Valvo

Valvo PCC88 = 7DJ8 (6DJ8 equiv.) Matched Quad - Hamburg 1961/1962 - NOS

$274.00 USD

Sale Sold out

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Product variants

Quantity

Product Summary

As with any German tube, you should expect nothing but the best in sound from these bad boys, and you will not be disappointed. The top five sound qualities shared by German tubes are delivered with perfection by these lovely tubes, and especially on an ultra rare d-getter pair:

1) Holographic sound stage (leading brand: Telefunken)

2) Non-fatiguing top end extension (leading brand: Siemens)

3) Natural tone/flat midrange (leading brand: Valvo Hamburg)

4) Deeply controlled bass (leading brands: Siemens & Valvo Hamburg)

5) Ultra clarity and layered details (leading brand: Telefunken)

Sound Characteristics

Over the years, we have found the bass on Valvo Hamburg even more appealing than on Siemens (allegedly the King of Bass and that's fine) for a very important reason: there's added substance and weight to the lower midrange that makes the bass more pronounced without being overpowering. This special sound characteristic can only be found on Valvo Hamburg tubes. And because of the added substance in sound, the overall tonality of these tubes feels sweet, warm and musical, and the ambient clues sound closer to your ears. One may find Telefunken's midrange thinner compared to Valvo Hamburg as a trade-off of a more enveloping and curvier holographical sound stage...the law of physics applies here as well - the shape of sound can only change in one direction.

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: 14,000/13,000 (117%/108%)

Tube 2: 14,100/14,500 (118%/121%)

Tube 3: 12,800/13,000 (107%/108%)

Tube 4: 12,900/12,900 (108%/108%)

Good tubes start at 7000 and new tubes (incl. NOS/NIB) 12,000 - 12,500, and the Mercury 2000's rated mutual conductance (nominal) for new tubes is 12,000. 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: