about itwith his gear. Granted in the majority of equipment you'll be fine. But myself and many other's will tell you we've never heard a 5751 sound better then a good 12AX7 where a 12AX7 was called for.I know a lot of CAL DAC users like the 5751, I use it on occasion when watching movies on my LD-DVD player. I think the reason people prefer a 5751 is because it will often give your gear a very hi-fi sound. But it is not very musical, and with the 30% loss of gain when using the 5751, dynamics and bass suffer. Always consult the manufacture before switching to see if it's kosher. I realize I got off topic here, but that's the way the pickle squirts. Concerning the 6922 post, others are correct when they say it is all system dependent. Just about any of these tubes made by Amperex and Siemens is going to sound good. Mullard, despite their ties to Amperex is more hit and miss, although the 10M and the A frame tubes are outstanding. With apologies to Rayhall, most of the Telefunkens won't feed the bulldog. Telefunkens are well built and last forever but they are way overated sound wise. Save for the 803s, which is a high spec 12AX7, I've never heard a Tele I thought sounded good...and I am not alone. But in certain systems it might be the best choice, as Rayhall clearly points out. And because of the Telefunken "mystique" they are selling for ungodly high prices. I believe someone here ay A-gon is selling a pair of Tele CCa for $350.00! Man, How does that cat dig himself? It seems to me a while back I saw a pair of Siemens CCa sell for $200.00 pr., no bargin, but more in line with the market. As I was telling Hi-db yesterday, load up on these tubes if you use them. Prices have more then doubled in the last year, and with supplies dwindling the future might be a lot of people forced to use Puketeks.

Hey longplate, can you hook me up to? My Dac uses 6DJ8s, what would you suggest?

Thrillhammer, I'm not sure what it is, but you got my vote for coolest name. Feel free to email me.

Am I alone or do others feel the same.
Longplate this fourum should not be used for you to promote and sell your products.

If Selling the same tubes that everybody has for a third of the price they and your buddy Andy sell them for...I'm guilty. I won't bother to share my dealings with your "tube guru" in public. The way you blow his horn, I wouldn't be surprized if you get a cut. Long before this thread members of the group were emailing me without any prompting. What I make on tubes is so little, some ask why I bother.I spend a couple hours a day returning peoples email.Unlike everyone else, I'm not in this for the money.I simply enjoy helping people out. And if the group finds that wrong, I'll stop .

I blow VTS horn because I have countless emails from people thanking me for making them aware of his service.How much money do you have invested in tube testing gear and can you really tell the difference from a Mullard or a Brimar or a Tungsram.The only way to spot a noisy tube is to listen to it.What do you use to listen too and screen out bad tubes.
Everyone who has delt with him is happy and I dont find people who buy his tubes ever reselling them on this site.
The point is your post would carry more weight if you were not selling tubes.Conflict of interest.

Leafs, What is your problem? I took a chance and emailed Longplate for some advice. I'm new to tubes and he seemed to know what he's talking about. He spent all afternoon answering my emails, and at the end of the day I felt a whole lot better. I told him up front I was tapped out after buying my system and I wouldn't be buying any tubes. He could have cared less, he seems to only want to help. I'll email you when I have some money Longplate.

I dont have a problem.I made a point that I felt he was using the forum to promote his bussiness.Thats not what this forum is about.As the smart bussiness person he is he invested time in you for future benifit thats ok.
But to use the forum to promote his bussiness.Lets let the memebers decide.
Giving and sharing advice amoung members is ok thats whats great about this site.When someone comes on and gives advice and then has the items he touts for sale thats not what this forum is about.
I dont see the likes of AlbertPorter and many other great advice givers selling or peddling the items and things they give info on.

I've went over this thread twice and what has Longplate said to promote his business? It started out as a good thread which I learned a lot from. Then Leafs went out into space and made it ugly. Please let my post be the last.