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Is there a worthy 6922 presently made?

Why hasn't any tube manfacturer designed a good sounding 6922 tube? The paucity of decent designs only fuels the exorbitant price gouging the tube dealers are doing with NOS 6922/6DJ8.

I think it is pretty universally accepted among tube fans that the Sovtek 6922 is a dependable & strong tube, but a sterile, thin, & dead sounding device. Some have praised the JJ 6922, while others have proclaimed it rather mediocre, and some have blown up their amplifiers, like an ARC owner who burned out parts of his VT-100's circuit board when attempting to substitute the JJ's for the stock Sovteks in the input stage.

Sovtek's owner, New Sensor, has come out with a "new" 6922 in the form of an Electroharmonix 6922, with claims it is significantly better than the Sovtek. But some have said it is nearly the identical tube and sounds nearly identical. Audio Research claims it is a better tube, but.....

Why hasn't Svetlana designed a 6922? Or someone else? We are left with two tubes made by the same manufacturer, and one from Czechoslovakia. That's it! Any thoughts or experiences?
kevziek
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Kevziek, No one has mentioned the EI 6dj8's (perhaps because its not a good 6922 substitute). Aside from some quality control problems this is a nice new production tube. Count me in as a supporter of the JJ tubes, although I like the older Tesla grey plates somewhat better. FWIW I share your dislike for those demeaning opinions from folks who think they have the corner on intelligence for having found NOS tubes that they enjoy - they sound much like school yard bullies. I have a draw full of NOS tubes but 50% of the tubes I use are current production. Its not the tube so much as how you use it that really counts. I've still got a dozen Bugle Boys I haven't found a use for yet, maybe someday.
eagle
154 posts
 
The majority of the new tube production is sold to musicians and related gear. The sales of tubes for Hifi are small by comparison. Like audiophiles, many musicians realized the sonic benefits of some NOS tubes and it was just a matter of time until tube manufacturers found it profitable to emulate the qualities of those old tubes. With proper designs, materials, and production techniques, there is no reason why new tubes will not be as good or better than the best of the NOS tubes, if they aren't already.
Without the musician's demand, it's very possible there would be no companies producing new tubes and the NOS supply would have already been depleted.

Newbee, Because of the good results from the new EH6922, I want to also try the JJ E88CC and Ei 6DJ8.
mikesinger
572 posts
 
at this time...no !!!

i think alot depends on on the design, the designer may have designed the unit around current new tubes.

what unit is the tubes going into ?

tried the eh(gold pin), jj telsa, sovtek. but the amperex globe/bugle boys, and the dario (7308) blew them away ( pse hl-1 pre-amp)

it i a very rude awakening when you try to pu preimum tubes from a reliable seller ( major sticker shock) this is one reason why i avoided the bat 5vki...too many 6922 tubes. that is why bat and arc moved to the new super tube.

good luck,

mike
reb1208
518 posts
 
I tried the EH -6922 and actually prefer the previous generation Sovtek. The EH did sound warmer to my ears, bass was fuller. But it presented even less dynamics than the standard version. And neither one has the life of the Amperex Orange Globe or Bugle Boy 6dj8.
kevziek OP
323 posts
 
Eiiiiiiiiich! The EH 6922 has squashed dynamics? So many opinions......hard to draw any conclusions. I certainly don't doubt that Amperexes, Mullards, etc., sound better than current production stuff. I would guess the problem is that everyone wants to cut corners and main concerns are profits. It has been stated previously on this site that the metals and the techniques used on NOS tubes are not implemented by today's tube mfrs. It's time New Sensor, Svetlana and others get their heads out of their asses and learn how to do it right and be willing to spend the money to tool up to do it right.

Perhaps the 6H30 is to be explored. I know many dislike the result of ARC's designs with it. BAT loves it, and perhaps they do a better implementation. Tubes have become a love-hate relationship for some of us for these very reasons.
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