Siemens CCa vs. Amperex 6922 D getter

That will depend on your love for the truth. The Siemens CCa(earlier than 1968)will allow whatever is fed it to pass with less added or subtracted(more transparently) than anything else out there. That is it's intrinsic value to me. Everyone doesn't appreciate that virtue. Some want their tubes to sound. By that I mean add something that they find attractive, ie: "warmth", "tubiness", microphonics, etc. Like interconnects and cables, some use tubes as tone controls to please the ubiquitous aural palate. As sound tech(over 30yrs now), I get to listen to an awful lot of live(unplugged and amplified music), in a lot of different venues. Whenever I find something in my system that I don't find when listening live: I target that for correction. Then to: I've found a number of things lacking(comparing the system to live). The CCa's simply brought more dynamics, sound stage, focus, liquidity and extension to the table than anything else I tried(Tele's, Mullards, etc.)as far as the 6922 family in past ARC pre-amps, DACs and my present CDP. I've got six in my VK-D5 and have not rued the $$ spend on them for an instant. I figure what I'm willing to spend on my RP's, W's, CCa's and whatever else brings me closer to the sound of live music(and all it's nuances) in my home, will be directly proportionate to my love of that sound. In the past month I spent $700.00 on a power supply upgrade to my pre-amp(greatly enhancing the system's dynamic range), and $80.00 on a pair of Hi-Fi Tuning fuses for the AC in on my Cary Monoblocks(actually made vocals more "organic" for one thing). I knew what I'd gain from the the power supply, but the fuses were a trial. I'll be ordering more fuses for my tube voltage and VK-D5 AC circuits this week. That's just my way of pursuing my musical pleasure. As long as you're enjoying your way.....Kewl! That's what it's all about!

Siemens CCa's (pre 1968) are NOT the least bit strident, bright or glaring. Any system with a frequency imbalance/glare/sloppy bass/etc can make the very best tubes sound bad. That's just a fact of life. People that don't know any better will install a very transparent cable, interconnect or NOS tube in a system that isn't right to start with, and because the new component reveals a shortcoming in the system- blame the new component. I've watched those types chase their tails in this hobby for decades now. Of course- They're always right! Then again- SOME folks out there are teachable. Have fun!

Mr T- You are correct about the "taste" factor. That's why I always preface my recommendation of the CCa with a note about their clarity and transparency, and mention the fact that some might prefer a "warmer" tube. Another possibilty is badly recorded source material. I've had just a few discs over the years that were obviously mastered on monitors without tweeters(or by a deaf engineers), the highs were so exaggerated. I've got one right now that I really like the lyrics on, but won't play on my system because it's recorded so poorly. I only listen to it in the car, with the treble turned way down. Mr S- That's why they(and the E188CC/7308) are so stinking expensive and rare now: In an accurate, resolving system- they just get out of the way of the music. Obviouly there are a lot of us that enjoy that attribute. Happy listening!!

Enjoy your music Mr C!!