The "textbook Heerlen sound" has been referenced in several Soundlumia listings of Amperex Holland E88CC/6922 tubes, and many tube enthusiasts asked what that all means. So this is the answer: the late 1950s and early 1960s tone, the timeless Philips radio tone that many of us grew up listening to, the beginning of over a decade's excellence in sound, the classic tonal template for all the great (and greater) Amperex Holland/Philips E88CC tubes, including this gorgeous Valvo-labeled pair. Valvo was the Philips Germany division.
Sound Qualities
Made in Heerlen, Holland in 1960, these tubes naturally share all the remarkable characteristics of the "textbook" Amperex Holland house sound. The midrange presentation is transparent, natural and expansive, with a slight touch of warmth that illuminates your music. Bass is deep and well controlled and the accuracy feels very similar to the high end German E88CC's. Sound separation and clarity on these are nearly on par with the Amperex PQ (Premium Quality) tubes - you should hear absolutely nothing but the pure soul of your music and all of it when you use these tubes.
And what differences does the D-getter make on these? The textbook sound refined: cleaner instrument separation, smoother top end extension and taller imaging.
Professional Tube Testing
This set was tested and certified by RoeTest V11 tester with the following result:
Tube 1:
Measured transconductance (GM): 13.73/13.51 mA/V - 110%/108% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current (IA): 17.347/16.32 mA - 116%/109% (100% = 15 mA)
Tube 2:
Measured transconductance (GM): 12.73/13.22 mA/V - 102%/106% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current (IA): 16.732/16.05 mA - 112%/107% (100% = 15 mA)
Tube 3:
Measured transconductance (GM): 12.59/12.9 mA/V - 101%/103% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current (IA): 16.305/15.585 mA - 109%/104% (100% = 15 mA)
Tube 4:
Measured transconductance (GM): 12.52/12.65 mA/V - 100%/101% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current (IA): 15.195/14.43 mA - 101%/96% (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
This pair is extra rare because of the excellent cosmetic condition: at least 90% of the inscription is intact and perfectly visible, and the acid etched Heerlen date codes are perfectly visible:
7LG ⊿2H4 (7LG = E88CC, ⊿ = Heerlen, Holland, 2 = 1962, H = August, 4 = Week 4 of production month.
Identical G.Abl code on all tubes: 21062
Packaging
NEW reproduction Valvo 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(USPS Priority recommended), or we may not be able to fulfill your order using standard shipping due to our concern of undelivered packages or shipping delays in your country.
- 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.