2. amps-preamps
  3. 1027876189

What's so bad about Sovtek 6922s?

I've seen lots of preamp reviews and remarks where people say they replaced their "hard sounding stock sovteks" with "brand X".

I have an Anthem Pre 2L, and the first thing I tried to do was get rid of the "nasty Sovtek 6922s". I tried the Teslas (new and cheap) and a used set of Amperex Bugleboys. I rotated between the two - very hard to A/B of course. Was not satisfied. The Amperex seem to be allergic to bass (I guess it's possible that these are forgeries - bought off ebay). The Teslas seem like "ok" replacements, but nothing special happens with them.

For the heck of it, I put back in the Sovteks (after many months), and abracadabra - the system sounds its best. Nice microdynamics. Very clean and not the least bit harsh. No unwanted noise. Just sounds very good.

Is anyone else living happily with the "hard sounding stock sovtek 6922s"? Just curious. I am not going to take a stab at some megabuck Telefunkens based on the lack of improvement trying more moderate tube "upgrades".

Are Sovteks underrated?
dozer

Showing 1 response by theduke

theduke
372 posts
 
I've had better results with the Sovtek 6922 supplied by Audible Illusions for the L-1 preamp than with the replacements purchased from Upscale Audio which were 70's vintage Sovtek 6922's. The AI's have better microphonics, a more extended and airy treble. Go figure?

Also, I can attest to their KT-88. Sounds terrific in my Music Reference RM-9.
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