Any ECC88 Tube Preamps Out There?

PreCd

I have been looking for awhile now at affordable tube preamps, i.e. under $500, but have not found any that run a ECC88 tube. I have a ton of these tubes and would love to have a unit I could roll these into. Any suggestions?

Dawgfish

A used Anthem Pre-1L or Pre-2L uses 6Dj8/6922/Ecc88s and can reguraly be found in your price range. I am running an Anthem Pre-1L with Phillips Miniwatt 6922s and modified caps and love it.

thsmith

Dawgfish wrote: »

A used Anthem Pre-1L or Pre-2L uses 6Dj8/6922/Ecc88s and can reguraly be found in your price range. I am running an Anthem Pre-1L with Phillips Miniwatt 6922s and modified caps and love it.

SHHHHHHHHHH, dont let this get out. These preamps are well kept little secrets.

Dawgfish

Sorry, my bad! ;-)

PreCd

Thanks thsmith. I am now in whisper mode. Would it pair well with the Adcom GFA-555?
Mum.

Dawgfish

I dont' know what you're talking about. But let's just say hypothetically it would pair very well with the 555. I used to know this guy, ahem, that owned a 555 and it was a solid amp, but I, I meant my friend ahem, thought that it was a little on the bright side of things. Running some warmer sounding 6922s such as Amperex, Phillips, Mullard, Brimars, Ediswan, etc in this so called "preamp" would allegedly help tame this slight brightness. At least that's what my friend says. Or so I read somewhere sometime, ahem. ;-)

PreCd

*(7^% , klksjkf 903484 565685 KUILIUL (I have pm'd you the decipher code)

I have a ton of Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8s, PQs, Orange Globes so I would like to purchase an amp that takes a 6DJ8, ECC88 so that I could roll what I have. I also have other brands such as Telefunken. It would be enjoyable to be able to use what I have.

thsmith

Dawgfish's friend is right. 6922 are great tubes and finding the flavor you prefer is simple. Like anything else the nicer 6922s are not cheap.

6922 will have a slightly longer lifespan than 6DJ8; in some cases 6922 will last 5-10,000 hours vs 3-4,000 hrs for a 6DJ8

sda2mike

same as a 12ax7.....i've been running a preamp handmade by this guy: aricaudiosystems.com

heiney9

sda2mike wrote: »

same as a 12ax7.....i've been running a preamp handmade by this guy: aricaudiosystems.com

No it's not the same as a 12AX7. Perhaps your pre can run both, but they are not the same tube and shouldn't be substituted unless the manufacturer says so.

ECC88/6DJ8 has a 6V heater (hence the 6 in 6DJ8) the 12AX7 has a 12V heater.

Aricaudio stuff is nice, but not in the same league as the Anthem already mentioned.

H9

heiney9

Some reading material

http://www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm

H9

PreCd

Thanks for the info Brock. I let my finger hover over the enter button to purchase the SL2000-A last night but got to thinking about all the tubes I had. Figured I would throw the question out about the ECC88s.

From what you and others have said about the Dared SL2000 preamp it may boil down to that being the logical choice. But if I can find a nice affordable preamp that takes ECC88s then who knows. I am nearing a time of a final decision.

sda2mike

heiney9 wrote: »

No it's not the same as a 12AX7. Perhaps your pre can run both, but they are not the same tube and shouldn't be substituted unless the manufacturer says so.

ECC88/6DJ8 has a 6V heater (hence the 6 in 6DJ8) the 12AX7 has a 12V heater.

Aricaudio stuff is nice, but not in the same league as the Anthem already mentioned.

H9

thanks for clarifying...you've heard an aricaudio pre?

heiney9

sda2mike wrote: »

thanks for clarifying...you've heard an aricaudio pre?

Briefly, also studied the design and parts because at one time I was going to buy one. Trust me, not in the same league as the Anthem's mentioned. Not trying to say it's not nice or that it can't be enjoyed or that the OP shouldn't have a looksee, just that the Anthem's (which were suggested) are a level or two above.

H9

heiney9

PreCd wrote: »

Thanks for the info Brock. I let my finger hover over the enter button to purchase the SL2000-A last night but got to thinking about all the tubes I had. Figured I would throw the question out about the ECC88s.

From what you and others have said about the Dared SL2000 preamp it may boil down to that being the logical choice. But if I can find a nice affordable preamp that takes ECC88s then who knows. I am nearing a time of a final decision.

You could sell those tubes to finance a Dared and still have $$$ left over. Some of those ECC88/6922's are very desirable and if you have good examples of the harder to find tubes you can make some $$$. Just a thought.

The Anthem's are nice and I'd rate it above the Dared, but damn the Dared delivers.

H9

sda2mike

that's cool...i was interested in your thoughts abt the pre..i think there is 1 member here that has one...i like mine aplenty:)

heiney9

sda2mike wrote: »

that's cool...i was interested in your thoughts abt the pre..i think there is 1 member here that has one...i like mine aplenty:)

The main achilles heal is the walwart for a power supply. But I'm sure with premium 12AX7 tubes it can sound sweet. I also strongly prefer tube rectification vs. an inexpensive diode.

H9

PreCd

Yep that is an option it sure is. I have been reading that the ECC88s were desirable and that got me to wondering why. Then my next thought was that surely there were some preamps out there that utilized the tube.

I thought about selling my Adcom GFP-565 preamp to finance it but then I would not have a phono input. I can run the Dared or other preamp to the processor of my GFP-565 for my CDP and then let the GFP-565 handle my phono stage.

heiney9 wrote: »

You could sell those tubes to finance a Dared and still have $$$ left over. Some of those ECC88/6922's are very desirable and if you have good examples of the harder to find tubes you can make some $$$. Just a thought.

The Anthem's are nice and I'd rate it above the Dared, but damn the Dared delivers.

H9

heiney9

There are other pre's that use the 6922, but many of those also use other tubes in various stages in addition to the 6922, so additional expense is certain. If you are looking for a pre that ONLY uses 6922 there aren't too many. The Dodd ELP comes to mind. Can't remember the last time one came for sale. I prefered the Dared over the Dodd, but it would be a great choice if you can find one. I would have been happy with either the Dared or Dodd.

H9

PreCd

I like double D's also.........what a coincidence.

heiney9 wrote: »

I would have been happy with either the Dared or Dodd.

H9

zingo

I think some of the Audio Research preamps use 6922s.