Favorite nos tube?


With the recent best of threads I decided to do one on tubes. I know there's alot of us out there so let's here from ya. Strangly I replaced my Amprex Bugle Boy 6dj8 for the Sovtek 6922 reflectors. The sovtek just seemed to sound a lot crisper and detailed to me. I have not tried any other nos tubes so your input will help me and others who will be tube rolling in the future.
south43

Showing 5 responses by dekay

Eggpower: Is the E188CC a drop in replacement for a 6922 circut? I am not familiar with this tube.
Thanks Egg: I just picked up a couple of Amperex/USN White label 7308/E188cc tubes the other day. My amps is still in the shop, so I will just have to gawk at them for the time being (just like little babies in the nursury:-)
South: I don't know what you are using the Sovteks in but I am using a pair of Svetlana 300B's in an Audion amp that to me also sound better with old production Soviet 6922 equivalents (which are dissed by most tubophiles) because of the same reasons (added dynamics and clarity). I have some of the "cherished" 6922's such as Amperex White label USA PQ's, etc. but find them too soft in the mix. They do however sound nice with a pair of more crisp JJ 300B's that I just picked up. I am not willing to "tell all" about my favorite NOS tubes at this point as I am in the process of scarfing up 50-75,000 hours of them (minimum) to hold me over until I travel on to the other side. I will recommend the Svetlana 300B's from Conus Audio though, as they are specially selected and come with a six month warranty (they are beautiful sounding tubes). I plan on keeping my current amp and just having it rebuilt as needed (I sold some 25 year old amps - Mac 30's - in the 80's that were still going strong due to proper maintenance) and would like to pick up a push/pull amp such as an Audiomat in the future. I like solid state as well, but just cannot afford the stuff that really sounds good. Tubes are a cheaper way to go for me in order to get the sound that I enjoy.
South: I plan on ordering a new production Tesla 6922 that has had mixed reviews at AA. How a tube sounds does depend on the amps design (including the other tubes) and the system itself, not to mention indiviudal taste. I would guess however that there are some "universal" duds out there. I also lucked out on Ebay the other day and picked up a 6922 branded as GE that is either a Siemens or a Telefunken. Can't wait to give it a try. I am fortunate in that the Audion only requires one 6922 as singles are easier to pick up. You may want to search the Audio Asylum forums and see if you can find any feedback on tube rolling in your Anthem.
Craig: I recently picked up an Audion 300B stereo amp that uses (one) 6922 and (one) 5687 as well as a pair of 300B's. I have three sets of output tubes so far (stock Chinese mystery tubes, Svetlana's and JJ/Tesla's) and find that I prefer a different 6922 with each set of 300B tubes. The sharper sounding Sovtek or better yet the old production Soviet 6H23EB with the softer Svetlana 300B's and the old fuller/softer sounding Amperex PQ and standard/USA white label 6922 with the more strident JJ and Chinese 300B's. So, I am comparing the sound of these combinations of tubes. It's kind of funny in that I never rolled tubes in my hifi amps in the 70's and 80's but I did roll them in my Fender Guitar amps in order to get the sound that I was looking for. It's a lot more difficult to chose now that I am not basing my opinion solely on the sound of a Strat or Telecaster. LOL. I am also trying out different 5687's with black plate designs. Sylvania Gold murders the mystery National 5687 that came with the amp (which sounded very murky) and I have a Tung Sol black plate 5687 on the way. The Tung Sols are readily available but I see people paying very high prices on Ebay for them. Go figure. There are a couple of people that I met on the web that also have the Audion Silver Night and we will be pooling info as each of us try out different combinations. I have also found that it helps to clean the pins on the tubes with alcohal and if needed a brush.