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Tube handling/designations

I recently purchased a BAT VK-30.It came with 6922 Teslas installed as well as the original Sovteks.I would like to try some different tubes to see how they affect the sound.My first question is do you need to wear gloves so as not to get oil off your hands on the tubes like halide lights?My next question is are 6922's the only tube that will work or are there others?I ask this because in some ads for tubes I see a slash followed by EE????.Also,what does NOS mean and why are they supposed to be better?
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desmondjim
67 posts
 
When I handle my tubes I will generally wipe them off before I turn them on. Tubes don't get as hot as halide lights and I have never seen one blow out like a halide but I think a little caution is prudent.

There are many equivalent tubes to 6922. It gets a little confusing at times but you get used to it after a little while. Some of the tube types that can be used instead of 6922 are 6DJ8, ECC88, 6H23, 7308.

New Old Stock are old production tubes that have never been used. I don't know exactly why older tubes are better. It seems there was an art to tube making that has been lost after tubes went from being the pinnacle of high tech to a niche product. Some of the old tube makers are Amperex, Siemens, Telefunken, RCA, Tung-Sol, Mullard, Sylvania... There are some real nice new production tubes that are available now so not all the art is lost. I really don't use 6922s anymore so I don't know were to point to for new ones.

Cheers,
Jim
elevick
2,638 posts
 
I just wash my hands first. DO make sure that if you get fingerprints on the tubes to wipe them off thoroughly. Washing tubes can be a problem since the paint usually washes off too...

I think you can use cv4004 also???
6922's are great tubes and easy to roll. Personally, I like Telefunken for any kind of tube, followed by Mullard and Amperex Bugle Boy/trumpeter(much better than the basic amperex). Golden Dragons are good, JAN can be good too.

Keep in mind that these will last 5000 to 10000 hours for good ones. So, to spend $100 for good ones vs $20 for Sovteks is worth the difference! You should be able to find nice pairs for $60 to $90/pr. Mint NOS Telefunkens will run more. The old tubes were made much better than some of today's junk like some russian and many of the chinese tubes.

Good sites to search for tube ideas:
Upscaleaudio.com
thetubestore.com
tubeworld.com pricey
tubesandmore.com
echohifi.com
jeffsoundvalues.com
newbee
4,794 posts
 
Call BAT before you start sub'ing tubes. Most anything that takes 6DJ8's can take 6922/6h23's BUT not everything that takes 6922's can run 6DJ8's as effectively. They are not identical tubes. FWIW.
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