Product Overview

The most popular tube at the Soundlumia store, the audio tube that every serious audiophile wants to own, and perhaps the most legendary 6DJ8 tube on the planet. They fly off the shelves faster than we can restock, but here we are again:  a very rare tightly matched pair of vintage 1959/60's Amperex Bugle Boy tubes made in Heerlen, Holland. If you are seeking the early 1960s' Bugle Boy sound, please check out a wonderful 1962 matched pair we are also presenting here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/266530364986

Sound Qualities

As far as the tonality, there isn't much to say except that who doesn't love Bugle Boy? These are the tubes that defined the house sound of Amperex Heerlen - very detailed, great bass definition, extensive midrange and the right amount of warmth. Instruments sound very natural and vocal reproduction is over the top. The sound stage is spacious and well structured, and instrument separation is the best you can get in this price range.

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 

Both tubes tested Super Strong NOS (120%+ nominal mutual conductance) on a Mercury 2000 tube tester with the following result (mutual conductance both in uMhos and in percentage of nominal):

Tube 1: 14,900/14,500 (119%/116%)

Tube 2: 14,990/13,900 (119%/111%)


Good tubes start at 7000 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 12,500 - 13,000, and the Mercury 2000's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 12,500. 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 the numbers the stronger. 

Appearance & cosmetic condition

We treasure this pair also because of the great cosmetic condition of both tubes - over 90% of the paint is intact and well preserved. The Heerlen factory date code etched on glass are perfectly visible on both tubes: 

delta 9K (delta = Heerlen, 9=1959, K= November)

delta OE (delta = Heerlen, 0=1960, E = May)

Shipping Policy 
 - 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 ($25 flat rate for ALL destinations in the world) via DHL Express is highly recommended. 
 - 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" or "changed my mind."

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 tax/GST/VAT 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.