Soundlumia's Opinion

The "textbook Heerlen sound" has been referenced in several Soundlumia listings of Amperex Holland/Philips E88CC/6922 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. And this super rare Valvo CCa yellow print pair is the "crown jewlrey" of all that.

Be assured - you will not miss one single bit of the legendary Heerlen sound just because the tubes are labeled Valvo. The proud delta symbol in the date code tells you this is 100% "textbook" natural sound from Heerlen: warm and lively tone with infinitely expansive midrange and nice extension on both top and low ends. The technical advantages of the CCa design on these tubes have taken the Heerlen sound to the next level: you get more forward vocals and a wonderful airy top end, super large imaging and incredibly spacious sound stage. Like any other CCa tubes, they have low noise to the vanishing point, and that makes these tubes the top choice if you look for the finest sound details and ultra clarity. 

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

This set was tested and certified by RoeTest V11 Professional Tube Testing System with the following result: 

Tube 1:

Measured transconductance(GM): 14.56/13.88 mA/V  - 116%/111% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current(IA): 19.934/18.944 mA  - 133%/126% (100% = 15 mA)

Tube 2:

Measured transconductance(GM): 13.93/14.11 mA/V  - 111%/113% (100% = 12.50 mA/V)
Measured plate current(IA): 19.184/19.746 mA  - 128%/132% (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

We treasure this pair also because of the pristine condition of both tubes (clear inscription and clear date codes), which is amazing given the tubes' age. What makes this pair even more rare is the identical date code on both tubes: 

7LH ⊿4F3 (7LH = E88CC/CCa, ⊿ = Heerlen, NL, 4 = 1964, F = June, 3 = Week 3 of the production month)

Shipping Policy 

 - US Shipping: Flat-rate USPS Ground Advantage (upgradable to flat-rate USPS Priority or FedEx 2nd Day for expedited delivery.)

 - International Shipping: (Please read carefully) USPS First Class International is used for all countries EXCEPT: Armenia, Chile, China, India, Latvia, Mauritius, Mexico, 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. Soundlumia-sponsored 3-day guaranteed worldwide delivery program ($30 flat rate for ALL destinations in the world) via DHL Express is highly recommended to serious and committed buyers. 

 - 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.