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 ECC83 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 ECC83 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: 1,180/1,120 (118%/112%)
Tube 2: 1,200/1,000 (120%/100%)
Good tubes start at 700 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 1,000, and the Mercury 2000 tester's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 1,000. 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.
I62 ‡4G (I62 = ECC83 short plates gen #2, ‡ = Munich, 4 = 1964, G = July)
I62 ‡4K (I62 = ECC83 short plates gen #2, ‡ = Munich, 4 = 1964, K = November)
Packaging
This pair of tubes will be packaged in the Original Siemens ECC83 tube boxes.
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 ($35 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 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.