Warm sounding 6922 Type Tubes

@earthbound The Mullards are starting to warm up and probably didn’t give them enough time to break in. I guess there’s no set time especially for NOS tubes.
 

The real problem is I have tinnitus in my left ear and it’s extremely sensitive to high frequencies so that’s why I lean towards a warmer sound. I can no longer listen to loud music without being affected. I should have mentioned this initially.

@earthbound thanks

@tomcy6 I bought the Mullard from Brent Jesse from his recommendation. I called him earlier today and still thought the Mullard was my best bet. He also suggested the Amperex but there was no guarantee it would sound better. He did hear from some people that tube dampers might soften the top end a bit. I have some so I experiment tonight. Thanks for your responses. 

@pwerahera 

Thanks for the list. I spoke to Brent today and he suggests giving a NOS Amperex 6DJ8 a try. 

The Dac I’m using is the Tubadour IV and previously I was using a MHDT Orchid. I purchased the Tubadour for the extra inner detail and more lively presentation. I do like the overall sound but I guess the extra extension and liveliness of the Tubadour affects my tinnitus more than previously.  So I was hoping to reduce some of the liveliness with tube rolling but maybe it’s not possible. The rest of my system leans towards the warm side including cables so I rather not go there.

If the tube rolling doesn’t help, I may just buy another Orchid. Thanks for your responses.

@newbee I just ordered a JJ so I’ll see how it goes.

@wlutke Thanks for the info. 
 

@earthbound I forgot I purchased another Mullard from Brent Jessee in the past. This one clearly shows it as a Mullard ECC88 and the other was hard to read but the box said it was a 6DJ8  manufactured by Mullard for IEC. Even without much break in, the ECC88 is smoother and less bright than the other Mullard. They are both designated as a 1964 production type but they do not sound the same. So now with this other tube I can say I’m happy with the sound. 

@newbee As you recommended, I installed a JJ and it sounds better the Mullards. It removed the piercing extended highs but the overall sound is just as good as the Mullards. It has a nice soundstage and the bass is well defined. Who would have thought a cheap tube would sound this good. Thanks Ron 

@fleschler I’m returning the Mullard to Brent in exchange for a Bugle Boy. He described the sound of the Bugle Boy just as you had stated. 

Here’s the latest update. On a whim I decided to swap fuses to see if there were any differences. I was using a recommended Hifi tuning copper supreme for its warmer presentation. I replaced it with the stock fuse and the upper glare was reduced further. I then installed a Synergistic SR20 fuse that I used in the past and with the same results. It seems to me the better fuse might have extended the frequency response to where it was affecting my tinnitus. So now I will be using the old SR20 fuse from now on.