Stronger than time! This is the classic beauty in sound, admired by audiophiles for almost 60 years and will still be our top choice in the next 60 years. Particularly, the early '60s Siemens tone is considered the "reference sound" for serious classical listeners who need to upgrade the sound quality at phono stage.
Sound Characteristics
The airy and transparent sound produced by these vintage Siemens tubes has been unrivaled even to this day. The magically extended yet never tizzy highs, coupled with the slightly focused upper mid-range, deliver a clear presentation of the entire frequency spectrum, completed by the precise and deep controlled bass. And the most defining sound characteristic of Siemens ECC81 tubes is their ability to retrieve the deepest levels of detail in sound, and these hidden sonic layers can go a long way to revealing the subtle ambient clues that help complete building a truly 3D holographic presentation. While as quiet and analytical as the best Telefunken ECC83 tubes, Siemens ECC88's produce a warmer, smoother and more musical sound. To see how they compare to each other please also see Soundlumia's exclusive Telefunken ECC81 listings.
Professional Tube Testing
Both tubes tested NOS (100%+ mutual conductance value for NEW) on a reliable and recently calibrated Mercury 2000 tube tester with the following results for mutual conductance:
Tube 1: 3,500/3,200 (100%/91%)
Tube 2: 3,500/3,500 (100%/100%)
Good tubes start at 700 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 3,500, and the Mercury 2000 tester's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 3,500. Test results can be seen in the pictures. In case you wonder what all these numbers mean to your sound experience, it's actually quite straightforward: mutual conductance directly translates to a tube's ability to amplify sound, so the higher these numbers the stronger. No shorts or gas leakage.
Appearance & Cosmetic condition
Although most of the silkscreen has worn off, the two-line mC6 date codes etched in glass are perfectly visible on both tubes.
VF1 ‡3K (VF = ECC81, ‡ = Munich, 3 = 1963, K = November)
VF1 ‡4J (VF = ECC81, ‡ = Munich, 4 = 1964, J = October)
Packaging
This pair of tubes will be packaged in new white boxes.
