[rosconey]

i bought a tube cdp with stock philips tubes,what are some good ones to swap with nothing megabuck.75$ a pair max
thanx

[lonewolfny42]

Hey rosconey,

Read this to start, good stuff ...

http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html . Page down to 6dj8 , 6922 part. With tubes , its good to try a few different ones and find the sound your looking for. IMO [/list:u]

[Tonto Yoder]

I'd second lonewolf's link to Joe's Tube Lore.  My Ah! tube CDP came with Philips tubes, but has benefitted from a change to Amperex Orange Globes (or Worlds).  The Globes reportedly have "much" of the sound of the sought-after Amperex Bugle Boys, but they're MUCH cheaper.  The Amperexes were/are much more musical than the Philips (which sound a bit thin/sterile by comparison [though I didn't hear that when I was ONLY listening to the stock tubes]).

http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#6DJ8-2

You can often find Globe pulls on eBay quite cheaply: whether you get a good set is a bit of a crapshoot. I haven't compared the Globes to the high-priced NOS tubes available.

[rosconey]

one of my good friends dad built tube radios and stuff for years, found out his sister has boxes and boxes of tubes-going to try and get a look from her stash before i buy anything

[Carlman]

I'll give a plug for Upscale Audio.  They've delivered very good tubes within my budget that match my sonic goals a few times.  They're good 'tube consultants'.

A good inexpensive 6DJ8/6922 tube is the (edited) Radiotechnique which is a French Amperex copy IIRC.

-C

[Tonto Yoder]

A good inexpensive 6DJ8/6922 tube is the Audio Technica which is a French Amperex copy IIRC.

-C

Must mean Radiotechnique????  (Audio Technica is the cartridge, microphone, accessory company).
http://www.upscaleaudio.com/rare/rt12au7.htm

Couldn't find any 6922 tubes by them.

[TheChairGuy]

I bought a pair of Russky NOS 6H23 (I think that was the style #) in place of 6922's on Kevin/Upscale's recommendation, and didn't think much of them.  Ditto on JAN/Phillips 6922 and some cheapo Raytheon's..neither recommended by Upsale, tho.

The best of the bunch, on my Dynaco PAS-4 pre, has been the new Sovtek 6922's...only with a 'mortite' hat on them and Herbie's tube dampers on the sides.  A little more top-end shrill than the others, but way more of what the best of solid state offers (tight bottom, sharper dynamics), with small amounts of tube magic added back in.  With the Herbie's, they are still cheaper than pricier NOS, and I felt better, overall.

Anyhow, that's my take on 6922's..good luck on your search for nirvana.

 

[warnerwh]

I am impressed with the NOS Tesla's in my ARC pre. They're fairly inexpensive as NOS goes too.

[Gordy]

I had better plug my favorite source, Andy at Vintage Tube Services http://www.vintagetubeservices.com/page18.html, he's worth a call just for the history lesson alone.  All the best, Gordy...

[claud]

Amperex made about the nicest 6922 I ever heard, the 1960 "halo" getter PQ. I liked it better ( in my pre) than Telfunk CCa and 6DJ8 and Seimens CCa.

[MikeCTM2]

very nice tubes, claud.  telefunken cca's and seimens cca's.   i heard seimens cca's reveal excellent detail, but can also be thin.  those are top tubes though, along with the amperex 6922 'halo getter' PQ.   my top tubes are a pair of Amperex 7308 USN-CEP white labels.

[claud]

General Amperex info--- Always go for the white labels-- older/better tubes. I would also say always go for the "D" getters, but Those "halo"PQ getters were better= more linnear than a pr of "D" getters I tried(plain 6922s).

[claud]

The component I used was a Cary SLP 2002 preamp. For the longest time( more than 12 months) my tube set was Telfunk 6DJ8s and Amperex 7316s. My best private tube dealer, Fletch , insisted I try the Amperex PQ halos. they were noticably better in bass, tone and smoothness. The CCA Tels and Siemens were nice, but dry and lacking in body.
Sold the 2002 and bought an SLP 98, and am immersed in 6SN7/VT231s. This ain't no cheap hobby.

[Carlman]

A good inexpensive 6DJ8/6922 tube is the Audio Technica which is a French Amperex copy IIRC.

-C

Must mean Radiotechnique????  (Audio Technica is the cartridge, microphone, accessory company).
http://www.upscaleaudio.com/rare/rt12au7.htm

Couldn't find any 6922 tubes by them.

 
Yes, Radiotechnique... too much vinyl reading lately..  I edited my post.

[lcrim]

Rosconey:
You posted about the Toshiba 3950 which I might never have found otherwise.
The place which I have come to trust for tubes is http://www.vacuumtubes.net/  Call up and speak with them and tell them what you are looking for and what you have in mind for a budget.  They sell used tubes with a 30 day guarantee.  I have a Sylvania 6922 from them as the input tube on my Decware Select, and it was less than $20 and is far superior to Jan Philips ECG and Sovtek 6N1P I had been using.  It is good advice to try a range of tubes, I don't know about your particular application so check with the manufacturer first but often a 6N1P or a 6DJ8 will work where you have a 6922 and they all have  different sonic signatures.
Good luck.

[mdconnelly]

Has anyone tried the NOS Russian Military 6H23N-EB from fatwyre.com?   (to TheChairGuy - are these the same as the ones you bought from Kevin/Upscale?)

They claim these are are drop in replacements for the 6DJ8, 6922 or 7308.   They seem a bit pricey, particularly for the cryoed ultra low noise tubes (but then, if they're really that good, it'd be worth it).

I found it here:
http://www.fatwyre.com/newspecials.html

[TheChairGuy]

Has anyone tried the NOS Russian Military 6H23N-EB from fatwyre.com?   (to TheChairGuy - are these the same as the ones you bought from Kevin/Upscale?)

They claim these are are drop in replacements for the 6DJ8, 6922 or 7308.   They seem a bit pricey, particularly for the cryoed ultra low noise tubes (but then, if they're really that good, it'd be worth it).

I found it here:
http://www.fatwyre.com/newspecials.html

mdconnelly,

Not sure - I think that was their style number tho. I paid either $30 or $35 a piece for them, so the price looks right.  I didn't love their sound in the Line (2) or Phono(2 6922's/6DJ8/6H23 and 2 12AX7's) sections of my Dynaco PAS-4.

They were too 'fatty' for me, but I admit, I have a slight anti-tube bias.  They were what you might call 'warm, and if that's your taste, they may be a stunner.  Kevin did glow all over the place talking about these to me...but they just didn't hack it for me.

[steve k]

The best sounding 6922's, by far, that I've heard in my phono preamp are Amperex USA goldpin PQ's. I've tried Siemens 7308's, Amperex Germany 6DJ8's, Amperex Holland Bugle Boy 6DJ8's, Sovtek 6922's, Matsushita 6922's, and JAN Sylvania 6DJ8's and none of them could touch the PQ's as far as crystal clear, bell-like open sound from top to bottom. The PQ's are very balanced, musical tubes that don't seem to emphasize any part of the frequency range in my system and are dead quiet. I've gotten pairs for $43 and $70.
steve k.

[Jon L]

The component I used was a Cary SLP 2002 preamp. For the longest time( more than 12 months) my tube set was Telfunk 6DJ8s and Amperex 7316s. My best private tube dealer, Fletch , insisted I try the Amperex PQ halos. they were noticably better in bass, tone and smoothness. The CCA Tels and Siemens were nice, but dry and lacking in body.
Sold the 2002 and bought an SLP 98, and am immersed in 6SN7/VT231s. This ain't no cheap hobby.

Could I trouble you for a little comparison of 2002 and 98?  Many say 98 is a better preamp, but how are they different exactly?

[Tonto Yoder]

Some of the Radiotechnique tubes were just on eBay--

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5707903859&ssPageName=STRK:MEDW:IT

The tube number (E288CC)  is an equivalent for the 6922/ 6DJ8's.