Philips
1x Philips ECC186 7316 Long Plates D-Foil Getter - Heerlen 1958
1x Philips ECC186 7316 Long Plates D-Foil Getter - Heerlen 1958
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Soundlumia's Opinion
The "textbook Heerlen sound" has been referenced in several Soundlumia listings of Philips Holland ECC82/12AU7 tubes, and many tube enthusiasts asked what that all means. So this is the answer: the late 1950s and very early 1960s tone, the beginning of over a decade's excellence in sound, the classic tonal template for all the great (and greater) Amperex/Philips/Valvo/Miniwatt tubes to be made in the years to come, the timeless Philips radio tone that many of us grew up listening to.
But there's also a "secret" version of the textbook Heerlen sound that very few have heard: ECC186 (aka 7316 or 12AUWA) tubes made in Holland (and ONLY in Holland.) As an improved version of 7316/ECC186 designed for computers, ECC186 has a a special cathode that allows the tube to be operated without anode current for long periods of time without damage. Remember the last time you heard people talking about the elusive "circuit tubes?" You are looking right at them! It would be fascinating to understand the technicality as to how this special design had made the the Heerlen sound so amazing, but our audiophile ears perhaps only care to know this is Philips Holland's official answer to Telefunken's ECC802S and Mullard's 10M Series. In other words, these tubes compete and ONLY compete in the Holy Grail league of the 7316/ECC186 family.
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