[BleaK]

Saw these for sale. Seller is saying Amperex ECC88, but do they look abit funky?
 

 

[sfo1972]

  Saw these for sale. Seller is saying Amperex ECC88, but do they look abit funky?
 

 
No silkscreen - white boxes -? Yes, I would say grounds for caution. Are there any pics with the codes?

 

[BleaK]

   

Nope, only this picture. I'll send some questions his way and see if he can answer.

 

[sfo1972]

 

   

Nope, only this picture. I'll send some questions his way and see if he can answer.

Ask for a picture of the codes - usually on the bottom of the tube and printed/etched on the side. When the silkscreen is wiped as a result of handling, as can be seen from the picture, the codes are usually the best source of recognizing if this tubes is what the seller is advertising.

 

[TeddyShot]

Is it normal for one of the tubes to be slightly dimmer than the other? They are both Amperex Orange Globes 1969. They're from different batches I believe but both were almost NOS when I purchased. Their connected to my Lyr 2, however im not too familiar with how the Lyr 2 processes sound or how something like this could affect sound. They've been like this since I bought them a month ago.

 

[rb2013]

 
Ask for a picture of the codes - usually on the bottom of the tube and printed/etched on the side. When the silkscreen is wiped as a result of handling, as can be seen from the picture, the codes are usually the best source of recognizing if this tubes is what the seller is advertising.

+1 They are hard to spot sometimes.  I find a good halogen desk lamp works great and holding the tube at an angle rolling to spot the codes.  Sometimes all you can read is the etching reflected.

 

[billerb1]

Hey Oskari or ThurstonX....take a look at these.  Seller insists they are 1961...I say 1971.  I'm not buying them...I'm just having fun arguing with him. I've never seen a Heerlen Philips from the early 60's just labeled "Philips" and not Philips Miniwatt.  I also thought all the early 60's were 7L followed by a number...that starting in the late 60's and into the 70's the code was 7L followed by a letter.
What say you tube date gurus ???  Don't spare my feelings, lol.
 
 
http://www.ebay.pl/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-OF-E88CC-PHILIPS-SQ-HERLEEN-6922-E188CC-CCa-7308-E288CC-ECC88-6DJ8-/131478630160?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQL:1123

 

[billerb1]

Also I'd been waiting on a 2nd American made Amperex Pinched Waist single to complete a pair and it arrived today.  Checked it for noise and now it's happily burning in.  I wanted to compare the American PW sound to the two pair of Holland PW's I'd managed to snag...and which I love.  And no...love is not too strong of a word.
The lineup looks like this:
Holland PW pair #1:  1956 Valvo CCa E88CC PW  (code 7L1 delta6k between the pins) and 1957 Amperex 6922 PW (code 7L3 delta7G)
Holland PW pair #2:  1956 Amperex 6922 PW (code 7L0 66k between the pins, Eindhoven, Holland) and 1956 6922 PW (code 7L0 delta6K)
Hicksville NY PW pair #3:  1958 Amperex 6922 PQ shield PW (code 7L4 *8L) and 1959 Amperex PW (7L4 *9H)
 
I've already spent a lot of time with the two Holland pairs.  Pair #2 is gorgeous and they were my first exposure to the PW's.  The Eindhoven single is quite a find, very rare...and the 7L0's and 7L1's are particularly sought after because of gold internals.  But honestly the #1 pair with the ultra rare Holland Valvo CCa PW blows the '56 pair out of the water.  Deeper, richer tone...holography like I've
never heard.  Blacker more sophisticated soundstage.  The American PW's really have their work cut out for them to measure up.  Will be fun to find out.  Will report back.

 

[icebrain1]

Hey guys sorry i got a question to ask,
 
How to i tell the quality of the tubes from places like ebay, on some websites like Upscale Audio they have an option to pay extra for things the cryo treating and platinum or gold grade, does that make a big difference cause some of the harder to find tubes cost almost double the price on there (compared to some of the average ebay ones) but would the platinum grade and cryo treatment make enough of a difference or is it better save the money and get a simply matched pair from ebay?  Thanks
 
Sorry another question.
I've narrowed down my choice to either Herleen Philips Miniwatt E88CC / 6922. matched pair balanced triodes $215
or
the Genalex Gold Lion E88CC / 6922. matched pair cryo treated $114.
which of these do think would give me a great mid range and sound stage without distorting anything else, how would the sound of these compare to each other and the price? thanks?
 
I am kind of leaning towards the Gold Lion since they are New stock which would be help to keep as a reference high end tube, whereas the Herleen's are NOS so I'm thinking of getting the Gold Lion and then changing tubes a little down the road and use my Gold lion for comparison vs any NOS tube i get down the road.
 
So please tell me what you guys think would this be alright or should i just spend double the money and get the Herleen tubes?
 
Thanks.

 

[astark]

Guys my tube review made it to the home page!  Thanks to all of you for putting up with me for so long - Lol!


 


Let the Lyr rule - LOL!

 



Thank you for all you do for us, it is truly appreciated, and cheers !!

 

[ThurstonX]

  Hey Oskari or ThurstonX....take a look at these.  Seller insists they are 1961...I say 1971.  I'm not buying them...I'm just having fun arguing with him. I've never seen a Heerlen Philips from the early 60's just labeled "Philips" and not Philips Miniwatt.  I also thought all the early 60's were 7L followed by a number...that starting in the late 60's and into the 70's the code was 7L followed by a letter.
What say you tube date gurus ???  Don't spare my feelings, lol.
 
http://www.ebay.pl/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-OF-E88CC-PHILIPS-SQ-HERLEEN-6922-E188CC-CCa-7308-E288CC-ECC88-6DJ8-/131478630160?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQL:1123

 
If my bleary eyes don't deceive me, I see 7LG, which is 1971.  Of course he wants to say 1961, as that makes them more desirable.  That said, the approximate starting bid of $56 isn't bad, even if they are used.  They do look in excellent condition.  Wouldn't pay a great deal for them, but might be worth a moderate price.  Interestingly, they are grey shields, though I'm not sure what that counts for with Heerlen E88CCs, if anything.  FWIW, there is no mention of the year in the listing.
 
 
A fun eBay tip I discovered for myself, esp. if you're in the US, and which might work for others who live in countries with their own eBay presence:
 
replace the top level domain - .pl, in this case - with .com, which gives us:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-OF-E88CC-PHILIPS-SQ-HERLEEN-6922-E188CC-CCa-7308-E288CC-ECC88-6DJ8-/131478630160
 
Then the currency is approximated in US dollars.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Also I'd been waiting on a 2nd American made Amperex Pinched Waist single to complete a pair and it arrived today.  Checked it for noise and now it's happily burning in.  I wanted to compare the American PW sound to the two pair of Holland PW's I'd managed to snag...and which I love.  And no...love is not too strong of a word.
The lineup looks like this:
Holland PW pair #1:  1956 Valvo CCa E88CC PW  (code 7L1 delta6k between the pins) and 1957 Amperex 6922 PW (code 7L3 delta7G)
Holland PW pair #2:  1956 Amperex 6922 PW (code 7L0 66k between the pins, Eindhoven, Holland) and 1956 6922 PW (code 7L0 delta6K)
Hicksville NY PW pair #3:  1958 Amperex 6922 PQ shield PW (code 7L4 *8L) and 1959 Amperex PW (7L4 *9H)
 
I've already spent a lot of time with the two Holland pairs.  Pair #2 is gorgeous and they were my first exposure to the PW's.  The Eindhoven single is quite a find, very rare...and the 7L0's and 7L1's are particularly sought after because of gold internals.  But honestly the #1 pair with the ultra rare Holland Valvo CCa PW blows the '56 pair out of the water.  Deeper, richer tone...holography like I've
never heard.  Blacker more sophisticated soundstage.  The American PW's really have their work cut out for them to measure up.  Will be fun to find out.  Will report back.

 
Nice find 

  And quite a nice trifecta you've got.  Hope the US pair gives the other two a run for your money 

  Someday I hope to snag a pair of either of those PW E88CCs.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Hey guys sorry i got a question to ask,
 
How to i tell the quality of the tubes from places like ebay, on some websites like Upscale Audio they have an option to pay extra for things the cryo treating and platinum or gold grade, does that make a big difference cause some of the harder to find tubes cost almost double the price on there (compared to some of the average ebay ones) but would the platinum grade and cryo treatment make enough of a difference or is it better save the money and get a simply matched pair from ebay?  Thanks
 
Sorry another question.
I've narrowed down my choice to either Herleen Philips Miniwatt E88CC / 6922. matched pair balanced triodes $215
or
the Genalex Gold Lion E88CC / 6922. matched pair cryo treated $114.
which of these do think would give me a great mid range and sound stage without distorting anything else, how would the sound of these compare to each other and the price? thanks?
 
I am kind of leaning towards the Gold Lion since they are New stock which would be help to keep as a reference high end tube, whereas the Herleen's are NOS so I'm thinking of getting the Gold Lion and then changing tubes a little down the road and use my Gold lion for comparison vs any NOS tube i get down the road.
 
So please tell me what you guys think would this be alright or should i just spend double the money and get the Herleen tubes?
 
Thanks.

 
Big Tube Retailers (Upscale, et al.; I just made that up definitely charge more, and if you're not willing to risk eBay, then I suppose it buys peace of mind.  As for cryo-treating, most people will tell you to save your $16.  I have no clue if it's science or unicorn tears.  As far as NOS vs. new production goes, 99% of the people in this thread will probably tell you to go NOS, whether it be on eBay or from one of the BTRs.  Of course, we'll never know if I'm right until 100% of the people reply to your question 

 
One thing I like about good eBay sellers is that you see the actual tubes and usually get to see the factory codes.  You won't get that with almost any BTR, but then you're paying extra because they're reputable, or so the theory goes.
 
As for which to buy, never heard the Gold Lions, but were I to buy them, I'd go with the eBay seller I found who sells for around $70-$75 a pair.  They guarantee them, so why pay more than that.

 

[icebrain1]

Thanks ThurstonX, guess I'll go with the NOS tubes I found on eBay and save almost 100 bucks(and ask about the tubes authenticity before I purchase on this thread, not sure if that counts as cheating hehe) Thank you.
 
Ya the cryo treating seemed a little far fetched in regard to audio, so guess I'll save the money.
 
Thank you very much for the advice.

 

[billerb1]

   
If my bleary eyes don't deceive me, I see 7LG, which is 1971.  Of course he wants to say 1961, as that makes them more desirable.  That said, the approximate starting bid of $56 isn't bad, even if they are used.  They do look in excellent condition.  Wouldn't pay a great deal for them, but might be worth a moderate price.  Interestingly, they are grey shields, though I'm not sure what that counts for with Heerlen E88CCs, if anything.  FWIW, there is no mention of the year in the listing.
 
 
A fun eBay tip I discovered for myself, esp. if you're in the US, and which might work for others who live in countries with their own eBay presence:
 
replace the top level domain - .pl, in this case - with .com, which gives us:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-OF-E88CC-PHILIPS-SQ-HERLEEN-6922-E188CC-CCa-7308-E288CC-ECC88-6DJ8-/131478630160
 
Then the currency is approximated in US dollars.

 
He originally had said they were 1961's in the ad...so I guess I got through to him.  Thanks Thurston.