[korzena]

 

   
I did actually used 60's Dario Miniwatt once. It was in a DAC - RWA Isabellina. I remember I liked it with my W5000 at that time. I remember it as a nice and gentle sounding tube.
Hopefully Miniwatt won't be too gentle with the music I listen too, namely EDM, indie rock, pop. I also hope I won't get too much of the luscious mids playing them with my LCD-2 I will welcome better separation, more 3d and good timber!
 
I think I need to find a pair at a reasonable price - probably will try bidding on European ebay.

 


In my experience most Dario Miniwatts are French made, although there are some Holland mades that are branded Dario. The French tubes to me are, as you describe, a more delicate sounding tube...and they don't bring that glorious midrange that I associate with the Holland made Philips. The Heerlen Holland Miniwatts are big and bold...it seems you can almost reach out and touch the instruments. Remember that these are my impressions. Many on this thread are familiar with the Holland Philips Miniwatt E188CC's. Maybe some could add their impressions to give you a more balanced perspective.

Good to know! Holland Miniwatts then.

 

[nick77]

  Good to know! Holland Miniwatts then.

 
I have a few extra pair of Holland Phillip Miniwatt 78J8, they do indeed sound very tasty. PM if interested.

 

[korzena]

   
I have a few extra pair of Holland Phillip Miniwatt 78J8, they do indeed sound very tasty. PM if interested.

Thanks, but they are not the Heerlen E188CC recommended by billerb1, are they?
As different Miniwatts sound a bit differently, I'd rather look exactly for the recommended kind.

 

[nick77]

  Thanks, but they are not E188CC recommended by billerb1, are they?
As different Miniwatts sound a bit differently, I'd rather look exactly for the recommended ones.

No, they are not the same as mentioned. But for a fraction of the price they sound really good.
 

 

[lekoross]

Hey, just so you guys know... I have a pair of e188cc Miniwatts I purchased from rb2013 (the HG guy), as well as several pair of Herleen Holland Valvo's (both e188cc & e88cc) and some hard-to-find Mullard Blackburns. PM me if you are interested.

 

[billerb1]

deleted

 

[billerb1]

Hey, just so you guys know... I have a pair of e188cc Miniwatts I purchased from rb2013 (the HG guy), as well as several pair of Herleen Holland Valvo's (both e188cc & e88cc) and some hard-to-find Mullard Blackburns. PM me if you are interested.

 


It should be noted that Heerlen, Holland made Philips Miniwatt E188CC's and Heerlen, Holland made Valvo E188CC's are the same tube, as are the Holland Philips E88CC's and Holland Valvo E88CC's. (Many Valvos are German made as designated by a "D" in the date code...Heerlen's of course are designated by the delta or triangle symbol) I personally have found the E188CC's more refined than their E88CC counterparts, with more layering in the soundstage and better blackness and separation between instruments.

Laurence, what are the dates on the various E188CC's and E88CC's that you have?

 

[lekoross]

 

  Hey, just so you guys know... I have a pair of e188cc Miniwatts I purchased from rb2013 (the HG guy), as well as several pair of Herleen Holland Valvo's (both e188cc & e88cc) and some hard-to-find Mullard Blackburns. PM me if you are interested.

 


It should be noted that Heerlen, Holland made Philips Miniwatt E188CC's and Heerlen, Holland made Valvo E188CC's are the same tube, as are the Holland Philips E88CC's and Holland Valvo E88CC's. (Many Valvos are German made as designated by a "D" in the date code...Heerlen's of course are designated by the delta or triangle symbol) I personally have found the E188CC's more refined than their E88CC counterparts, with more layering in the soundstage and better blackness and separation between instruments.

Laurence, what are the dates on the various E188CC's and E88CC's that you have?

 
Well, that is a good question. It depends on how the codes prior to the delta symbol translate. But here they are:
 
e188cc
 
Miniwatt: Delta '62 & Delta '65 (these are from rb2013)
 
Miniwatt (SQ): VR8 Delta 0L3 & Amperex SQ VR9 Delta 4G4 
 
Valvo Red: VR5 Delta 2L3 & VR6 Delta 3A4
 
Valvo White:  VR9 Delta 4D3 & VR9 Delta 5D1
 
Amperex Herleen (Re-labeled Dumont): Both Delta 1965 
 
 
e88cc
 
Miniwatt (SQ) 7L8 Delta 2J3 & 7L9 Delta 2L4 
 
Valvo Red: 7L9 Delta 1J2 & 7L9 Delta 2K1
 
Valvo Red: 7L4 Delta 9L & 7L5 Delta 0B

 

[korzena]

That's a loaded question because ears are so different. HGs to me, on my rig anyway, very detailed but I was never thrilled with the separation between instruments. I thought their imaging was flatter and a little more 2 dimensional than the Miniwatts. Minis more 3d and with more realistic timbre. Soundstage a little wider but not deeper on the HG's. Again though, those are MY ears. You may hate them. Always a roll of the dice when you try to describe a "sound".
Good luck.

I have one more question with regards to Miniwatt's sound signature, particularly their treble/high tones. As I am going to use the tubes with my LCD-2 - not the brightest sounding headphone, will the Miniwatts brighten up or darken the sound of my headphones?
 
You've mentioned in one of the older posts that the detail of Miniwatts is good, but Russian HGs was a bit better. Does it mean HGs provide more treble extension than Miniwatts? I wouldn't like to pair my LCD-2s with a dark sounding tubes, I'd rather brighten up the sound a little.

 

[Oskari]

  Well, that is a good question. It depends on how the codes prior to the delta symbol translate. But here they are:
 
e188cc
 
Miniwatt: Delta '62 & Delta '65 (these are from rb2013)
 
Miniwatt (SQ): VR8 Delta 0L3 & Amperex SQ VR9 Delta 4G4 
 
Valvo Red: VR5 Delta 2L3 & VR6 Delta 3A4
 
Valvo White:  VR9 Delta 4D3 & VR9 Delta 5D1
 
Amperex Herleen (Re-labeled Dumont): Both Delta 1965 
 
e88cc
 
Miniwatt (SQ) 7L8 Delta 2J3 & 7L9 Delta 2L4 
 
Valvo Red: 7L9 Delta 1J2 & 7L9 Delta 2K1
 
Valvo Red: 7L4 Delta 9L & 7L5 Delta 0B

 
Your VR8/9s are 70s tubes, VR5/6 early 60s, 7L8/9s also early 60s, and 7L4/5 1959/1960. There are some problems with those 7L8/9 codes that we have discussed before.
 
You could have posted the rest of the codes for comparison.

 

[billerb1]

  I have one more question with regards to Miniwatt's sound signature, particularly their treble/high tones. As I am going to use the tubes with my LCD-2 - not the brightest sounding headphone, will the Miniwatts brighten up or darken the sound of my headphones?
 
You've mentioned in one of the older posts that the detail of Miniwatts is good, but Russian HGs was a bit better. Does it mean HGs provide more treble extension than Miniwatts? I wouldn't like to pair my LCD-2s with a dark sounding tubes, I'd rather brighten up the sound a little.

I think the treble extension on the Minis is very nice...the Holland Minis have never struck me as a 'dark' tube at all.  I think the treble on the Minis is a bit smoother and carries more weight than the HG's, possibly at the expense of just a touch of detail.
You might want to PM lekoross about the '62'/'65 Minis from rb2013 or maybe one of his other sets of E188CC Hollands.  Lekoross (Laurence) knows his stuff and is a great guy.

 

[tvnosaint]

Seems like the 74 silver shield reflektors ranked the highest for treble in one comparison . Of all my tubes the 63 amperex are the brightest but I'm never bowled over by the quality. I do love those with the vibros. That's a pretty dark headphone . I've never a and b'd it to an lcd2.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Imo, I think e188cc heerlens would be an awesome match with your cans. The midrange and fullness of the sound is unmatched. You could possibly seek out some Valvo CCa's as well. End game tubes for me. Nothing I've listened to comes close to my yellows.
Let us know what you find.

Cheers

I have one more question with regards to Miniwatt's sound signature, particularly their treble/high tones. As I am going to use the tubes with my LCD-2 - not the brightest sounding headphone, will the Miniwatts brighten up or darken the sound of my headphones?

You've mentioned in one of the older posts that the detail of Miniwatts is good, but Russian HGs was a bit better. Does it mean HGs provide more treble extension than Miniwatts? I wouldn't like to pair my LCD-2s with a dark sounding tubes, I'd rather brighten up the sound a little.

 

[korzena]

 
I think the treble extension on the Minis is very nice...the Holland Minis have never struck me as a 'dark' tube at all.  I think the treble on the Minis is a bit smoother and carries more weight than the HG's, possibly at the expense of just a touch of detail.
You might want to PM lekoross about the '62'/'65 Minis from rb2013 or maybe one of his other sets of E188CC Hollands.  Lekoross (Laurence) knows his stuff and is a great guy.

 

Seems like the 74 silver shield reflektors ranked the highest for treble in one comparison . Of all my tubes the 63 amperex are the brightest but I'm never bowled over by the quality. I do love those with the vibros. That's a pretty dark headphone . I've never a and b'd it to an lcd2.

 

Imo, I think e188cc heerlens would be an awesome match with your cans. The midrange and fullness of the sound is unmatched. You could possibly seek out some Valvo CCa's as well. End game tubes for me. Nothing I've listened to comes close to my yellows.
Let us know what you find.

Cheers

 
Thank you Guys for the helpful info and suggestions! 
 
I'll do some more research and I'll report back in case I get the new tubes.

 

[mab1376]

Anyone try these?
 
http://store.t-funk.com/p/e88cc-tk-6922-vacuum-tube