Tubes for Raysonic CD 168

For my 128 (not 168), I first liked the JAN Philips 6922 as replacement for the stock tubes after trying a bunch of others. The "others" included Teles, Tungsrams, Mullards, Toshibas (not bad), and various Amperexes. Then a friend brought over a pair of Amperex "Bugle Boy" EECC88/6DJ8s for me to try (in the balanced outputs) ... and they're still there. Obviously YMMV, but they sure work for me. Good luck, Dave

What I am looking for is the lush tube sound but I don't want to spend a lot of $$$ on NOS tubes. I am looking for something mainstream and easy to get that won't break the bank for under 60.00 a pair.

I tried some Sovtek 6922 and some 6H23EB tubes but wasn't impressed. The stock EH6922 tubes seem a tad bright and a bit thin. Any recommendations???

Try a pair of 6CG7, you will be fine using that tube without fear of smokin the transformer.

I forgot one, and I even queried Raysonic about its suitability for use in my 128 (they said yes) since it has slightly different characteristics from others in the 6922/6DJ8 family.

It's the Russian 6N1P, often sold as the even longer-lived 6N1P-EV, available NOS on Ebay from Eastern European sellers on an absolutely dirt-cheap basis. As in, 10 for $16 including shipping from Ukraine. At least that's what I paid, and mine arrived a bunch faster than I can get something from, say, Canada. They're well worth a try. Dave

To avoid the expense of the excellent NOS stuff try some new production JJ's or better yet, if you can find them, some pre-war Tesla's. They are a lush tube - great tone. Only down side is they can be microphonic (but not in my 128).

I also like EI 6DJ8's. Not quite as lush as the JJ's - more neutral perhaps but unlike most of the other new/recent production tubes. They are not bright, etched, or thin and way more balanced than say the EH. They might be hard to find also. I haven't tried the 6cg7 or the 6n1p.

FWIW.