E88CC matched quad SQ Philips Heerlen, NOS, V44, V96, V98. V101

Beschrijving

This quad Philips E88CC SQ tubes made by Philips in the Netherlands (Heerlen plant).

These Special Quality tubes have a grey shield and halo-getter. All four tubes are manufactured in the period 1969-1972. This very reliable, long life and low noise version of an ECC88 tube which is mostly used for military, professional or communication purposes. The properties of the Philips E88CC SQ for hifi applications are legendary and widely known. I refer to the many threads on the web for more information. 

All four tubes are assumed to be unused (NOS). The tubes are thoroughly tested. The quad is matched very well and all four tubes are internally balanced. The specs of the quad match the factory specifications extremely well. See test results.

Sonics

• Warm but not dark – a slightly warm, natural tonality without being rolled off high.
• Very fluid midtones – voices and acoustic instruments sound rich and organic, with little hardness.
• Sophisticated high – detailed and airy, but more silky than analytical.
• Tight, well-defined bass – usually not overly thick, but quite deep and controlled.
• Good microdetail display – small nuances in voices, echo and instruments come out nicely without it becoming clinical.
• Spatial and coherent – especially the placement of instruments and the depth of the stereo image can be very convincing.
• Quiet background – good ones are usually very quiet, which is important in phono, preamplifier and DAC applications.

Test results

The tubes have been tested carefully with the official factory test set-up and our sophisticated test equipment. Please read our testmethod for the ECC88 tube family. The measurement data below show that these tubes are matched to each other and are internally balanced. And meet the factory specifications of a new/NOS tube very wel. Tube to tube match and internal balance for all tubes is excellent (Gm match < 2%). 

Valve 1 V44

Ia (plate current): Transconductance (Gm): Gas test, Shorts test:

14,7 /14,8 mA     12,5 /12,4 mA/V OK

=  NOS / NOS =  NOS / NOS

Valve 2 V96

Ia (plate current): Transconductance (Gm): Gas test, Shorts test:

14,6 /14,3 mA     12,4 /12,4 mA/V OK

=  NOS / NOS =  NOS / NOS

Valve 3 V98

Ia (plate current): Transconductance (Gm): Gas test, Shorts test:

14,6 /14,4 mA     12,5 /12,4 mA/V OK

=  NOS / NOS =  NOS / NOS

Valve 4 V108

Ia (plate current): Transconductance (Gm): Gas test, Shorts test:

14,6 /14,4 mA     12,5 /12,4 mA/V OK

=  NOS / NOS =  NOS / NOS

Test methods and reference values are outline on the Tube testing page.

Summarized description