Turtlerock Forum

Hi guys I'm currently in Germany and am thinking about buying some valves while I'm here for my Rode K2 microphone as an experiment. The type is ECC88 I'm looking for. I want to get a few different ones as I'm interested in hearing what differences they all make to the sound. I wanted to get some guidence for buying them.

What to avoid or what to look out for? What do the numbers mean when they are closer (balanced) and is it better to get ones with higher values over lower values? Does a lower value mean lower signal or more noise? The lower value valves are lower in price here but will they still be ok?


http://koschuh.com/ECC88-E88CC-6DJ8-6922/artikel.html

I need as much help as I can get.
thanks guys.

I'm pretty sure Rode K2 is similar to NTK, a hybrid (tube + SS) circuit that uses tube as a unity gain follower running in
constant current mode. Not the best circuit from a warmth / natural sound POV so you want to put a tube
in there that will bend it more this way.

What this also means in plain English is that different tube current (Gm) ratings won't make too much difference.

I'd go for Amperex or 2nd choice Mullard. If he has any Amperex with the little Bugle Boy logo, they
are great musical sounding tubes.

I've tried Mullard and Siemens in mine and they both sound great. Big improvement over the stock valves.