[ScareDe2]

Dang, those pinched waist sound that good or is it just because they are more rare?

 

[Bleether]

Wow crazy prices, not ready for the pinched waists at that rate lol

 

[Guidostrunk]

The prices are only going to get more ridiculous, as old stock dries up. If I remember correctly, we literally watched an auction on this thread some months ago end at $1800+ for a pair of Eindhoven PW CCa's.lol. Ridiculous for sure.

You can always seek out some regular Heerlen CCa's, for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Bleether]

Yeah that is a little out of my league!

 

[TK16]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/matched-pair-E88CC-Telefunken-O-Getter-NOS-TUBE-Valvola-first-A1-Holy-Grail-/302102897744?hash=item4656bc6450:g:iwYAAOSwmLlX-~Rk
 
Looks like just regular Siemens E88CC labeled as Telefunken for a crazy high price.

 

[ScareDe2]

A note on stock canadian tubes, don't know if someone will agree but they are quite inconsistant within the same day of use. One hour the sound has good details and the music has more slams but the next hour it's more dull. Can't wait to receive new tubes I hope it will improve the sound.

 

[Bleether]

Okay lets play the Tube Identification game. I just bought a couple matched tubes, nos condition, tested strong with the following codes acid etched in the glass:
 
VR0 45G1 (4 might be a delta symbol? didn't ask the seller but this just occurred to me)
VR0 45G3
 
TK you already know what it is so you can't play

 

[kolkoo]

Heerlen E188cc 1965

 

[Bleether]

Heerlen E188cc 1965

You win!

 

[TK16]

Not really fair excluding me from the fun.

 

[thecrow]

Where theres tubes with codes like

Vr0 delta5k1
And (somthing like)
Vr4 delta5g4

Does that mean in 1965 there was the first version being made (im assuming that is what vr0 means) and the later revision of vr4?

Or is the 0 and 4 associated with particular models/brands?

Can anyone shed some light in these coding differences in the same year?

Thanks

 

[Guidostrunk]

Any number after the VR , is the batch/production code. VR=E188CC tube type. So. VR0 would be the first production of the tube type. I believe VR6 or 7 is the last production run of the 60's.
So the codes you mentioned would date:
VR0 delta5k1= First batch E188CC Heerlen Holland, first week of November 1965.
VR4 delta5g4= Fourth batch E188CC Herleen Holland, 4 week of July 1965.

Hope that helps.
Cheers

Edit: Forgot to mention that the delta triangle represents "Heerlen Holland"

Where theres tubes with codes like

Vr0 delta5k1
And (somthing like)
Vr4 delta5g4

Does that mean in 1965 there was the first version being made (im assuming that is what vr0 means) and the later revision of vr4?

Or is the 0 and 4 associated with particular models/brands?

Can anyone shed some light in these coding differences in the same year?

Thanks

 

[thecrow]

Any number after the VR , is the batch/production code. VR=E188CC tube type. So. VR0 would be the first production of the tube type. I believe VR6 or 7 is the last production run of the 60's.
So the codes you mentioned would date:
VR0 delta5k1= First batch E188CC Heerlen Holland, first week of November 1965.
VR4 delta5g4= Fourth batch E188CC Herleen Holland, 4 week of July 1965.

Hope that helps.
Cheers

Edit: Forgot to mention that the delta triangle represents "Heerlen Holland"

Ahh.... i thought they were versions of the tube

How long or big are (nature of) these batches?

 

[kolkoo]

Ahh.... i thought they were versions of the tube

How long or big are (nature of) these batches?

It is hard to say however there were also Heerlen E188cc with d getters with Vr0 VR1 codes built in 1959 1960 as far as Ive seen. This same series switched to O getters in 1961 1962. My dario miniwatt yellow print E188cc with delta1 and delta2 are 100% 1961 and 1962 and they are vr3 and vr5. Ive also had green print dario from 1962 that were vr5 delta 2.

Hmm this makes me wonder about vr0 and vr4 delta5xx perhaps one of them is 70s or they are misread

 

[kolkoo]

Okay lets play the Tube Identification game. I just bought a couple matched tubes, nos condition, tested strong with the following codes acid etched in the glass:

VR0 45G1 (4 might be a delta symbol? didn't ask the seller but this just occurred to me)
VR0 45G3

TK you already know what it is so you can't play

Btw if these are the tubes that the seller anroide paranoide was selling they are probably 1965 but not vr0. Either way i dont buy from that seller as his test data never checks out

Edit: some Pinched waist E88CC info that I've been able to gather that (at least for me) debunks some other info provided by sellers/people.

1) Myth 1 - PWs are the same as regular tubes but they were pinched due to a molding flaw and there are unpinched versions that are the same. ->
Seems that PWs were made exclusively from 1956 until some time in 1958. I've looked a lot I have not seen a Heerlen tube without pinched wast that was manufactured pre-later-1958. The only such pinched tubes found are US made ones and somebody could easily mistake them for Heerlens if the acid code is not readable enough. If anyone has any picture/proof that there were in fact non-pinched E88CC Heerlen factory tubes before late 1958 let me know. So what does that mean I highly doubt they built exclusively pinched tubes for 3 years. That was just what that production was. Now I'm not saying because they are pinched they sound good. But this definitely identifies the entire batch of tubes from 56-58 which later on changed.

2) Myth 2 - PWs are always super schiit and microphonic and that means they suck. -> Some reputable seller came out a while ago and said that PWs were made only in 1958( totally wrong as is now known) and they were always horrible and microphonic and the fuss is all about the glass. And that 60s Philips were far superior because that's when the real tube boom was and military contracts and stuff like that. The fact of the matter is all Philips tube I've tried have varying degrees of microphonics unless they were made in the 70s. PWs are the oldest possible Heerlen/Philips tubes and are generally sold used, pulled, never truly new, even if they test NOS 99% they were used in something. So it's entirely normal that they have some microphonics. I've got 4 PWs and they do not have any more microphonics than any other Heerlen tube I've had, in fact some of them have less. However the Pinched PWs PCC88 are dead silent. (but they are more rugged made for use in TVs)

3) Myth 3 - The reason why the sound so good is the glass being pinched. -> I'm positive the fact they sound so good is that the materials and production changed since late 1958 when they switched to straight bottle and the series switchd to 7L4. I've compared my 7L4 1959s and even though they are quite similar to the PWs they are inferior in every way, slightly yes, but definitely for me (YMMV).

4) Myth 4 - they are so expensive not because they sound so good but because of their rarity -> This one is 50/50 obviously because they are rare they will be more expensive. They still blow away any other Philips Heerlen tube I own, and I've owned/own all types except E188CC D-Getter. So I can certainly say they sound good.

Obviously I'm not going to pay collector crazy prices for PWs. And I'm not advocating that anyone should. Just setting the record straight

Edit2: Also on interesting read on the topic of PWs http://www.head-fi.org/t/563884/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide/4395#post_10074537