Siemens

Siemens E188CC 7308 Gray Shield Matched Pair Orig. Box - Munich G0 1# 4I/5J -NOS

$945.00 USD

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Product Summary

Stronger than time! This is the classic beauty in sound, admired by audiophiles for more than 60 years and will still be our top choice in the next 60 years. The legendary Siemens tone is considered the "reference sound" for serious classical listeners who need to upgrade the sound quality at phono stage. One with the Siemens label and the other one with Telefunken label, both Munich gray shield E188CC's test above NOS and tightly matched.

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 E188CC 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 E188CC tubes, Siemens E188CC's produce a warmer, smoother and more musical sound.

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

No shorts, gas grid leakages or microphonics.

Both tubes tested Strong NOS (110%+ mutual conductance) on a Mercury 2000 tube tester with the following result (both in mutual conductance in uMhos and in percentage of the nominal value):

Tube 1: 15,100/15,000 (137%/136%)

Tube 2: 16,000/15,000 (145%/136%)

Good tubes start at 7000 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 11,000 - 11,500, and the Mercury 2000's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 11,000. 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 better.

Appearance & Cosmetic condition

Despite some loss of paint on one of the tubes, this pair overall is in great cosmetic condition. The 3-line Munich date codes etched on the glass are visible on both tubes although you may need to look closer to see them completely: