Voshkod 6N23P (Rocket logo)

[Marcus]

In recent years I tried various ECC88 (6922) tubes in my GAT (NOS Telefunken, Amperex PQ White label, EAT Diamond, Phillips, JJ, ...) but this one is really something special. It's a 1995 production and it sounds really nice. Very quiet, non-microphonic, lively, dynamic and extended in both extremes, without obvious colorations. Bass is tight and strong, midrange and treble is clean, open and airy. Some say this tube is also very durable in amps that like to "eat" tubes for breakfast and so far (after approx. 200 hours) they proved to be the best choice for me. They are not expensive...yet (about $40-50/matched pair) and I'm not sure that older vintages are really better. I tried a pair of 71' vintage but it was very noisy and microphonic. Well, maybe it was only that pair...

[MylesBAstor]

In recent years I tried various ECC88 (6922) tubes in my GAT (NOS Telefunken, Amperex PQ White label, EAT Diamond, Phillips, JJ, ...) but this one is really something special. It's a 1995 production and it sounds really nice. Very quiet, non-microphonic, lively, dynamic and extended in both extremes, without obvious colorations. Bass is tight and strong, midrange and treble is clean, open and airy. Some say this tube is also very durable in amps that like to "eat" tubes for breakfast and so far (after approx. 200 hours) they proved to be the best choice for me. They are not expensive...yet (about $40-50/matched pair) and I'm not sure that older vintages are really better. I tried a pair of 71' vintage but it was very noisy and microphonic. Well, maybe it was only that pair...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n7176[/ATTACH]

Great info! The new cj 6922s just don't last worth a darn. I never thought of the GAT being a tube eater like say an Audible Illusions preamplifier; but lately the cj supplied 6922 last maybe 500 hours. Did you get these 6922s from Kevin Deal or another source. I know he has some "special" 6H23s for those difficult to satisfy preamplifiers.

I bought some others to try like the EAT ECC88s, Tele ECC7308/188, etc. but never got around to trying them in my GAT. I think Lloyd tried a few other tubes in his GAT also and ended up Mullards? Think some of that preference might also be attributable to source too eg. digital vs. analog.

Now the new GAT will be using a different tube.

[nc42acc]

I have tried the 6H23p-EB and they sound very good, not sure how they compare to the 6N23P rockets. They seem to be very hard to find.

[Marcus]

Great info! The new cj 6922s just don't last worth a darn. I never thought of the GAT being a tube eater like say an Audible Illusions preamplifier; but lately the cj supplied 6922 last maybe 500 hours. Did you get these 6922s from Kevin Deal or another source. I know he has some "special" 6H23s for those difficult to satisfy preamplifiers.

I bought some others to try like the EAT ECC88s, Tele ECC7308/188, etc. but never got around to trying them in my GAT. I think Lloyd tried a few other tubes in his GAT also and ended up Mullards? Think some of that preference might also be attributable to source too eg. digital vs. analog.

Now the new GAT will be using a different tube.

I bought these tubes on eBay, Kevin doesn't stock them. I agree that 6922 EH suck but I also think that majority of NOS suck or are at least not as good as some want us to believe. NOS can be the right choice in some systems but in a well balanced modern high-end system? No way, too colored in one way or the other. Telefunken's seem to be the most neutral but they are so unreliable and don't last long - so they are useless.

It will be interesting to try these new PCC88 tube cj is putting in the S2 upgrade...

[MylesBAstor]

I bought these tubes on eBay, Kevin doesn't stock them. I agree that 6922 EH suck but I also think that majority of NOS suck or are at least not as good as some want us to believe. NOS can be the right choice in some systems but in a well balanced modern high-end system? No way, too colored in one way or the other. Telefunken's seem to be the most neutral but they are so unreliable and don't last long - so they are useless.

It will be interesting to try these new PCC88 tube cj is putting in the S2 upgrade...

I'm curious what PCC88 they are using. There are a lot of Teles still around as well as some Mullards and Mullard types like Pope, etc.

Real problem is that much of what people call NOS is NOC. They get away with murder calling pulls NOS. Those tubes may measure well but they have no get up and go.

[Marcus]

Just a guess. Mullard perhaps? My ART monos (only two months old) have Mullard M8080 in the driver stage. So...

[LL21]

I own the Tele 6922s from kevin at Upscale and they are truly excellent...the Mullards i found were actually quite hard sounding, not quite as detailed/airy but incredibly long lasting and with EAT Tube dampers sound a lot more like Teles than i was expecting. I like them both. Superior in terms of how long they have lasted so far than the Amperexes and others that i have tried...and WAAAY longer lasting than the CJ stock EH tubes which we stopped using within about 3 months after buying the CJ GAT in 2009.

[LL21]

Marcus - there are a few of us CJ GAT owners (Pradeep/Sunnyboy1956, Shane/XV1/Turntable, Myles of course, you and me). Are you contemplating the Series 2 upgrade which Myles has just ordered? Have you heard anything about it by any chance?

[Marcus]

Marcus - there are a few of us CJ GAT owners (Pradeep/Sunnyboy1956, Shane/XV1/Turntable, Myles of course, you and me). Are you contemplating the Series 2 upgrade which Myles has just ordered? Have you heard anything about it by any chance?

Hi Lloyd,

Absolutely! I've heard that the S2 upgrade is a big sonic step up for the GAT. My "source" says improvements are overal but most important are stronger bass with better extension and improved dynamics. Kind of expected considering a beefed up power supply...

[LL21]

Wow! Thanks, Marcus! Great to hear from you and look forward to investigating the Series 2 further. Have inquired here.

[Bill Hart]

I used to roll 6922's- I always liked the high grade vintage Tele for the holographic quality, the Mullards tended toward classic 'golden era' tube romantic- there was a high grade Siemens tube that was very linear but a little too spare sounding for me. I think part of it may be the circuit and overall tonal balance of the system, and, as I learned trying to roll telephony tubes for my Allnic, stuff that says Mullard 'made in england' was actually made in one case by Amperex in the States. Not counterfeit, but (as I think MEP pointed out on a forum long ago), these companies treated the product back in the old days as fungible product. The fact that another factory or company made the product, branded for a competitor, was not uncommon. I still have old tube boxes from tubes I bought when these things weren't costly, maybe a little more than a generic tube, but not the crazy money now sought for alleged NOS. Yet, I cling to my NOS tubes. I figure, you get miles (Myles?) and worth the price if you are already nutty enough to worry about fancy accessories for everything else. I'm still blown away by the rectifier rolls I've done.
New tubes- no idea. I loaded my Lamm amps with a fresh complement from Vlad a few months ago- and the factory Sovtek for the 12AX7 was just so sterile sounding- I put the vintage Tele back in (the only tube I roll in the amp) and voila- voicing back, plus the punch and bite of new driver, power tube, etc.
It's like fixing Weber carburetors - you can definitely change things, but not always for the better....

[MylesBAstor]

I used to roll 6922's- I always liked the high grade vintage Tele for the holographic quality, the Mullards tended toward classic 'golden era' tube romantic- there was a high grade Siemens tube that was very linear but a little too spare sounding for me. I think part of it may be the circuit and overall tonal balance of the system, and, as I learned trying to roll telephony tubes for my Allnic, stuff that says Mullard 'made in england' was actually made in one case by Amperex in the States. Not counterfeit, but (as I think MEP pointed out on a forum long ago), these companies treated the product back in the old days as fungible product. The fact that another factory or company made the product, branded for a competitor, was not uncommon. I still have old tube boxes from tubes I bought when these things weren't costly, maybe a little more than a generic tube, but not the crazy money now sought for alleged NOS. Yet, I cling to my NOS tubes. I figure, you get miles (Myles?) and worth the price if you are already nutty enough to worry about fancy accessories for everything else. I'm still blown away by the rectifier rolls I've done.
New tubes- no idea. I loaded my Lamm amps with a fresh complement from Vlad a few months ago- and the factory Sovtek for the 12AX7 was just so sterile sounding- I put the vintage Tele back in (the only tube I roll in the amp) and voila- voicing back, plus the punch and bite of new driver, power tube, etc.
It's like fixing Weber carburetors - you can definitely change things, but not always for the better....

That's why one should become proficient in understanding the tubes codes if they are really into NOS tubes, And watch out for counterfeits. I understand there have even been counterfeit Teles found and they were almost perfect copies. Only give away is that the logo on the outside of the tube didn't rub off. So the replica was actually too good!

[JCOConnell]

That's why one should become proficient in understanding the tubes codes if they are really into NOS tubes, And watch out for counterfeits. I understand there have even been counterfeit Teles found and they were almost perfect copies. Only give away is that the logo on the outside of the tube didn't rub off. So the replica was actually too good!

Great- rub off the logo and you HAD a genuine telefunken tube.

[MylesBAstor]

Great- rub off the logo and you HAD a genuine telefunken tube.

Yup the Telefunken logo would many times rub off in the box. (Yes I know there's something wrong sayin' that! )

[JCOConnell]

Yup the Telefunken logo would many times rub off in the box. (Yes I know there's something wrong sayin' that! )

well, at least weve still got the diamond molded into the glass on the base......