Help me narrow down my 6922 choices, please.

Brett a

~◦●○o0o○●◦~
Subscriber
Hi all.

After 4 or 5 years, I'm finally turning my attention to the tubes in my integrated amp, a Shanling A3000. (specs here).

It still has the stock Electro-Harmonix EH6922 tubes in the input buffer stage. (Yes, it's just an internally wired tube buffer).

My only other experience with tube rolling is in my Jolida JD9 phono stage which also came with EH tubes (12ax7), but I also have Tung Sol 12ax7, Sylvania 12ax7, and RCA clear-top 12au7. Out of those I most prefer the Tung Sols and the Clear tops. Oh, I also tried Mullard re-isses 12ax7s at one point and hated them; hay-ted-them! They were so dark and small sounding.

My priorities are soundstage size and airiness and good imaging while preserving a warm, clear midrange.

I'd like to keep it under $100/pr but also would be happy to spend only $30.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

---brett

So,
 
The best 6922 I heard is RCA gold pin in boxes stamped in black ink 'Made in Germany'. These tubes are early 1960s Siemens. It is reported these have the stellar Cca .028 grids. If the tubes do not have gold pins, they are not Siemens.

Based upon you like Tung Sol 12AX7, you like clarity & low distortion. The Siemens will provide that. Other 12AX7s that are clear sounding is Telefunken smooth plate a little more warm vs Tung Sol. Sylvania 5751 3 mica black plate is a little more bright vs the Telefunken.
 
The best 6922 I heard is RCA gold pin in boxes stamped in black ink 'Made in Germany'. These tubes are early 1960s Siemens. It is reported these have the stellar Cca .028 grids. If the tubes do not have gold pins, they are not Siemens.
Unfortunately, those seem to be out of my price range. Looks like they bring $200 to $350 /pr.
 
My preamp (CJ ART) uses the 6922. The Amperex is my favorite brand of 6922. You didn't say how many tubes you need, my ART uses 10 (5 per channel) and that makes the cost of the Amperex tough on me but if you can afford them, they are great.

On the cheap side, I have a love/hate relationship with the JJ 6922.

Love = their price and sound. Very close to the Amperex and only about 12 each. The ART came with the EH and I much preferred the JJ sound.

Hate = their reliability. That was a few years ago and I don't know if it's any better now. At their cheap price, you can always buy a few extras for that "just in case". When they are good, they are very good.

A brand I've been using for the last 6 months is the Genalex Gold Lion. They run about 45 each. I'm very happy with them. I hear a hardness in the EH and Sovteks but these sound very nice. One day I will have to roll the JJ's back in for a comparison and I would be curious but it sounds so good now..."if it ain't broke".....Good luck.
 
Whenever I go through 6DJ8 and 6922 tubes I end up with an Amperex of some type.

That's where I would be looking if I were you.. :)
(maybe even mullard, there quite nice to)
 
Last edited:
Good cheap 6922s are JJs, without a doubt. They work great up until the day they get schizo. They are among the best new production.

Mullards, Teles, RCAs, and Amperex all have their day. There are so many noisy 6922/6DJ8s being recycled on EBay, I would fork over the dough to a good tube seller if you spend some large coin.
 
Just one pair.

I wish that was all I needed :D.

You might be able to squeeze in a pair of Amperex's. I have a lot of respect for Brent Jesse Recording for their integrity, knowledge and service. They often have used tubes that test new but sell for a fraction on the price.

For the Genalex and JJ's, I like the Tubestore and Jim McShane. TubeDepot.....not so much.
 
i've had great experiences with amperex gold pins. also those sylvania military tubes with green letters are solid. make sure you inquire about noise test when buying from ebay.
 
Unfortunately, those seem to be out of my price range. Looks like they bring $200 to $350 /pr.

Oh, appears others have caught on. I used to buy NOS RCA 6922 gold pin for about $30 each. I noticed a load of other junk on ebay for big bucks too.
 
Under 100$/pair, flying under the radar has to be the Tungsram E88cc (30-45$ ea). They are tough as nails (suggested for AI Modulus 3) but so musical. If you're looking for bang for the buck. look into them. They do not have gold plated pins but I think they are a steal. PM me if you wanna try a pair for fun.
 
Go to Agon and lookup member: Wethe22

He has matched pairs (or greater numbers) of NOS Audio Research branded, made in Germany 6DJ8/ECC-88 (6922) tubes for a great price....$44/pr. I put a set of six of these into my ARC SP-11 in late 2010 and they are outstanding performers.

Mike
 
Back
Top Bottom