What are good quality Russian substitutes for 6922 and 12AX7 tubes? I would purchase a pair of 6922 analogs and a pair of 12AX7 analogs. They are cheap but may sound good.
Thanks in advance for your help.
RE: Russian substitutes for 6922 and 12AX7 tubes, posted on May 8, 2017 at 22:57:43
The 6N2P has only slightly less gain, the EV version has the same gain, but they pass much more current. I used them extensively as a NEWB and have nothing bad to say about them. Once, I had an error in the power supply and the B+ voltage was reduced quite a bit. I was using 6N2P as preamp tubes and 6P3S as power tubes. The amp sounded really really really good, like triode quality. I always used the 6N2P where a schematic would call for 12ax7. Used 82K for the anode resistor. Nobody wanted to touch Russian tubes at the time and they were cheap, which is why I loaded up on them.
RE: Russian substitutes for 6922 and 12AX7 tubes, posted on January 7, 2017 at 08:32:34
Posts: 10455 Location: Monroe Township, NJ Joined: March 31, 2000
If you can source Soviet era 6H23Π-EB (6n23p-ev) favorably, you are good to go on 6922s. FWIW, the EH labeled 6922 is (in fact) 6H23Π-EB.
The 12AX7 is more difficult. If your bench skills are up to the requisite heater rewiring AND the tubes run on "6" V., the 6H2Π-EB (6n2p-ev) will float your boat.
Eli D.
RE: Russian substitutes for 6922 and 12AX7 tubes, posted on January 7, 2017 at 08:21:21
Posts: 1804 Location: East Coast Joined: May 23, 2004
I am curious about this desire to revisit a time when many struggled to find quality tubes from The collapsing USSR, the Russian tubes I own made more, recently are much better sounding than the early examples. I don't get it, unless it relates to the fact that there are NOS tube stocks to be found. Yes Jim and I suppose a few others have found a power tube that is an unmitigated success, otherwise I am unclear on their. ....
As the general rule..., posted on January 11, 2017 at 07:16:29
...the Soviet tubes made before the USSR collapse have substantially higher quality levels.
I will not speak for the sound, as it is very subjective, but it is sufficient to say that we had to reject up to 30-40% of tubes in some current production batches. The results are highly inconsistent - there are good batches and bad ones - something we simply do not see in the earlier tubes, where the rejection rates are close to zero.
There are many reasons for that, the main one being that the tube production used to be one of very important military field, with its associated tough standards on everything.
Today it is basically a cottage industry, where every producer sets his own standards.
RE: As the general rule..., posted on January 12, 2017 at 14:53:18
Certainly the outgoing quality requirements have been reduced (my impression, plus from talking to some personnel there), but also some special materials are no longer available. Maintenance on factory equipment is most likely not up to the same standards either.
RE: Russian substitutes for 6922 and 12AX7 tubes, posted on January 7, 2017 at 11:41:39
Posts: 9621 Location: Fort Worth Joined: May 17, 2000 Contributor Since: April 5, 2002
Voskhod 6n23-Pi for the 6922. Those from early 1970's seemed better to my ear than the ones from 1980's. I have no idea about 12ax7. No experience there.