Hey again
There is a tube dealer that goes by the name 'fletchj' on Audiogon. Do a username search then give this guy an email. He knows all there is to know about Amperex tubes, and most other tubes as well.
dudeaudio |
Mdomnick - The Rocket 6H30 tubes I mentioned are Russian tubes and are supposed to be very good. However I have tried the Sovtek version of the 6922 tubes and they were horrible in comparison to the other tubes I mentioned in my earlier post. I don't think you can broadly generalize that all Russian tubes are bad/good...it would depend entirely on the specific tubes. For intstance in the realms of EL34's JJ Tesla, and Electro Harmonix (a 'refined' version that Sovtek actually manufactures) are two of my favorite current production tubes, while others like Svetlana's. One thing I have found with the Russian tubes I have used is that they are not the most reliable tubes. I've had two arc on me straight out of the box on two different occasions (two different manufacturers, and two different components too). They were replaced immediately by the (reputable) dealer no questions asked and no further incidents took place beyond the individual failures. John at The Tube Store, has told me that his experience has been that, yes, this is indeed the case with Russian current production tubes. Russia does manufacture quite a large quantity of the currently made tubes and are one of only a few countries still doing so.
Sorry, don't know anything about Teslovak. It looks like they source some of their tubes from China (Shuguang) too. |
Jax:
Sorry i can't give any more info. I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to tubes. All I know is what I've heard, what I've read and what I like. As far as I know Amprex could be made by pixies in a magical forest, then Amprex slaps their name on it. I do know (or was told) Rouge Audio uses Amprex as a standard in their gear, so it would seem logical to assume someone is still making Amprex tubes. Now that you bring this topic up, the RCA tubes I originally mentioned are produced by another company and labeled RCA; don't recall the parent company.
www.audioasylum.com is a good source of info. I hate navigating their site, but can always learn a thing or two there.
Does anyone find Russian tubes to be 'good' sounding tubes? I bought a pair of Russian Military Spec tubes and felt robbed although I only spent $20. Horrible in every aspect.
Follow up: I got curious and went looking for info and found this site; http://www.pentalaboratories.com/teslovak.asp
Unfortunately I think I am more confused...this one company manufactured it all according to what I read. |
I recently did some rolling with an Audiophile buddy with 6922's in our ARC-LS2B's. These amps are hybrid designs and use only a single 6922 tube so YMMV. In fact I believe observations regarding specific tube types would vary widely depending on what hardware you are putting the tubes in, so take all advice with a bag of salt. The LS2B's are definitely sensitive to tube choice. We rolled Tele CCa, Siemens CCa (Rohre) and Mullard E88CC's. Both of us liked the Siemens the best for the detail and focus it seemed to bring mostly in the mids and upper register. Of the three the Mullard was the warmest sounding, but at the expense of focus, and didn't seem to have as much dynamics in the mids and upper ranges. Since then my friend has been using a recommendation of Kevin Deal: the Rocket 6H30 and seems to like it VERY much. I understand it is not compatible with all hardware that uses a 6922, but cannot expand on that as I don't know the specifics. You may want to check those out too as they'd save you some $ at around $25-30 each. I have not heard it myself, but do respect my friends opinion.
Mdomnick and Dudeaudio: I need an education here regarding Amperex (you both mention using their tubes). I was under the impression that Amperex as a company did not actually manufacture tubes, but instead sourced them from various manufactures. Of course other companies do this as well but I was under the impression that Amperex exclusively sourced it's tubes and actually never owned or managed manufacturing facilities of their own. Is this true, or have I been mislead in this information? I have some wonderful Amperex 12ax7's that were actually manufactured by Tungsram in Hungary....just wonderful tubes for my application.
Good luck with your quest Jitmingl! |
I use the most expensive Amperex in my Audible Illusions 3. It's worth it. Here's the best link I know of.
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#6DJ8-2
p.s. Don't even waste your time trying to find a "deal". I'm a miser and I don't even waste my time anymore. |
Be careful when buying Mullards. You want ORIGINAL TUBES from the '60's or '70's. There are people (no names!) selling mil-spec Mullards, in white boxes that were manufactured in the '80's. I am familiar with the 12AU7 variety, marked as a CV 4004 KQDD/K with no Mullard name on the tube (manufactured in 1985). THESE ARE PURE CRAP....noisy and microphonic as hell. If there is also a 6922/6DJ8 version, stay away from it like someone with SARS!!!! This garbage is NOT THE REAL DEAL, NEAL!!! |
I like the Siemens (used CCAs, Falcons), but agree they don't have the warmth of the Telefunkens; I like both, but for different reasons and for different music. I also like the Amprex 7308s, but also feel they aren't as warm as Telefunken. RCA made a great tube, very warm and detailed, but not as detailed as any of the ones I mentioned above, however for the price, I find them a tough tube to beat in my Sonic Frontiers Line 1. |
The NOS Brimar 6922s are warm/soft when in my Sonic Frontiers Line2SE. The Brimars are relatively inexpensive too. SF probably still has them. Cheers. Craig |
I hear the siemens to be warm and very detailed and telefunkin to be a bit less warm but have just little more detailed, all most the reverse of one another.
I just purchased the seimens nos 6922 for a Sonic Frontiers D/A and the sound is warm and detailed, very nice sounding as I think I would prefer this over the telefunkin as my speakers are Martin Logans and they like a hint of warm! May consider lookng at your IC and speaker wire first. just a thought! Happy Listening! |
I've tube rolled about 20 different 6dj8 tubes in the last year, and I've learned a few things....I've yet to meet a Mullard I like, they all have no top end extension to my ears, and some are seriously lacking in dynamics and initial transients. I've tried the Siemens Cca, both the earlier Halske and later Rohre and while incredibly detailed I found them a little thin also. In fact I found the Siemens 7308 tubes to be superior! Be worth your while to try them. I am currently trying out Amperex stuff, the PQ white label seems very impressive so far, but its to early for me to comment yet. The tube for you is the Telefunken Cca. A beutiful soundstager with incredible dynamics and detail, with just a hint o wamth. Its my favorite 6dj8 tube, followed by the Siemens 7308. Be warned, they are hard to find and pricy! (expect to pay between $300-$400 a pair NOS)
dudeaudio |
I've tried a few different Siemens 6922s and CCas, but eventually settled on the much cheaper Mullards. The Siemens were very transparent with extended highs, but sounded too lean in my system. The Mullards have a much fuller character with a slightly rolled off top end compared to the Siemens, but can match their air and soundstaging. After buying and liking a pair of these little cheaps guys I went back to the same seller and bought four more matched pairs. Couldn't be happier! |
Or, you could keep the tubes and try some Cardas interconnects.
jd |
For "warmth" in an AI M3A my favorite is NOS Tunsgram. You will find them to be much warmer sounding than CCA. And, as a nice bonus they are long lasting in the M3A. Now for the frosting on the cake--they cost less too. Enjoy! |
I'm using (pcc88=7dj8) telefunken and siemens on my
M3 with a good result.but i love tele. than siemens.
I just got another quad of tele.from ebay last tues. |
Try Mullards or Amperex.
gees. can i buy those CCa from you? lol.
I love those. |
