6922 Tube Review - 17 Top 6922 6N23P E88CC CCa 7308 E188CC tubes

[rb2013]

  Man I am having a really tough time trying to figure out if I have the right stuff in my cart
 
I was searching for the holy grail reflektors in the number one spot on the thread start but I found these
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-6N23P-6DJ8-ECC88-MATCHED-PAIR-REFLEKTOR-Single-Wire-1975-Silver-Shield-/172283912212?hash=item281cebe014:g:3UIAAOSwa-dWsodF
 
is that what I am looking for?

Yes and I have bought from that seller - the issue is he DOES NOT test for noise or microphonics and many I received from him were noisy and/or microphonic.
 
Sending stuff back to the war torn Ukraine is not easy.  And you need to prove that it was received.
 
$200/pr for a crap shoot is not advisable.

 

[rb2013]

  Are these 70's 6N23P Voskhod with gold plated pins? www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-2-Zaerix-E88CC-CV2492-Power-Electron-Vacuum-Tube-NOS/272173215383?_trksid=p2045573.c100642.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26

The gold plating was added by Zaerix - there is a huge difference in SQ between the different 1970's year with the Voskhods.
Unfortunately Zaerix did not print the dates on them.
 
$77 of a pr of who knows what date Voskhod gray shields is a bad gamble.  The gold plating does not effect the SQ - it was done for marketing purposes in Europe.
 
They could '80s or any of the lower grade '70's.

 

[rb2013]

  http://www.ebay.com/usr/jetparts!?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
 
Should I be worried about this seller?

I have bought many pairs from him - when his prices where way lower.  He does not test for noise or microphonics - esp on a sensitive HP amp like the Lyr.  So it's a crap shoot.
 
If you get quiet tubes count your gamble as a win.
 
At the prices he now charges - it's no longer an option for me to buy them from him then toss out 1/2 because of noise.  $200/pr is ridiculous.
And good luck shipping back to Ukraine and proving it, to get the Ebay buyer protection.

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

  http://www.ebay.com/usr/jetparts!?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
 
Should I be worried about this seller?

I have bought many pairs from him - when his prices where way lower.  He does not test for noise or microphonics - esp on a sensitive HP amp like the Lyr.  So it's a crap shoot.
 
If you get quiet tubes count your gamble as a win.
 
At the prices he now charges - it's no longer an option for me to buy them from him then toss out 1/2 because of noise.  $200/pr is ridiculous.
And good luck shipping back to Ukraine and proving it, to get the Ebay buyer protection.

dang it.... 
 
How much should they cost?
 
I couldnt find it anywhere else. 
 
they havent shipped yet. I probably should cancel. If you have a pair to sell PM me. 

 

[TK16]

Anybody charging that much is a rip off, think I got a pair from that seller for $150, Sarmat1968 on ebay sells Russian tubes, think he charges around $80 a set, he has 74 SWGP silver shield Reflektors for $78. Send him a message he may have 75 Reflektors.

 

[spyder1]

 
The gold plating was added by Zaerix - there is a huge difference in SQ between the different 1970's year with the Voskhods.
Unfortunately Zaerix did not print the dates on them.
 
$77 of a pr of who knows what date Voskhod gray shields is a bad gamble.  The gold plating does not effect the SQ - it was done for marketing purposes in Europe.
 
They could '80s or any of the lower grade '70's.

 
Thanks Bob, you are the 6N23P EXPERT!

 

[rb2013]

  dang it.... 
 
How much should they cost?
 
I couldnt find it anywhere else. 
 
they havent shipped yet. I probably should cancel. If you have a pair to sell PM me. 

I used to buy them from him and other sellers on Ebay - then test and match them - running the pairs on my Lyr HP amp to check for noise and microphonics.  Occasionally I would sell some of the extra pairs I had.  This is what is left over from doing this for a few years:

 
But I have been burned the last few purchases - paying over $100/pr for some of them.  Even from Ebay dealers who in the past had sent at least some decent HG's, did not get ONE single good HG after spending $300!
 
So I have given up trying.
 
I would not pay more then $100/pr with the hope that at least you have a 50/50 chance of getting a pristine pair.
 
Do you feel lucky?

 
 
Fortunately these Russian tubes are very hearty and last a long time (not like some of the Euro tubes I've had) and I have a small supply to last many years.
 
I'd look for a good pair of Tele E188CC's or Siemens CCa gray shields (1960's - NOT the silver shield 1970's!) - if you see my ratings they are neck and neck with the HG's.  Although I do prefer them.
 
I'm kicking myself for not buying those Lorenz Stuttgarts for $60.  the 7dj8/PCC88 will work in some Schiit amps but not all.  Lyr1 yes - Lyr2 - no.
 
I've tried many other Tele, Amperex, Siemens PCC88's and they all sucked.

 

[rb2013]

  Anybody charging that much is a rip off, think I got a pair from that seller for $150, Sarmat1968 on ebay sells Russian tubes, think he charges around $80 a set, he has 74 SWGP silver shield Reflektors for $78. Send him a message he may have 75 Reflektors.

He's the worst.  Blocked  me from his auctions after I left negative feedbback on Ebay.  Ebay just refunded and removed the feedback from his account.
 
I'd avoid hi like the plague.  It helps if you have a tube tester - the tubes these guys sell are 'pulls' from old Russian equipment and most time one of the two sections are weak.  The tube will work work, but will lack some of the focus, detail and tone of properly matched pairs.
 
Too bad as these mis matched pairs do give the HGs a bad reputation.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Thanks for the help!!!
 
Well we will see. I have a Trafomatic Head 2 which has some GOLD LIONS in them right now. Also some AMPEREX USN-CEP 6922, 6N1P (6H1N) VOSKHOD ROCKET 1978
 
 
Maybe the stock of those tubes are drying up and so the sellers are having a tough time making the demand. In principle if they are 200/pr on ebay but perform better than the Siemens ccas which are only found right now ~350/pr then I still have better sound for the money. 
 
If I can't cancel I better hope and see. I don't know how to tell if tubes are matched and I guess I can only use my ears to see if I hear microphonics. 

 

[spyder1]

  Thanks for the help!!!
 
Well we will see. I have a Trafomatic Head 2 which has some GOLD LIONS in them right now. Also some AMPEREX USN-CEP 6922, 6N1P (6H1N) VOSKHOD ROCKET 1978
 
 
Maybe the stock of those tubes are drying up and so the sellers are having a tough time making the demand. In principle if they are 200/pr on ebay but perform better than the Siemens ccas which are only found right now ~350/pr then I still have better sound for the money. 
 
If I can't cancel I better hope and see. I don't know how to tell if tubes are matched and I guess I can only use my ears to see if I hear microphonics. 

 
JetParts has sold me great matched pairs (68' Tesla's, 74' Reflector). I bought 3 great matched pairs of 6N23P, including 75' Reflectors from rb2013. I consider myself lucky!

 

[grizzlybeast]

My only question is why do they have 100% feedback if buying those tubes were hit or miss. I was able to cancel  so I will just be on the look out for a properly priced pair and for now be good on #7 of the list. 

 

[rb2013]

  Thanks for the help!!!
 
Well we will see. I have a Trafomatic Head 2 which has some GOLD LIONS in them right now. Also some AMPEREX USN-CEP 6922, 6N1P (6H1N) VOSKHOD ROCKET 1978
 
 
Maybe the stock of those tubes are drying up and so the sellers are having a tough time making the demand. In principle if they are 200/pr on ebay but perform better than the Siemens ccas which are only found right now ~350/pr then I still have better sound for the money. 
 
If I can't cancel I better hope and see. I don't know how to tell if tubes are matched and I guess I can only use my ears to see if I hear microphonics. 

Well you are right there on the relative SQ versus dollar - and the HG's do something I've not heard from any other 6992 equiv tube - and this may just be me - but they have this kind of magical flow factor.  In every piece of equipment I have used them, they make a significant upgrade (right now a DAC, two amps and the Lyr HP amp).
 
The microphonic issue is very device dependent.  In my DAC, it's almost impervious to microphonics, my Lyr is super sensitive.  My amps very, very slightly sensitive.  So I've kept the well matched slightly microphonic HG pairs for use there.

 

[rb2013]

   
JetParts has sold me great matched pairs (68' Tesla's, 74' Reflector). I bought 3 great matched pairs of 6N23P, including 75' Reflectors from rb2013. I consider myself lucky!

Start buying lottery tickets! 

 

[rb2013]

  My only question is why do they have 100% feedback if buying those tubes were hit or miss. I was able to cancel  so I will just be on the look out for a properly priced pair and for now be good on #7 of the list. 

So it works like this on Ebay feedback.  If they refund you the feedback gets deleted.  The sellers know most folks don't have tube testers, and who's to know the SQ difference unless you have heard tightly matched pairs versus mismatched pairs (or sections with in a tube).
 
So they get a pass on most sales - as the buyers are ignorant of what they are getting.
 
And a seller like jetparts does sell good pairs (that is not noisey or microphonic), but it's hit or miss.  So they just refund the buyer and away they go.
 
Ebay protects it's major sellers this way.
 
It's much different buying from a seller like Brent Jesse, Tubeworld, or Upscale Audio.

 

[rb2013]

Anybody try these yet?  They look very interesting.
 
http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-nos-6922-2/
 

Stemming from the R&D work into the development of the micro iTUBE, the NOS6922 matched tube pair is another ‘atypical’ product from iFi that significantly improves the audio experience. For any tube/valve audio product from amplifiers to CD players that use the common 6922 tube/valve, the premium NOS 6922 matched pair set is a straight ‘drop-in’ replacement.*
What is it?
The NOS 6922 tube/valve matched pair is a higher-quality replacement set for just about every audio component that currently uses the 6922.
From NOS General Electric 5670 tube/valve

The 6922 tube/valve is one of the most famous ‘dual triode’ designs and is ubiquitous. It has and is still, used in many tube/valve audio products from CD players to headphone amplifiers.
First introduced by Western Electric in 1946 with the WE396A, from the 1950s onwards (and for the next 30 years thereafter) General Electric (and several other tube/valve manufacturers) followed Western Electric with their own premium version of 6922. This range had controlled warm-up and tight specifications on grid-current, noise and microphony. The result, significantly smoother and more organic sound qualities.
While the 9-pin design was used, the electrical pin outs changed. As such, the GE5670 was not a straight ‘drop-in’ substitute for the 6922. So the GE5670 remain unloved and unused until……2014
From Machine-fabricated adapter with noise filtration

…2014, when iFi brought out the iTUBE tube buffer/pre-amplifier. From our research of the tube inventories around the globe, we found the GE5670 to be in supply and with surprisingly good sound. While the iTUBE was designed from day one with the GE5670 in mind, we found that customers really liked the GE5670 in the iTUBE but they wanted more…yet because of the different electrical pin configuration, the GE5670 was a no go.
The iFi solution was to machine-fabricate a special ceramic adapter with a miniature capacitor circuit to bring heater supply circuit noise (a common issue) sharply down.
Enter the NOS 6922 matched pair

Factory installed, the GE5670 + Adapter work as one (they cannot and should not be separated under any circumstances). Serendipity struck as the shorter GE5670 plus the taller adapter equated to virtually the same height (tolerance within ~1mm from tube to tube).
Therefore, there should be no physical limitations to installing the NOS 6922 tube set in any 6922 audio component.*
Special rejuvenation process

General Electric manufactured the GE5670 from the 1950s through to the 1980s. Hence each valve is at least 30 years old or more. This extensive length of time in storage means one should adopt a special temperature and time-controlled oven ‘baking’ procedure to gently ‘rejuvenate’ each and every valve.
If they were just powered up after such a long time in storage, it would certainly weaken their internal architecture and shorten the life span.
With iFi’s special rejuvenation process, we gradually bring the GE5670 back to life to continue the NOS military level of performance.
Hand-selected and computer-matched

At iFi, given the AMR background, we are literally besotted about tubes/valves. Therefore, we hand-select each and inspect every valve, to ensure their internal structure has not been compromised by the long storage. We then burn them in for 48 hours before finally matching them by computer.
This ensures that each and every pair is perfectly matched and prepared for hours of usage.