6922's: Quad or (2) Matched Pairs

falconcry72

Not sure what I'm looking for here. These are for my first ever piece of tubed gear, an ARC LS-15, which will hopefully arrive this week.

The LS-15 uses (2) 6922's as drivers and (2) more 6922's as cathode followers, so I figure I could use a matched quad, or (2) matched pairs.

I have read good things about the Mullards, Amperex Bugle Boys, Amperex PQ's, and Ediswan 6DJ8's, but I have no clue, so any advice on good deals on good sounding tubes is appreciated.:redface:

Looking for both knowledge and tubes, so if you've got one, the other, or both, hollar at me!:biggrin:

falconcry72

6DJ8's, ECC88's, E88CC's will all work.

dhart86

Falconcry72, I have a matched pair of Mullards 6922 that I never used if your interested. Purchased from fellow Polkie thsmith.
This link will provide great information on tubes. www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm
GL

falconcry72

dhart86 wrote: »

Falconcry72, I have a matched pair of Mullards 6922 that I never used if your interested. Purchased from fellow Polkie thsmith.
This link will provide great information on tubes. www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm
GL

Thanks for the link.

PM coming...

thsmith

Either version of amperex e188 or e88. I had a pair of each in my anthem pre 2l and found that to best combo for my setup. Ymmv

falconcry72

thsmith wrote: »

Either version of amperex e188 or e88. I had a pair of each in my anthem pre 2l and found that to best combo for my setup. Ymmv

So I guess you think the Amperex PQ's, whether e88cc's (6922's) or e188cc's (7308's), are a step up from the Bugle Boys ecc88's (6dj8's)?

As far as the Amperex PQ e88cc's or e188cc's go, do you think there really is a sonic difference between the early 60's white labels and the late 60's orange labels? Do the older ones cost more because they really sound better, or because they are more rare?

thsmith

Never heard amperex 6dj8 just mullard. IMO white labels sound better than orange but may not justify cost to a point. My anthem pre responded very nicely to different 6922 and variants.

falconcry72

thsmith wrote: »

Never heard amperex 6dj8 just mullard. IMO white labels sound better than orange but may not justify cost to a point. My anthem pre responded very nicely to different 6922 and variants.

Cool, well I guess, like with everything else, I'll just have to play around and see what I like!:cool:

schwarcw

Amperex made some nice 6922s in the USA with gold pins under the Amperex and other labels such as Hewlett Packard, Beckman and some others. These were all military tubes that were required to be made in the USA because of defense regulations. Most of these had dark red or "fucia" colored lettering. They are identical to the white label 6922 PQs in structure and performance. All fo these tend to be a little pricey. If your preamp has gold tube sockets, look for some gold pin 6922s with a date code pre 1962. I found some NOS tubes testing new for about $40 - $50 per tube. Good luck!

schwarcw

falconcry72 wrote: »

So I guess you think the Amperex PQ's, whether e88cc's (6922's) or e188cc's (7308's), are a step up from the Bugle Boys ecc88's (6dj8's)?

As far as the Amperex PQ e88cc's or e188cc's go, do you think there really is a sonic difference between the early 60's white labels and the late 60's orange labels? Do the older ones cost more because they really sound better, or because they are more rare?

The answer to your first question is probably yes because they were built to Military specs.

The answer to your second question (and maybe your first question) is maybe. The earlier the 1960s date code the better. Tube sound depends more upon the condition of the tube and what you either preceive or actually hear. Different people hear different things. Change tubes and you may hear something different. Maybe better, maybe not, but different. Welcome to the world of tube madness! LOL!

Regards,

doctorcilantro

I still have some Gold Lion 6922 Cryo'd ones, probably more than a quad, and maybe a pair or two of EH Gold.

falconcry72

schwarcw wrote: »

The answer to your first question is probably yes because they were built to Military specs.

The answer to your second question (and maybe your first question) is maybe. The earlier the 1960s date code the better. Tube sound depends more upon the condition of the tube and what you either preceive or actually hear. Different people hear different things. Change tubes and you may hear something different. Maybe better, maybe not, but different. Welcome to the world of tube madness! LOL!

Regards,

Thanks for the advice. My short list of realistic tubes to try:

- Mullard 6922's made in the UK (thanks dhart86!)
- Amperex PQ 6922's white labels made in the USA
- Amperex Bugle Boy 6dj8's white label made in Holland

Less realistic:

- Amperex 7308's white label
- Telefunken e88cc's
- Telefunken e188CC's
- Telefunken e88CC's cca


I want the try the BB's even though the 6dj8 is an inherently less refined design because they are supposedly very 3-dimensional and lush, and the extra "refinedness" of the 6922 may be lost on my ears. Won't know till I try'em.

falconcry72

Any advice on a budget, but accurate, tube tester?

thsmith

Mighty mite if you don't want to go too deep in the rabbit hole. Mine has saved me on a couple occasions with testing before using, shorts. Helped me get refunds.

If you want to get serious then one that measures mu.

falconcry72

thsmith wrote: »

Mighty mite if you don't want to go too deep in the rabbit hole. Mine has saved me on a couple occasions with testing before using, shorts. Helped me get refunds.

If you want to get serious then one that measures mu.

Not looking to go too deep.. just something that will give a fairly accurate 1-120 or whatever rating where 0-something is bad, and above something is good.

The mighty mite looks like it'll do the job. What's a decent price; I don't want to get ripped on the bay...:rolleyes:

thsmith

I think I paid 100 for mine. Look on audiogon and post a wtb here.

falconcry72

Also interested in the German made Siemens e88CC's.

schwarcw

Some folks may or may not agree, but I liked the sound of the Bugle Boys but they simply do not last. Although the Telefunkens are arguably one of the most durable tubes and last a long time. I didn't think their sound was all that great, average maybe. YMMV and lot of opinions on these brands for the specific tube.

You really have to hear them in your own gear to determine what you like best. This is what makes tube rolling fun, expensive and can be compulsive. LOL!

Good luck!

falconcry72

schwarcw wrote: »

You really have to hear them in your own gear to determine what you like best. This is what makes tube rolling fun, expensive and can be compulsive. LOL!

Good luck!

Thanks, man!

I'm really looking forward to getting into tubes:

Obsessive, compulsive, irrational, esoteric... perfect! Well, I could do without the expensive part.:redface:

I love trying out new gear and experimenting, A/B'ing, testing etc, and as expensive as good NOS tubes may be, it's still cheaper to try out a few pairs of tubes than to try out a few preamps or a few amps or a few of any other component.

Plus, I love the hunt. The chase. Doing careful research, lining up the sites, and pulling the trigger.

Tubes offer the chance to have a lot of good hunts!:biggrin:


But let's not forget the most important aspect... they're going to make my Maggies sing!



edit: About the Bugle Boys:

My 3.6's and 2200mk2 is a VERY resolving combo, so I'm thinking I'm going to like the warmth, expansiveness, and liquidity of the BB's, even at the expense of some detail... we'll see.