Valvo CCa (E88CC+) Yellow Label O-Getter Matched Pair - Holland '62 - Near NOS

Soundlumia's Opinion

The "textbook Heerlen sound" has been referenced in several Soundlumia listings of Amperex Holland/Philips E88CC/6922 tubes, and many tube enthusiasts asked what that all means. So this is the answer: the late 1950s and very early 1960s tone, the beginning of over a decade's excellence in sound, the classic tonal template for all the great (and greater) Amperex/Philips/Valvo/Miniwatt tubes to be made in the years to come, the timeless Philips radio tone that many of us grew up listening to. And this super rare Valvo CCa yellow print pair is the "crown jewlrey" of all that.

Be assured - you will not miss one single bit of the legendary Heerlen sound just because the tubes are labeled Valvo. The proud delta symbol in the date code tells you this is 100% "textbook" natural sound from Heerlen: warm and lively tone with infinitely expansive midrange and nice extension on both top and low ends. The technical advantages of the CCa design on these tubes have taken the Heerlen sound to the next level: you get more forward vocals and a wonderful airy top end, super large imaging and incredibly spacious sound stage. Like any other CCa tubes, they have low noise to the vanishing point, and that makes these tubes the top choice if you look for the finest sound details and ultra clarity. 

Professional Sound Evaluation

The pair worked wonderfully and sounded terrific in our professional studio setup for monitoring. 

 - Input: Cambridge Audio CXC V2 dedicated CD transport + Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 Multibit DAC

 - Amplification: Liquid Platinum Tube Amplifier by Alex Cavalli 

 - Output: Focal Clear MG Pro open-back headphones

Our full tube sound review was written 100% based on the actual listening experience while this pair of tubes were running in the system described above.

Professional Tube Testing

This set was tested and certified by RoeTest V11 Professional Tube Testing System with the following result: 

Tube 1: 

Measured transconductance(GM): 10.95/10.13 mA/V - 88%/81% (100% = 12.5 mA/V)

Measured plate current(IA): 12.892/13.222 mA - 86%/88% (100% = 15 mA)

Tube 2: 

Measured transconductance(GM): 10.38/10.64 mA/V - 83%/85% (100% = 12.5 mA/V)

Measured plate current(IA): 11.61/11.295 mA - 77%/75% (100% = 15 mA)

NO shorts, leakage or gas. NO noise or microphonics.

Curve trace is also included in the original RoeTest report.

Appearance & cosmetic condition

We treasure this pair also because of the pristine condition of both tubes (clear inscription and clear date codes), which is amazing given the tubes' age. 

7L8 𝛥2D5 (𝛥 = Heerlen, 2 = 1962, D = April, 5 = Week 5 of production month)

7L8 𝛥2I4 (𝛥 = Heerlen, 2 = 1962, I = September, 4 = Week 4 of production month)

Packaging

NEW reproduction Valvo tube boxes.