|
Vintage Asylum Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time. |
|
|
|
Vintage Asylum Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time. |
|
In Reply to: RE: 6BL8_ECF80_E80CF_7643 posted by becketma@yahoo.com on April 28, 2010 at 22:39:18:
PHOTO: Some NOS Siemens and Halske E80CF, made by Telefunken
becketma,
While I did acquire a couple of RCA 6BL8, the European ones were all of only two designs. They were either the Philips configuration with the prominent double triangular getter supports or they were the Telefunken which looked more like 12xx7 and having a reinforced single post getter support. All the Philips brands: Philips, Miniwatt, Amperex, Valvo, and Mullard had the trianglular supports and the Telefunken and Siemens were made by Telefunken. I thought I had bought 6 different European 6BL8's, but actually I bought only two. A related surprise was that the NOS Amperex 6GH8A that I'm using as a substitute for the 6U8 in the McIntosh MR67 tuner MPX section was visually identical in every way to the original "McIntosh by Amperex" labeled 6BL8's.
Interesting too how the brands attached to the same tube had different prices- an Amperex or Mullard labeled tube cost more than a Valvo for example. This is the reason I buy Valvo- and on German Ebay- often- it's the same tooling as Amperex, but significantly less expensive as NOS.
I'm not surprised that there would also be Siemens made by Valvo- I assume by that you mean they have the "D" code to denote the Hamburg factory.
For some reason, I got special collectors' satisfaction with the Valvo pinched waist, gold pin E80CF- not only is the sound fantastic- it reminds me of the same kind of refined sound of the 7316, but it brings the glamour of some $200 Amperex E88CC- but for $20 instead.
One topic not mentioned before is that the 6BL8, 6U8, 6GH8 family seem to be very long-lived- 6AU6's too in this regard. Most of those types I have in late 50's to mid-60's gear- tuners/receivers- were still strong 40+ year old originals. The longevity must keep the price of NOS low as it does for so many tuner types. When retuning the MR67, I bought NOS Telefunken 6AB4, 6BE6, 6CS6, and so on for very little- $3-8. Premium 6AU6's like the 6136 (ruggedised) and 7543 (low hum) were inexpensive too.
As far as I know, a circuit that accommodates the 6GH8 should work- perhaps with a somewhat reduced output- with the E80CF and I'll continue to watch for a headphone amp based on the 6GH8. -I have all those E80CF's around!
Cheers,
Bambi B
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- Yes, I found only two European designs - Bambi B 04/29/1006:59:15 04/29/10 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
