Perfect matched pair of vintage Mullard E88CC CV2492 audio tubes - Made in Holland - 1963/65 - Near NOS - Super Rare
Tube Summary
This is not a listing about audio tubes but an invitation to hear the the sweetest voice on Earth. Yes no other tubes can deliver vocals like the Mullard's, whether they're from Blackburn, Mitcham, or Heerlen, and that's a fact. The Mullard labeled and Holland made E88CC tubes are extremely hard to find today and are being hunted to extinction by audiophiles and sound professionals. The wonderful CV2492 tube (military version of E88CC) significantly boosts the performance of this pair.
Sound Characteristics
Be assured - you will not miss one single bit of the legendary Heerlen sound just because the tubes are labeled Mullard. 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 in both top and low frequencies. The technical advantages of the CV2492 tube help take the sound qualities of this pair to the next level: you get more forward vocals and a wonderful airy top end, super large imaging and incredibly spacious sound stage, and the low noise at vanishing point - a perfect choice if you are exploring details in the famed Dutch house sound.
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
NO short, leakage or gas. NO noise or microphonics.
Both tubes tested Near NOS (90% - 100% nominal mutual conductance) and tightly matched on a reliable and recently calibrated B&K 747 tube tester with the following results for mutual conductance:
Tube 1: 79/76 (99%/95%)
Tube 2: 78/75 (98%/94%)
Good tubes start at 65 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 80 - 85, and the B&K 747's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 80. Test result can also 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.
Appearance & cosmetic condition
This pair stands out aesthetically among the vintage tubes. Near 100% of the silkscreen is well preserved and the identical Heerlen date code is perfectly visible on both tubes:
E88CC tube: delta 5B1 (delta = Heerlen, 5 = 1965, G = July, 1 = 1st week of the month)
CV2492 tube : delta 3B? (delta = Heerlen, 3 = 1963, G = July, ? = unknown week of the month)
- US Shipping: Flat-rate USPS Ground Advantage
- International Shipping: (Please read carefully) USPS First Class International is used for all countries EXCEPT: Armenia, Chile, China, India, Latvia, Mauritius, Serbia, Slovenia, Tuvalu, and Vietnam. If you prefer to use a different carrier or shipping service, please contact us first so we can establish shipping rates before you make payment. If you are a buyer in one of the excluded countries, you must contact us prior to purchase to arrange shipping. Soundlumia-sponsored 3-day guaranteed worldwide delivery program ($35 flat rate for ALL destinations in the world) via DHL Express is highly recommended to serious and committed buyers.
- Same day shipping: Orders placed by 2:00PM US Pacific Time on weekdays are posted on the same day, otherwise the next business day.
- Combined shipping available - request invoice for total before making payment or receive shipping credit after order ships.
Return Policy - Please READ carefully
Returns are acceptable if we made a mistake by delivering you wrong or defective products. Tubes we sell are guaranteed to work because we run professional tests and sound evaluation TWICE: before they are approved for listing AND before we ship them to customers. So the "defective item" case doesn't exist and please do not bother trying - this type of returns will NOT be accepted without proof that tubes are faulty and we will open disputes with eBay. Sound experience is very subjective and we do NOT accept returns because you do not like the tube's sound signature or because you changed your mind about your purchase. Please contact us to work things out before submitting return requests claiming "item is defective" or "item not as described" or "just didn't like it."
Tube rollers abusing the return system will be reported to eBay immediately and negative feedback will be left to your account - that's guaranteed. We have already opened several dispute cases to report abusive buyers and eBay has always ruled in our favor. International buyers who request return or refund claiming your country's import duties or sales taxes/VAT/GST are too high will be reported to eBay immediately for dishonesty and will be permanently blacklisted from purchasing from Soundlumia. We are committed to working closely with eBay to help rid the marketplace of dishonest, unjust, unreasonable, abusive buyers that are detrimental to the vintage tubes market and the audiophile community.