[Guidostrunk]

I don't want anyone to misunderstand, when I say "Don't believe all the hype".
Yes, the CCa's, HG's, Holland PW's, Mallard Blackburns, Philips Miniwatts , Amperex 7308's , ALL have something phenomenal , to offer in astounding SQ.
After spending time with the above(thanks to my friend Larry for loaning me the PW's, Mullards,&Minis), I really had a hard time choosing one to be an "All Arounder".

If you want crazy big soundstage/holography, you want the CCa's.
If you want a good balance of bass and detailed delicate treble, PW's deliver in spades.
If you want a midrange , to die for,
Hands down , the Miniwatts.
If you want a deep , smooth , laid back liquid sound, Mullard Blackburns.

Now for ME , the above do what they do , but fall short imo of having something that can satisfy an all around experience. And at the end of the day, my Dumonts , and HG's , cover all genres better than the above , to my ears.

My point is, you don't have to chase down crazy expensive tubes , because of one persons review , and internet hype , when great sound can be had for a fraction of the cost. Especially when mentioning the most pricey, PW's , and CCa's.

Anything in the 7308/e188cc , family, if you're patient, can be had for under $150 , bucks.
Are the CCa's , and PW's , worth the extra 200 to 500+? For me, no. Others MMV. It all boils down to preference imo.
Please take this post , with a grain of salt. It's just how my ears hear it, and personal preference.

Happy rolling friends!

 

[Stereocilia]

I rolled my HiFIMAN EF3 amp from the stock 6J1 tubes to cyro treated new old stock (new in box) RTC (Radiotechnique) 1980's vintage French made military issue EF95 6AK5 5654 tubes. That was a $1 tube to a $20 tube, It took ten seconds for me to appreciate the difference, that made me a believer, I'm making this quest a journey not a destination, I'm doing my homework taking my time, the 6922 family has a legendary reputation for sound and the price reflects that, thing is the prices at the summit are so high I have to look at the another strains of tubes like the 6SN7 
 
What strain of dual triode vacuum tube tubes is widely considered the best of the best? Who doesn't want to roll the best strains?       

 

[Exacoustatowner]

I don't want anyone to misunderstand, when I say "Don't believe all the hype".
Yes, the CCa's, HG's, Holland PW's, Mallard Blackburns, Philips Miniwatts , Amperex 7308's , ALL have something phenomenal , to offer in astounding SQ.
After spending time with the above(thanks to my friend Larry for loaning me the PW's, Mullards,&Minis), I really had a hard time choosing one to be an "All Arounder".

If you want crazy big soundstage/holography, you want the CCa's.
If you want a good balance of bass and detailed delicate treble, PW's deliver in spades.
If you want a midrange , to die for,
Hands down , the Miniwatts.
If you want a deep , smooth , laid back liquid sound, Mullard Blackburns.

Now for ME , the above do what they do , but fall short imo of having something that can satisfy an all around experience. And at the end of the day, my Dumonts , and HG's , cover all genres better than the above , to my ears.

My point is, you don't have to chase down crazy expensive tubes , because of one persons review , and internet hype , when great sound can be had for a fraction of the cost. Especially when mentioning the most pricey, PW's , and CCa's.

Anything in the 7308/e188cc , family, if you're patient, can be had for under $150 , bucks.
Are the CCa's , and PW's , worth the extra 200 to 500+? For me, no. Others MMV. It all boils down to preference imo.
Please take this post , with a grain of salt. It's just how my ears hear it, and personal preference.

Happy rolling friends!

I can personally attest to the holography from the Siemens Cca. I have a pair of Amperex PW-I think they need burn in.
I'm now chasing 6N1P's since I have the Lyr….Next month I'll look for Telefunkens...

 

[Guidostrunk]

Not sure about the EF3 , but alternatives for the lyr , for 6922 , there's CCa,E88cc,Ecc88,E188cc,E288cc,7308,6DJ8, Pcc88,Ecc189, pcc189 ,CV2492, CV2493, CV4108, I'm sure there's many more. Lol. In the locked lyr thread, there's some great info , regarding most of the above , mentioned. Especially some of the less common tube types.
As far as "best" goes. Here's a great shootout , with some of the best tubes , in the 6922 family. http://hktubeaudio.homestead.com/files/6dj8.html

I rolled my HiFIMAN EF3 amp from the stock 6J1 tubes to cyro treated new old stock (new in box) RTC (Radiotechnique) 1980's vintage French made military issue EF95 6AK5 5654 tubes. That was a $1 tube to a $20 tube, It took ten seconds for me to appreciate the difference, that made me a believer, I'm making this quest a journey not a destination, I'm doing my homework taking my time, the 6922 family has a legendary reputation for sound and the price reflects that, thing is the prices at the summit are so high I have to look at the another strains of tubes like the 6SN7 

What strain of dual[COLOR=000000]triode[/COLOR][COLOR=000000]vacuum tube[/COLOR] tubes is widely considered the best of the best? Who doesn't want to roll the best strains?       

 

[Guidostrunk]

Pretty breathtaking , to say the least. They're definitely the best at what they do. Lol

I can personally attest to the holography from the Siemens Cca. I have a pair of Amperex PW-I think they need burn in.
I'm now chasing 6N1P's since I have the Lyr….Next month I'll look for Telefunkens...

 

[Exacoustatowner]

Pretty breathtaking , to say the least. They're definitely the best at what they do. Lol

Yep!! Spooky! If I'd known I'd be drawn in so much I would have just damned my financial plans and bought a high end SS amp.

 

[Krutsch]

  I can personally attest to the holography from the Siemens Cca. I have a pair of Amperex PW-I think they need burn in.
I'm now chasing 6N1P's since I have the Lyr….Next month I'll look for Telefunkens...

 
Love my Siemens CCa tubes, but my Telefunken E288CC tubes (early, re-branded Siemens and I have another pair re-branded as Philips) have the same 3D sound, but with greater clarity, IMO.
The Tele E188CC are killer, as well. Lots of great tubes out there; I need to add a pair of Philips Miniwatts to the collection 

 

 

[hgpsemaj]

I pair 4 x Telefunken E288CC on my Marantz 9 mono block, the low frequency is too heavy. So I switched it to E188CC, it is more appropriate in all aspect. But stiil, CCa is my favourite for my mono block. 

 

[Krutsch]

  I pair 4 x Telefunken E288CC on my Marantz 9 mono block, the low frequency is too heavy. So I switched it to E188CC, it is more appropriate in all aspect. But stiil, CCa is my favourite for my mono block. 

 
A fellow Telefunken fanboy 

 

[Exacoustatowner]

Love my Siemens CCa tubes, but my Telefunken E288CC tubes (early, re-branded Siemens and I have another pair re-branded as Philips) have the same 3D sound, but with greater clarity, IMO.
The Tele E188CC are killer, as well. Lots of great tubes out there; I need to add a pair of Philips Miniwatts to the collection   

I've got a pair of Amperex 6922 POQ from the late 50's I an burning in.
Beer chug!

 

[hgpsemaj]

   
A fellow Telefunken fanboy 

 
I've been collecting Telefunken tubing for many years, from their 4v rectifier, EL34 to those small tubes, they are absolutely reliable, but they don't have much character like other brands. IMO, they are nothing good; and they are nothing bad. 

 

[Exacoustatowner]

I've been collecting Telefunken tubing for many years, from their 4v rectifier, EL34 to those small tubes, they are absolutely reliable, but they don't have much character like other brands. IMO, they are nothing good; and they are nothing bad. 

That's interesting.

 

[hgpsemaj]

That's interesting.

 
I don't have many valve applicants, so most of my experience are from Marantz 9; Mcintosh MC275 MKI and a DIY Pre-amp.
 
For example: When I pair Telefunken 12AX7 with Mc275, I could hear the vocal is tend to a bit "thin". But the Marconi and GEC could outperform Telefunken easily in this particular application.

 

[Exacoustatowner]

I don't have many valve applicants, so most of my experience are from Marantz 9; Mcintosh MC275 MKI and a DIY Pre-amp.

For example: When I pair Telefunken 12AX7 with Mc275, I could hear the vocal is tend to a bit "thin". But the Marconi and GEC could outperform Telefunken easily in this particular application.

Are these NOS Telefunken or new? My only experience is with the Lyr tube preamp- the amp is SS. I wonder how different the 6 and 12 volt tubes are for audio?

 

[hgpsemaj]

Are these NOS Telefunken or new? My only experience is with the Lyr tube preamp- the amp is SS. I wonder how different the 6 and 12 volt tubes are for audio?

Most of my collection are NOS or almost new. I might be wrong, but I always suggest friends to collect tubings which were made before 70s, especially 12AU7 of Amprex, made before March 1957 is a must.