Seeking advise on 6922 tubes for a preamplifier..


Hello, I'm seeking advise on replacing (5) 6922 Sovtek (I think) tubes on my preamp -these are stock cheap tubes that came with the unit I bought used and I'm wondering of a reliable place to find replacement for these and also which kind to replace them with in terms of brand and model.

I've heard of some horror stories of buying on ebay and yet the thought of replacing and trying different tubes is quite exciting.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
usa
Usually found modern Electro Harmonix to be a huge improvement over Sovteks.
Maybe not the absolute but very reasonably priced and always way more pleasant than Sovteks.
Rgds Simon
I had to withstand the sovtek 6922, save yourself and get rid of them immediately they are wretched. In factit was by far the worst of about twenty or so I eventually tried. The sound you want and what the tubes are doing in their position are critical factors. Of course your budget counts as well.
I found that the white lable Amperex and you can pick these up as instrument pulls Texas instruments used them have a pleasant sound clean and neutral. If you can find pulls labled as the instrument makers tube they are an incredible bargain. I will say that most NOS tubes from reliable source, not the spent microphonic rejects I am finding on ebay these days (although for 5 bucks for an amperex pull is worth the gamble.) are generally speaking a better sounding tube from anywhere but China and Russia Whatever you choose even Ei or JJ,I like their products as a rule . Get rid of the Sovteks -they are an insult to tubes everywhere and why big companies use the cheapest piece of..... to put in their expensive gear is a complete mystery to me. If you have some money to spend and you know the tube slots citical to the sonics, take some time and look out for the Mullard 2493 not the 2492, these are truly special tubes extremely detailed not warm and soupy like a typical Mullard but robust and clean with great extension etc. It is a unique variant which actually sounds better, don't waste your money on silly things like pinched waist etc. Check out Tubemonger and see if he has any 2493 left.
Hello:

Thank you all for your good and sound advise.
I was able to place an order for NEW Amperex white box NOS 6DJ8' at $25.00 each. The choice was either these or the Amerex branded "Valvo" ECC88 which according to this gentleman are almost identical sounding but, have the advantage of running a little cooler, making them run a little longer. The other alternatives were Sylvania 6922' at $15.00 ea. or Elctro-Harmonix 6922EH (gold pin) selling btwn $17.00 to $20.00 tested.

Based on a very strong recommendation from the seeler, I opted for the Amperex as he hates Russian tubes and especially the computerized tubes being produced these days.

This'll be the first experiment with tubes but, I thought worth experimenting with. I'll post my comments after I experiment with these but, I wanted to take a minute to post this quick note to thank those who responded and others who took the time to read this discussion. Thanks!
hi mechans:

i just bought a cd player that uses 6922 tubes. ilkie your description of mullard tybes as soupy. i like soup, the thicker the better.

can you recommend any dark, highly colored and veiled sounding 6922 tubes that won't put me in hock ?

thanks