[Wes S]

LP came in could not get any sound from the from the 6CC41, so definitely no noise I can hear!!! Tubes did heat up. Not going to try these again.
Got the 58 6922 D getters in.
Amp takes up 1/2 of a MJ2, sits right on top.
Much needed burn in it appears.
I`ve switched to my Gumby as dac, want to hear tube charateristics much easier than a tube dac.
@Wes S I did not care much for the Tele E88CC, sold mine. The Tele E188CC is better but very pricey.
Fkn tube socket on the amp is very tight.

The Tele E188cc, is on my list, of tubes to buy. Yes, the sockets are super, super tight. I really thought i was going to break something, i had to push so hard. This tightness, has actually slowed my tube rolling desire, as i dont want to break it and it is quite stressful forcing so hard, on an $ 800, piece of gear.

 

[Phantaminum]

LP came in could not get any sound from the from the 6CC41, so definitely no noise I can hear!!! Tubes did heat up. Not going to try these again.
Got the 58 6922 D getters in.
Amp takes up 1/2 of a MJ2, sits right on top.
Much needed burn in it appears.
I`ve switched to my Gumby as dac, want to hear tube charateristics much easier than a tube dac.
@Wes S I did not care much for the Tele E88CC, sold mine. The Tele E188CC is better but very pricey.
Fkn tube socket on the amp is very tight.

Lol the “death grip”. I didn’t enjoy the Mullard ECC88. It did have a good sound but treble was scratchy. I was thinking the Siemens E88CC would bring out more treble but really it made the low end come out more. The Siemens CCa is the total opposite: bright and fast but too bright for my tastes. I think out of all the tubes (6DJ8/e88cc equivalent) the Philips SQ e188cc are my favorite. Second are the Telefunken e188ccs and tie for third are the Amperex 6922s/PCC88 Tungsram. The Russian 6N23Ps that I have with the Electro Harmonix make it sound too warm for my taste.

 

[Wes S]

Lol the “death grip”. I didn’t enjoy the Mullard ECC88. It did have a good sound but treble was scratchy. I was thinking the Siemens E88CC would bring out more treble but really it made the low end come out more. The Siemens CCa is the total opposite: bright and fast but too bright for my tastes. I think out of all the tubes (6DJ8/e88cc equivalent) the Philips SQ e188cc are my favorite. Second are the Telefunken e188ccs and tie for third are the Amperex 6922s/PCC88 Tungsram. The Russian 6N23Ps that I have with the Electro Harmonix make it sound too warm for my taste.

Heck yes! Love hearing your results, with the philips e188cc! After listening for a full week, to the LP, i thought those were gonna be good, hence why they are on deck. Looks like we might hear things the same. Good to know! A fellow Texan, as well. I am in Plano.

 

[ChaChaRealSmooth]

I would love to know the other 3 tubes, if you dont mind. The 2 you have mentioned, would not be my choices, due to the sound signature of this amp. Especially with a bright headphone. There are much better tubes, for this amp.

I'll post my notes here, but do understand that I either really didn't like what I heard with these tubes in the Liquid Platinum, or just didn't think they were worth mentioning, hence why I did not mention them or recommend them.

Genalex Gold Lion 6922 (new manufacture)

• Seems to have weird harmonics that make the timbre unnatural. To my ears, this makes it an instant not-winner, as timbre is one of the things I value most.
• Smaller stage, but potentially better imaging.

Matsushita (NOS)

• Can tend to be sibilant (instant not-winner as I'm treble-sensitive)
• Seems to have rolled-off bass, but the bass sounds tighter than stock.

JJ Gold Pin 6922 (new manufacture)

• Makes the Liquid Platinum sound congested (seems to roll-off the highs)
• Goes off the deep-end when it comes to "too polite" (soft, not dynamic, etc)
• Timbre is not bad

I stated before I just use the stock tubes. There is a good reason for this; the stock Electro Harmonix 6922 have very good synergy with this amp. Do I think the Telefunken E88CC NOS are better? Yeah, but a matched pair of those can cost as much as the amp itself (I was fortunate enough to score a pair before the prices started getting insane). Not entirely sure what you were hearing with the Liquid Platinum with stock Electro Harmonix, or with the Telefunkens, but we're not really hearing the same things.

Can you provide more details on the Telefunken E88CC? Which year? which mica / getter structure?
You're describing a sound signature that would interest me, and I want to make sure I am looking for the right tubes...

1967, made in Ulm, Germany. Not really certain what @Wes S is hearing, or how his ears hear, but I don't hear the Telefunken as being neutral to bright. If anything, they're even warmer than the stock Electro Harmonix 6922. Then again, I hear the Liquid Platinum with the stock tubes as being neutral with a touch of warmth, so.....

 

[Wes S]

I'll post my notes here, but do understand that I either really didn't like what I heard with these tubes in the Liquid Platinum, or just didn't think they were worth mentioning, hence why I did not mention them or recommend them.

Genalex Gold Lion 6922 (new manufacture)

• Seems to have weird harmonics that make the timbre unnatural. To my ears, this makes it an instant not-winner, as timbre is one of the things I value most.
• Smaller stage, but potentially better imaging.

Matsu****a (NOS)

• Can tend to be sibilant (instant not-winner as I'm treble-sensitive)
• Seems to have rolled-off bass, but the bass sounds tighter than stock.

JJ Gold Pin 6922 (new manufacture)

• Makes the Liquid Platinum sound congested (seems to roll-off the highs)
• Goes off the deep-end when it comes to "too polite" (soft, not dynamic, etc)
• Timbre is not bad

I stated before I just use the stock tubes. There is a good reason for this; the stock Electro Harmonix 6922 have very good synergy with this amp. Do I think the Telefunken E88CC NOS are better? Yeah, but a matched pair of those can cost as much as the amp itself (I was fortunate enough to score a pair before the prices started getting insane). Not entirely sure what you were hearing with the Liquid Platinum with stock Electro Harmonix, or with the Telefunkens, but we're not really hearing the same things.



1967, made in Ulm, Germany. Not really certain what @Wes S is hearing, or how his ears hear, but I don't hear the Telefunken as being neutral to bright. If anything, they're even warmer than the stock Electro Harmonix 6922. Then again, I hear the Liquid Platinum with the stock tubes as being neutral with a touch of warmth, so.....

Just to clarify, my reference to the Telefunken E88CC, that i have, being neutral to bright, was about thier sound signature in general, as compared to other NOS 6922 tubes.

 

[TK16]

Got my first Mullard Blackburn ECC82 coming in today, 58 goal post getter I think its called and another Monday. Hoping them match up relatively closely. Another pair of 58's coming from Canada. Heard these are really good tubes.

 

[sahmen]

Lol the “death grip”. I didn’t enjoy the Mullard ECC88. It did have a good sound but treble was scratchy. I was thinking the Siemens E88CC would bring out more treble but really it made the low end come out more. The Siemens CCa is the total opposite: bright and fast but too bright for my tastes. I think out of all the tubes (6DJ8/e88cc equivalent) the Philips SQ e188cc are my favorite. Second are the Telefunken e188ccs and tie for third are the Amperex 6922s/PCC88 Tungsram. The Russian 6N23Ps that I have with the Electro Harmonix make it sound too warm for my taste.

Could you let me know whether the Philips SQ e188CCs will fit the LC's sockets without an adapter?

 

[Phantaminum]

Could you let me know whether the Philips SQ e188CCs will fit the LC's sockets without an adapter?

Hey Sahmen! They will. They’re the same size as the Electro Harmonix tube that come with the amp.

 

[sahmen]

Hey Sahmen! They will. They’re the same size as the Electro Harmonix tube that come with the amp.

Good to know.

 

[TK16]

6DJ8, 6922, E88CC, 6922, CV2492, E188CC, CCa will all work without an adapter. Probably missed a few, but these are the most popular.

 

[Wes S]

6DJ8, 6922, E88CC, 6922, CV2492, E188CC, CCa will all work without an adapter. Probably missed a few, but these are the most popular.

7308 in the USA = E188CC in Europe

 

[TK16]

Here's a good priced Telefunken E188CC pair with best offer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-E188CC-...&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&redirect=mobile
Cheap pair WE 396A.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Of-We...&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&redirect=mobile

 

[heliosphann]

Back to tube rolling. If you guys haven't tried a pair of Tungsram PCC88s you should give them a try. Great punchy mid bass, extended highs, touch of euphony and counteracts the warmer aspect of the tube amp. They're also found for a reasonable price for NOS and I prefer them over Gold Lions/JJs.

Just got a pair of NOS '71 Tungsram PCC88s. They've definitely got some interesting 3D staging going on. Feels like they almost have a taller image, kinda strange. Overall they sound pretty damn good and are dynamic and very similar to what Phanaminum said. They're are a little rough around the edges, but I think they need more run time. I'm going to run them a lot over the next few days and see if they improve.

 

[Phantaminum]

Just got a pair of NOS '71 Tungsram PCC88s. They've definitely got some interesting 3D staging going on. Feels like they almost have a taller image, kinda strange. Overall they sound pretty damn good and are dynamic and very similar to what Phanaminum said. They're are a little rough around the edges, but I think they need more run time. I'm going to run them a lot over the next few days and see if they improve.

They’ll get better over time. Smoother. They’re more like tubes to keep in the amp because tonally they sound great with few drawbacks. So you can keep your much nicer tubes for those Sundays you have time to sit down and critically listen. The rest of the week these can be your work horse.

 

[heliosphann]

They’ll get better over time. Smoother. They’re more like tubes to keep in the amp because tonally they sound great with few drawbacks. So you can keep your much nicer tubes for those Sundays you have time to sit down and critically listen. The rest of the week these can be your work horse.

I just rolled all my 6922 type tubes and put the Tungsram's back in at the end. They held up very well. I've got some Siemens PCC88's that also sound pretty good. I think my favorites might just the be '75 Voskhod Rockets Grey Shields. Even more than the Amperex USN-CEP 7308's.

Anyone know where to get a good 2C51 adapter? Should I just buy a cheap one off of Ebay? Forgot I'd picked up some 2C51's over the last few years.