Which preamps use 6922/6DJ8 tubes?

Herron Audio - I believe there are a couple used ones for sale on USAudiomart

Van Alstine Transcendence 10 RB preamp

If you really want to turn back the clock look for the SA-5 series from Counterpoint. They used a quad set of them.

I’ve owned this Quicksilver. Nice preamp. It does have a high gain of 18db if that's okay with you!

http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/rc-line-stage-preamp/

Which preamps use 6922/6DJ8 tubes?

there are a lot of preamps that use those tubes.......just start looking and make a list.

Sonic Frontiers.  Might be under your budget but can be upgraded at Parts Connexion by Chris Johnson, one of the original owners.

My old ARC SP-15.  

Audible Illusions Modulus 3, lots of ARC’s including the LS-1 (still have one) and LS-2 (useta have one). The EAR-Yoshino 868 uses the 7DJ8, a slightly-higher voltage version. 

i think this is called the tail wagging the dog

One way is to find a preamp which uses E88CC, many are going to recommend something nice and the list will grow, the other one is to get a preamp that uses different kind of tubes or no tubes at all and sell your NOS stock. Best is to listen what matches your power amp.

I totally get OP’s line of reasoning - don't think it's weird at all 😅

6922 is a great tube for line stages - better than 12AX7 / 12AT7 / 12AU7 imo. But if you’re looking to use valuable NOS, then you have to be wary of designs that use a LOT of matched 6922 - like older high end BAT, ARC, Sonic Frontiers units. BAT and ARC have moved onto 6H30, which is a fantastic line stage tube but without many opportunities for rolling. The lower-end Sonic Frontiers hybrid units used less tubes but IMO these aren’t worthy of holy grail 6922 (I did not like the SFL-1). I briefly had a BAT VK 5i that used a lot of 6922, and it was a pain to find quiet matched ones - not a great experience. I definitely wouldn’t stock it with holy grails.

VAC currently uses an interesting approach where they just use a single pair of 6922 in conjunction with Lundahl line transformers for I/O. That would be perfect for your use case, but most of their current preamp line is above your budget - though you might find a used Renaissance V for ~5K. VAC has used 12AX7 / 12AU7 in past preamps, so I’m not sure if they may have an older 6922 / transformer based preamp that would fit budget.

Thanks for your help. Makes sense it sounds weird but I'm not about to start buying NOS 12AX7's when there are plenty of preamps (at least I think) that use what I already have.

What ARC preamps would you recommend (that use 6922 tubes)?

LS5 (all versions), LS25 (mk1),  Ref1 (mk1), Ref2 (mk1) all these are 6922 based.

I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence model with a few things (audio included); so I thought it might be interesting to see what AI had to say. Heaven knows I’ve been steered in different directions based on members’ personal preferences/priorities, which may or may not have matched my own.

@ullogu1 ’s question was posed verbatim. Here’s another perspective based purely on logic and available information:

I have some high end NOS 6922/6DJ8 tubes and am looking to change preamps. What do you recommend for a preamp, somewhere in the $2000-$4000 range (used is good too) that uses these tubes. My power amp is an Accuphase A47 class A power amp. Thanks for your help.

As a language model, I don’t have personal preferences or experiences, but I can suggest some options for a preamp that uses 6922/6DJ8 tubes in the price range you mentioned:

1. Audio Research LS28SE: This preamp uses a pair of 6H30 tubes for its gain stage, but it also has a 6922 tube in the output stage. The LS28SE is a highly regarded preamp with excellent build quality and sound performance.

2. PrimaLuna EVO 400: This preamp uses four 6922 tubes and has received many positive reviews for its warm and dynamic sound signature. It also features a headphone amplifier and an MM/MC phono stage.

3. VTL TL-6.5 Series II: This preamp is well-known for its transparency and natural sound. It uses four 6922 tubes and has a fully balanced design with two sets of XLR outputs.

4. Conrad-Johnson ET5: This preamp uses two 6922 tubes and has a minimalist design with a high-quality volume control. It has received many positive reviews for its musicality and detail.

5. Cary Audio SLP-05: This preamp uses four 6922 tubes and has a fully balanced design. It also features a headphone amplifier and an optional phono stage. The SLP-05 has received many positive reviews for its detailed and spacious soundstage.

Ultimately, the best preamp for you will depend on your personal preferences and the synergy with your Accuphase A47 power amp. It may be helpful to listen to several options in person or to consult with an audio expert for further advice.

@strateahed

That’s funny how the AI text is pretty well written and seems confident, however it is totally wrong on the tube complements! Most of those cited units don’t use any 6922 at all. The ET-5 appears to use a single 6922, and yet the AI confidently states this as a pair. OP should be aware none of the other preamps in the list use any 6922.

@mulveling 

Good catch! My sincere apologies to OP (and everyone else) for not checking info before posting. That's on me, as I've had to fact check this thing a couple of times; so I should've known better. Thanks for your contributions to the audio community.

Happy Listening!

Conrad-Johnson ET5: This preamp uses two 6922 tubes and has a minimalist design with a high-quality volume control. It has received many positive reviews for its musicality and detail.

having owned an et-5 for several years, i can attest it uses a single 6dj8 tube... each channel runs through one of its dual internal triodes

yes it uses only one tube -- but that tube needs to be balanced and quite strong as the heater voltage applied is 6.3v, so on the high limit of the tube’s use rating - so owners of these et5’s and successor et7 and et7-2 (which i currently have) are best off using 7dj8 equivalents... many owners have been (negatively) surprised that these linestages often experience noisy tubes after only 4-6-8 months of running a fine, expensive nos 6dj8 tube

6922 is a great tube for line stages - better than 12AX7 / 12AT7 / 12AU7 imo.

This statement is inaccurate.

The 6922, 6DJ8 and other frame grid triodes are not intended for audio. They are quite linear, which has been the attraction, but they are prone to microphonics, since audio was never the intention in their design.

I found that once I eliminated these tubes from my system, it sounded better- smoother and more relaxed, with no loss of detail.

I have gotten away from the 6922.   New production is not that great.  Old stock is drying up fast ....   

I had a CJ Classic 2 preamp, it was tough on tubes.   Only a few would last long, the Gold Lion 6922 or a Reflector 6h23n eb were the only 2 that would last.  

Unless you have a tube tester you'll never really know what you are putting in your gear.    I took a bunch of 6922 / 6dj8 and most were not as advertised,  weak or mismatched triodes.   This was more so with new production but had a few "NOS" duds.    

I have one component that still uses them , I have EH 6922 in there now .   They will at some point be replaced by Gold Lion 6922 as I think those are the best new production.  JJ are good too , but when ordering either , one should request matched triodes and matched tubes if ordering pairs.  

EAR 868, I love the sound and also have xlr input and output. 
But not every one like the shiny chrome though.

@honeyooi: Ah, another audiophile hip to EAR and the 868, one of hi-fi's best kept secrets! It's designer Tim de Paravicini uses the 7DJ8 in the 868, a slightly higher voltage variant of the 6DJ8. 

The LAB 12  Pre 1 sounds great.   It uses a pair of 6922.  

Another point to consider is that we are talking about line stages or preamps made after the 90’s and manufacturers did create their preamps with one russian type tube in mind for both durability and sound. The Russian NOS variant 6n23p/6n23p-v/6n23p-ev can last long and play great. Especially the 6n23p Voskhods, 1975-1979 period and the ultimate 6n23p Reflektor 1974-1975 period. These 6n23p (and even some made in early 80’s) would be the best version of that voicing compared to any tube made in the 50’s-60’s.

These particular 6n23p can smoke everything in 6922 family, can take punishment but unfortunately in the last years their prices have gone crazy, and if you can find the proper ones they easily surpass the western alternatives.

The EV versions- different tube not in the same league as the above but reasonably plentiful, and they were destined for space travel too.

ralph makes a fair point about the 6dj8 tube and it being somewhat prone to microphony (just ask past owners of the audible illusions preamps)... of course that aspect can be managed (with a cost of course) by effective design and choice of particular tube, if the linestage otherwise does what pleases its owner

Roger Modjeski of Music Reference liked the 6DJ8/6922 very much, as did EAR-Yoshino's Tim de Paravicini, who uses the 7DJ8 (a higher voltage variant of the 6DJ8) in his pre-amps. I hear no evidence of microphony in my EAR 868 (isolated by Townshend Audio Seismic Pods).

Of all the preamps I’ve had, the ones with 6DJ8 have actually not been prone to microphonics issues. But I’ve had a 6SN7 preamp and another 6H30 pre that were extremely sensitive to it. The biggest trigger I’ve noticed is having too much gain. Once you get over 15dB gain, whatever the tube, you’re asking for trouble here.

Exactly @mulveling, excessive gain is to be avoided. Does Art Ferris still make his Audible Illusions Modulus pre-amp (which uses the 6DJ8 tube) with 30dB of gain (!) in the line stage?

Exactly @mulveling, excessive gain is to be avoided. Does Art Ferris still make his Audible Illusions Modulus pre-amp (which uses the 6DJ8 tube) with 30dB of gain (!) in the line stage?

@bdp24  30dB gain is "holy cow" territory lol. No wonder folks would complain about 6DJ8 being a microphonic tube if they had that unit!

It seems like there was a time (in the 90s?) when it was common to see full function preamps with an MM phono stage and a whopping 20+dB line gain. I’ve seen units from ARC and CJ spec’d like that. I guess the idea was you "could" run a Medium or even Low-output MC cartridge by filling in with line stage gain? Doesn’t work well, IME. Besides having way too much gain AFTER the attenuator (which causes noise issues for sensitive amps & speakers), I’ve not had good results feeding too small a signal into an RIAA stage and then trying to add the extra gain afterwards - dull, flat, lifeless sound.

One benefit that came out of the CD was the elimination of the need for enough gain to boost the phono input to the level required by the input sensitivity of many power amps. With separate phono and line stages each can be optimized for their function.

In the 50’s and 60’s some hard core audiophiles would take the tape out signal from their pre-amp and send it directly to their power amp (or insert an attenuator in line between the two), by-passing the line stage altogether.

When doing live music recording on my Revox A77 in the 1970’s, I hooked up it’s output directly to my Dynaco Stereo 70. The A77 has an output level control, and plenty enough gain for the ST70. Most power amps need only 2 volts to reach full output, which the Revox produced. Of course your source must also have an output impedance low enough to not cause frequency response problems. The rule of thumb is the source output impedance must be no more than 1/10 the value of the power amp’s input impedance.

The EAR-Yoshino 868 can drive a 600 ohm load! Tim de Paravicini of course did a lot of work in recording studios (including Pink Floyd’s), where 600 ohms is the standard. It’s gain is 14dB, s/n ratio 90dB, it’s weight 22 lbs. and it’s output 5 volts into 600 ohms, both balanced and single ended, two pair of outputs on XLR and RCA jacks.

That is, two pair of outputs on both XLR's (balanced via Tim's famous output transformers) and RCA's (single ended), for a total of four pair of output jacks. The best output provisions of any pre-amp with which I am familiar.