[MrEleventy]

I checked again, the cheapest option is 14 for a single tube. Not as high as before but, still a rip off

 

[newton2105]

I checked again, the cheapest option is 14 for a single tube. Not as high as before but, still a rip off

 
Yeah, he was touting a Phillips PCC88 tube as a great deal, and a reviewer on there said it was a good match with the T1.  I was going to pull the trigger, but took a look on Ebay and found a very reputable and highly rated seller selling a pair of the same tube for 24.99 opening bid with free shipping.

 

[MrEleventy]

I like ebay for "testing". I don't mind buying cheap used tubes that measure well to see how the tube sounds. If it's a good sounding tube, I end up looking for NOS from more reputable places/ppl

 

[newton2105]

Well, I didn't look closely enough.  Apparently the description on Ebay was "Phillips like" PCC88.  It was still made in the former Phillips Ei factory in Yugoslavia, just much later (1980s).  Oh well, it was cheap at 24 bucks for two.  I'll experiment and see how it goes.  I can always sell the extra one on Ebay later.

 

[newton2105]

Ended up finding a seller on Ebay who had a bunch of leftover Amperex Orange Globe 6dj8s, tested at 1300 mhos.  He was selling them in pairs.  They were partially rubbed so he was selling them for cheap  ($17 bucks for a pair).  You could still read the date code of delta 7k1, which if I read correctly online means Herleen, Holland plant, November 1967, first week's production.  
 
I don't really care about the faded lettering as long as they work nicely.
 
Man this stuff is exciting.  Deciphering the date code was an adventure in and of itself.  

 

[MrEleventy]

Wow, nice. That's a great price for a pair of Orange globes. And I thought getting a pair for 25 was good.

 

[rwpritchett]

Are they halo or disc getter orange globes?

 

[newton2105]

Are they halo or disc getter orange globes?

Looks to be the Halo getter.

 

[lwrs10]

I am glad to see some take my advice and do the capacitor upgrade! At first some people were hesitant, but it seems those people are very happy with the results.
 
 
On a side note I found a few old Tektronix oscopes full of Telefunken ECC88/6DJ8 painted top tubes, which means they were "selected" for testing well above normal production tubes. So far I am enjoying them.

 

[rwpritchett]

I want to give a public shout-out to arcorob for his GE 6AQ8/ECC85 recommendation. I snagged a Holland made one up on eBay, though this one has a dimple disc getter instead of the halo getter in arcorob's review. I don't know if it's a Siemens made tube or not.

If my AKG K550's were a revealing scalpel before, they are a friggin' laser beam now. It's the most pronounced difference I've heard in a tube-roll so far. It brings forward so many sounds I didn't hear before. A few examples:

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean: I can hear MJ (inadvertently?) snapping his fingers in the studio to keep beat in some of the verses
Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life): At the end of the track there's a clock ticking... never noticed that before
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean: Several times, especially around 0:25 I can hear the squeak of something, probably a foot pedal on the drum set

The clarity can distract on some tracks though. For example, Thomson Twins - Hold Me Now has a background ratchet-like sound that is brought to the forefront and is a bit more prominent than it should be.

An excellent tube. It reminds me of cranking up the sharpness on a digital photograph and suddenly you notice small things that were blurred and you can't believe you didn't notice it before. That can be good or bad, depending on what it brings out. I think this will be my main tube for my Aune now.

Too bad the tube won't work in my Bravo V1. I just get distortion.

 

[rovopio]

I want to give a public shout-out to arcorob for his GE 6AQ8/ECC85 recommendation. I snagged a Holland made one up on eBay, though this one has a dimple disc getter instead of the halo getter in arcorob's review. I don't know if it's a Siemens made tube or not.

If my AKG K550's were a revealing scalpel before, they are a friggin' laser beam now. It's the most pronounced difference I've heard in a tube-roll so far. It brings forward so many sounds I didn't hear before. A few examples:

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean: I can hear MJ (inadvertently?) snapping his fingers in the studio to keep beat in some of the verses
Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life): At the end of the track there's a clock ticking... never noticed that before
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean: Several times, especially around 0:25 I can hear the squeak of something, probably a foot pedal on the drum set

The clarity can distract on some tracks though. For example, Thomson Twins - Hold Me Now has a background ratchet-like sound that is brought to the forefront and is a bit more prominent than it should be.

An excellent tube. It reminds me of cranking up the sharpness on a digital photograph and suddenly you notice small things that were blurred and you can't believe you didn't notice it before. That can be good or bad, depending on what it brings out. I think this will be my main tube for my Aune now.

Too bad the tube won't work in my Bravo V1. I just get distortion.

 
may i know where did you order the tube?
 
cheers

 

[rwpritchett]

I picked it up on eBay. Cost me $9.

 

[rovopio]

I picked it up on eBay. Cost me $9.

 
i searched on ebay but i only got 2 results, from the same seller. and i 'm confused because one is described as "Results = 5980/5690" very strong, and the other Results = 3450/3010.
here's the link...
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ge-6AQ8-Ecc85-Stereo-Tube-09098-78-06-6-7-/181411639129?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2a3cf9ef59
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-GE-Mulard-6AQ8-ECC85-Stereo-Tube-Very-Strong-Results-5980-5690-59303-/400705880731?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item5d4bee829b
 
idk the difference between those. there are other 6aq8 tubes on search results, but not GE. westinghouse and some others. btw, may i ask the seller name you bought it from...?
 
cheers...

 

[rwpritchett]

Here is the listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ECC85-6AQ8-GE-Holland-Vacuum-Tube-Vintage-NOS-Tested-/251535234470?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=0ZDnX4m9%252FTHQZOaUEN3Syw6a8rA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

And here is arcorob's impressions that sent me hunting on eBay:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq/3765#post_10120575

 

[rovopio]

Here is the listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ECC85-6AQ8-GE-Holland-Vacuum-Tube-Vintage-NOS-Tested-/251535234470?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=0ZDnX4m9%252FTHQZOaUEN3Syw6a8rA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

And here is arcorob's impressions that sent me hunting on eBay:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq/3765#post_10120575

 
no international shipping. thats why it didnt appear on my search result. oh well
 
im still browsing the thread but thank you for singling his impression out. im sold just by reading your impression though.
 
im in between buying either fiio / aune t1 / schiit stack, im still researching...
 
thank you mate