I liked the Amperex 6922 White Lable PQ best but the price is getting up there!! There is a pair(just run the good tubes in the circuit your using and the EH's in the other sockets) of NOS Amperex USN-CEP 6922 for $250 on AudioGoN now. These are very good low noise, closely matched triodes and a great sound although not as lush as the WL PQ's.
I tried Amperex 7308 PQ's but the top of the Ray 168 started to get warm so I pulled them out. The heater current of a 6922 is 300ma, the 7308 is 335ma and 6dj8 is 365ma, personally I would stick to the cooler 6922's.
As I remember it the outside sockets are the RCA's and the interior sockets are the bal. |
I'm using Phillips SQ E88CC. Excellent soundstage, full, rich bass and clear, smooth highs. Just to let you know the inside 2 tubes are the RCAs the outside are balanced. |
Mike in md
Thanks for correcting my mistake. |
No problem it's on their website. |
I splurged on a pair of platinum Tungsram's for the XLR output on a CD-128. Great balance between the "too" tubey
sound and the "too" ss sound. Pretty good bass.
Just a note that I printed and have in my manual from the Raysonic website so you do not screw up.
..............and I quote.......
The two pcs of 6922EH in the front middle are for the RCA outs.
The two pcs of 6922EH in the side are for the XLR outs.
I think some people have this backwards. |
ALSO, keep in mind this is for a 128, I do not know about
a 168. I am sure it is on Raysonic's web. Thanks. |
For my 128 (not 168), I first liked the JAN Philips 6922 as replacement for the stock tubes after trying a bunch of others. The "others" included Teles, Tungsrams, Mullards, Toshibas (not bad), and various Amperexes. Then a friend brought over a pair of Amperex "Bugle Boy" EECC88/6DJ8s for me to try (in the balanced outputs) ... and they're still there. Obviously YMMV, but they sure work for me. Good luck, Dave |
What I am looking for is the lush tube sound but I don't want to spend a lot of $$$ on NOS tubes. I am looking for something mainstream and easy to get that won't break the bank for under 60.00 a pair.
I tried some Sovtek 6922 and some 6H23EB tubes but wasn't impressed. The stock EH6922 tubes seem a tad bright and a bit thin. Any recommendations??? |
Try a pair of 6CG7, you will be fine using that tube without fear of smokin the transformer. |
I forgot one, and I even queried Raysonic about its suitability for use in my 128 (they said yes) since it has slightly different characteristics from others in the 6922/6DJ8 family.
It's the Russian 6N1P, often sold as the even longer-lived 6N1P-EV, available NOS on Ebay from Eastern European sellers on an absolutely dirt-cheap basis. As in, 10 for $16 including shipping from Ukraine. At least that's what I paid, and mine arrived a bunch faster than I can get something from, say, Canada. They're well worth a try. Dave
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To avoid the expense of the excellent NOS stuff try some new production JJ's or better yet, if you can find them, some pre-war Tesla's. They are a lush tube - great tone. Only down side is they can be microphonic (but not in my 128).
I also like EI 6DJ8's. Not quite as lush as the JJ's - more neutral perhaps but unlike most of the other new/recent production tubes. They are not bright, etched, or thin and way more balanced than say the EH. They might be hard to find also. I haven't tried the 6cg7 or the 6n1p.
FWIW. |
*No, 6CG7 cannot substitute 6922. Aside from filament current draw, 6CG7 cannot even come close to 6922, unless you are confident enough to play with the circuitry (reset the bias, plate load resistors, grid bias, etc.).
Here are the proper listed subs for 6922:
6922WA, CCA, CV10320, CV2492, CV2493, CV8065, E88CC, E88CC01, ECC868 |
Dopogue
What would you compare the 6N1P and 6MN1P-EV to sound wise?
Thanks |
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I'm not good at articulating tube virtues (or their lack). When I stick in a pair or
quad of new tubes my reaction is totally subjective and comparable only to
what I've preferred before. Sure, I listen for the usual stuff -- openness, clarity,
dynamics, bass, balance, etc. -- but more important is "Does it grab me?
" The 6N1P tubes definitely grabbed me for a while but in the space of
several months I was ready to try something else. That said, they're definitely
worth hearing, and so inexpensive it costs practically nothing to do so. But the
Bugle Boy 6DJ8s show me all that good stuff noted above plus the level of
"involvement" (trite, but can't think of a better word) that no others
have delivered over time. To me, in my system (Aesthetix Calypso linestage,
SET monoblocks designed and built by a friend, Gallo Ref 3 speakers and
subwoofer amp, Morrow Audio cabling). |
Thanks, "involvement" is a good bottom line description!! I think I know exactly what your saying I use Amperex 6DJ8's in the Joule amps(sometimes Amperex 6922's or 7308's but whenever I try any of the Russian tubes it seems they all have a thin grainyness to the sound, very bothersome, and I can't get the Amperex's back in fast enough. The same was true with the Ray 168.
As a side note when I had the Calypso I used Amperex 12Ax7,D and Halo getters, then tailored he sound with the 6922's. |
Mike In Md:
The 6CG7 will work in the Raysonic without alteration. I've never had a problem in any cd player that uses 6922 cathode followers, swapping for a 6CG7. Including Raysonic. The poster was looking for a lush tube sound. I gave him an option. 6N1P tubes also work without altering " play with the circuitry (reset the bias, plate load resistors, grid bias, etc.)." But 6N1P is not a lush sounding tube.
Also, in the Raysonic, all 4 tubes will have an effect on the sound from both xlr and RCA outputs. You can mix and match the tubes in pairs- inner and outer.
No desire to argue about circuitry etc. So please refrain from replying on that subject.
Please do reply after you have tried the swap for yourself. |
