Peter Teitelbaum

“After speaking with Kevin, I bought 5 of these for my Symphonic Line Erleuchtung tube pre-amp (one for CD input buffer, four for output stage). The relevant comparison is not to the stock Elektro-Harmonix 6922 tubes that come with the pre-amp - it absolutely smokes those - but to other tubes in its class. In my case, the other tubes are Mullard CV2492s, a really good tube in its own right. I've used the Mullards for almost two years and know their sound well. In comparison, the Telefunken are: more dynamic and produce a faster attack with cleaner leading edges; produce a bit more powerful bass impact; have a deeper and higher soundstage - the increased depth in particular is quite noticeable; provide greater detail, track transients deeper into the recording space and are more revealing; create more sharply defined images making it easier to follow individual players; have a more upfront presentation i.e. less mid-hall and closer to the stage; but are not as liquid or smooth in the midrange i.e. vocals. So there you have it. Kevin's rhapsodic descriptions of them - both online and on the phone with me- are pretty much justified. And now a note about Kevin. I've read on audiophile blogs that he can be abrupt and a little too direct for some folks. I found him to be focused on answering my questions, understanding what I was looking for, and explaining my choices once I (finally) got around to making what I was looking for clear enough for him to provide meaningful advice. My take? If you call him looking for ego strokes and exclamations confirming your genius in selecting your gear and in life generally, try someone else (or get your girlfriend drunk). If you want straight tube talk and recommendations, he's your guy.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

“These tubes are fantastic. When used in my lyr 2, to run my MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs and HE-400I'S, the sound stage opens up and becomes holographic. The imagery of the instruments becomes more textured and detailed. The bass is great, it becomes deeper and has more impact without leaking into the mids. Furthermore these tubes made the overall sound more lush and detailed, just a fantastic tube, especially for the HE-400I.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

“I have two pairs of Amperex 6922 and one pair of 7308 and one pair of Mullard 6922 and these Telefunkens are the best.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“Replaced the original Sovtek with Telefunken E88CC Platinum Grade. At first I was quite disapointed because the sound was flat, thin and lacked bass. But after a couple of hours the sound is alot better but still a bit more bright. I decided to measure the frequence response of my Pathos Classic One. Used a tone generator and an oscilloscope. It turned out the Sovtek tubes was more even in amplification, only 1,8% difference in amplification between the channels at level 10 (volume Control). A slighty drop of amplification at 20Hz was noticed, the high frequence response was linear to 30KHz and did respond to about 50KHz before dropping a bit more steep. The Telefunken was completely linear between 15Hz and 40KHz and dropped a bit more at 65KHz and did respond well to atleast 80KHz. The Telefunken was absolutely more linear against the Sovtek. The amplification was not as good as the Sovtek, the digital volume control was at 10 at both tests, but the Telefunken needed the volume control to be set to 15 to amplify at the same level as the Sovtek.tubes. The difference in amplification between the Platinum grade Telefunken was not so good, Left 92mV and Right 110mV, switched tubes between the channels to confirm the results. About 8,36% difference between the two Telefunken in amplification. The Sovtek was better, Left 169mV and Right 172mV, almost perfect. Not so good matching of the Telefunken tubes even with Platinum grade ordered. The output levels are the result of the same input signal amplitude. The amplifier itself had a small difference between the channels and the above figures is a result of placing the tubes at the channel giving the most even output. A think the sound still is improving and will be better after some time. Yet it is thinner and a bit more energy in the top register than the Sovtek tubes, not hard, just soft, detailed and smooth, not bad at all, just different that I am used to. If the amplification and matching had been a bit better I would give them 5 stars, now they get only 4 stars.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

“Amazing & transformative tube. With the stock tubes my Schiit Lyr was a bit underwhelming, but these completely change the nature of the device. The pesky noise that was there before is gone, whilst these give added depth and smoothness to the audio. Wide sound stage, clear separation. Very happy!”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

“This tube lives up to it's billing. With it, I've had a significant overall increase in my systems performance. Granted these tubes are not cheap, but the cost is a fraction my total investment in equipment, so great bang for the buck. I've used some other nice NOS tubes with my Pathos Classic One Mk II, such as Mullard & Ediswan, but now I understand where the Telefunken legend is coming from. I will be getting another pair to put away for a rainy day.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

Stephen Wilson

Unverified Reviewer

“The Lyr is a highly regarded hybrid (tube/mosfet) amp that responds well to "tube rolling". After trying various NOS Amperex, Mullard,Siemens, and a pair of current production Cryoset Genalex Gold Lions, I decided to try these Tele's from Upscale. Kevin's somewhat over the top description and acquisition of said tubes were a compelling story. Bottom line, super smooth sound, incredible micro details, flat frequency response, these tubes do it all. I just ordered a second pair for backup!”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

Rob Richardson

Unverified Reviewer

“I have a Manley Chinook phono preamp thats over a month old and comes stock with standard Electro-Harmonix 6922s. I won't lie, the thing sounds amazing compared to my previous phono stage by SimAudio. However, as tube rollers do, I started reading around looking for some good tubes to really step up my system's sound. I called Upscale and spoke with Kevin about what I was looking for (tone, 3D imaging) and he said I should look at the Telefunkens. Well, Kevin is batting 1.000 with me on some pretty big equipment purchases as well as small tube buys. So I went for it! Whoa. This is what "going down the rabbit hole" means in HiFi audio. My system was sounding so good with the stock EHs. I mean, for an inexpensive current-production tube, the EH 6922s are good, quiet tubes. But the Tele's, I gotta say, those things are a gift from 20th century engineers! Forget ICBMs or whatever cold war device they were originally meant for, the Telefunken's are meant to rock! At one point during the break-in period I put on Lou Reed's "Transformer" and turned my back to continue working at my computer. Throughout, the amazing depth and clarity of the bass would catch my attention and pull me out of my keyboard-tapping stupor. Then, during "Walk On The Wild Side" I stopped everything in disbelief because the stand-up bass sounded like a real, live stand-up bass! I've heard this song hundreds of times in my life and, unless you're really paying attention, you just hear a baseline. I'm telling you, the Telefunkens bring so much to the table, they will pull you in by uncovering sonics that were once hidden. Get them, you will not be sorry!”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago

Telefunken E88CC / 6922 Gold Grade / No Cryo Reviews