Help me decide which E88CC tubes i should buy
jtcf891 posts02-28-2020 7:19pmReflektors are warm with great bass.That's what I hear anyway:-)Reflektors are not warm sounding tubes. Musical, yes. Warm? Not in the sense of a Tele or any of the other warm sounding tubes. 75 silver shields are just to the musical side of the spectrum without sounding overly warm and lush. They are highly detailed and dynamic while also maintaining a great sense of musicality. The bass is balanced, fast and controlled. |
I have 75 Reflektor silver shields in the output section of my Modwright Oppo 205. I had just rolled out 65 Telefunken 6dJ8 white tips when trying the Reflektors. The Reflektors are much more extended top to bottom, with an almost solid state quickness to it. No bloat or overhang in between notes whatsoever. They are very musical though not as warm as the Telefunkens, and produce a wide and deep layered sound-stage. They outperform the Tele’s in every way. Amazing tubes! I have a brown base GEC U52 as the rectifier. I think the U52 and 75 SS Reflektor are a very good match because it adds just a slight touch of warmth while exhibiting all the same attributes (speed, detail retrieval, sound-stage) that make the Reflektor so special. Good luck! :) |
Andy is a good guy but will sell you what he has in stock. The Tele 6dj8’s I bought were from Andy. The first set had a bad tube. The replacement set was mismatched, and while I was waiting for the 3rd set I ordered the Reflektors. With Zero hours on them the Reflectors were better than the Tele’s which by then had about 150 hours. I kept the Reflectors in my 205 and never looked back. Andy is a good guy and apologized for the entire episode but he’s not anywhere near infallible. |
rodman999994,221 posts02-29-2020 6:52amAnother, "btw": It’s important, when reading tube comparisons, to pay close attention to the descriptions of the tube construction and dates of manufacture. The presentations can vary(dramatically), between iterations/years, even of the same designation(ie: grey plate vs silver plate CCa). Keep in mind; the really good sounding Reflektor 6N23p tubes, were from a very narrow production run. It’s been my experience; they’re rare, in the extreme.The production run you speak is the whole of the year 1975. Both silver and grey shields were produced. The silver shields are generally considered superior though some might find the grey shields which have a bit less detail retrieval but a more liquid and musical presentation more to their tastes. 1974 is considered a very good year for the Reflektor 6n23p as well, with the silver and grey shields having the same general differences between them as 1975. |
@rodman99999 The 75 silver shields cost much less than your CCA's. On that epic 6922 shootout at HeadFi, the consensus is that the Reflektors better both the Siemens CCA's and Telefunken e188cc's. I've never heard either of those so I couldn't comment on the comparison. I personally value detail, speed, and soundstage depth and layering over 'warmth", and the Reflektors do that in spades while still remaining incredibly musical. |
rodman999994,223 posts02-29-2020 4:49pmWell; your tastes in sound seem to mirror my own. As I asked: do you have a lead, on any genuine, NOS of the specific Reflektor tube, that topped that list? At what price? I haven’t seen any, in quite a while, for anything reasonable. I HAVE been looking. You're not going to find them with any American dealers. The original sources are all in the former Soviet bloc countries. As the OP posted here you're going to have to go to E-Bay to find a nice pair. The first matched pair I bought tested strong at approx 12.5 ma average each tube and sound amazing. I've since picked up better testing tubes but haven't popped them in because my first pair sound so good. I also have several pairs of 75 grey shields but haven't rolled them in for the same reason... lolz Grey shields are also called Voshkods because of the factory they are produced at. 74 Silver shields are also supposed to be quite good, and I've found they cost about 1/2 the price of the 75's. They are supposed to have the same sound signature with just a bit less detail and sound staging ability. |
