Here  are the prized 1974 Reflektor SWGP Silver Shields.  Exact Date code matched pair V '74.  Strong matched outputs.  Very rare in this matched quality
US Seller.  
These are some of the finest 6922 tubes that I have heard.  I have tried most of the greats!  I run these and the '75 HG's in my DAC, two amps, and my headphone amp.
Every tube goes through a special pin cleaning process that takes several days.  I have found this really enhances the sound of these special tubes.  The pictures posted are before the cleaning process.
Read my review comments below. I recently completed a review of these and the best 6922, E88CC, E188CC, CCa's.  My review: 

'6922 Tube Review - 17 Top 6922 6N23P E88CC CCa 7308 E188CC tubes'

6922
They finished #1!
From my review:

Results:

Well I did this tube shootout the hard way – rotating all tube on every track in one sitting. That was 136 tube rolls over the course of a week. I did this so I could compare each tube on the same track while it was fresh in my mind. In fact, I used a spreadsheet and marked a 1-13 point assignment for each attribute as I was listening, in ½ point increments. Then after each tube I would look at the scoring and make slight adjustments after the entire track was over – sometimes re-listening to that tube if I was unsure. I also occasionally ran the top tubes against each other. I would also change the order of the tubes in rotation.

 

And here is the final ranking! The point average across all songs to the right.

 

Reflektor Holy Grail '75 6N23P SWGP Silver Shields121.7Siemens Cca Gray Shield '63s117.8Siemen Cca Gray Shield '65s117.5Telefunken Ulm E188CC '60s117.3Reflektor '74 6N23P SWGP Silver Shields116.1Amperex PW D Getter115.2Philips Miniwatt SQ E188CC Herleen Halo Getter VR9 '64114.2Amperex USN-CEP 7308 White '65 VR5113.7Voskhod '75 6N23P Gray Shield SWGP111.3Amperex 7308 Green Print '68109.1Siemens E88CC '60s Gray107.6Telefunken Ulm E88CC '60s107.5Reflektor 6N23P '65 Dual Straight Wire Getter106.8Valvo Herleen E88CC '67 Large Halo Getter106.3Nevz 6N1P-E '66 105.3Siemens E88CC '70s Silver100.0Mullard England CV249294.6     

Tube Comments:

Any references to the 10 tube attributes scored are capitalized so you know exactly what I'm referring to (see the Sound Qualities descriptions). The point averages were obtained from the total sum of all 8 songs and divided by 8, for an average song point total. The song totals were an average of all sound attributes for that tube on that song. The tubes were swapped through the whole lineup for each song in one sitting this took 6 hours or more. Starting fresh for each new rolling session with a new song – going through the whole lineup, etc...

 

By ranking:

 

The Number 1 tube in my shootout!

 

#1 Reflektor 6N23p '75 Silver Shield Single Wire Getter Post (HG's) - 121.7 Ave Points

These amazing tubes finished #1 in 7 of the 10 sound quality categories. With 121.7 points a distinct winner! They do some things I have not heard from any of the other tubes – at least not to their extent. First off they have the greatest detail of any tube in the review, and the highest amount of Clarity while remaining completely Musical, with a warm naturally rich tone. Superb balance of air and transparency with positive Euphonics. But where they truly outclass all the other tubes, including the legendary Siemens '60's CCa's, is their realism. In particular, the Transience of these tubes stand apart from the others (well the little brother '74 is very close in this department), they are without doubt the 'fastest' tubes in the group.  I'm talking solid state fast and precise, but with tube liquidity and warmth.  There is an immediacy to the sound, crisp and tonally dense, never etched or brittle. Just the right amount of attack and decay of the waveform.  A quick and clear transient dynamics, but warm and relaxed at the same time – breathtaking! Thinking about it a little more the word 'presence' comes to mind - they produce a spooky real presence.

 

The other stand out is their Scale/Macro-Dynamics – they seem to have endless reserves of energy – never losing clarity, focus and holography. As for the Sound Staging - they have a unique presentation with a spotlight of focus on center stage, some call them 'forward', and I agree. But the Sound Stage is as wide and deep as the best – at times the sound field seems to just envelop you - extending from wall to wall – then seemingly around you. Well at least on my HD800's. Sounds appearing behind you can be quite startling – I sometimes had to take my headphones off as I thought I heard my wife speaking behind me. Part of the magic of this Sound Staging is the amazing detail retrieval of these tubes, you can hear the faint echos off the back and side walls, that help replicate the recording venue. The imaging is pinpoint precise, with an inner lit quality. I find they are the most holographic of all the tubes in the review.

 

Vocals are smooth and grain less – even on the female vocals, which can sound a bit pitched on lessor tubes. To illustrate their Scalability/Macro Dynamics for example, on 'Dog Days' (at minute 3:50) during the chorus, Welch shows her vocal power and these tubes stay right with her – never running out of juice. The other tubes don't quite capture the vocal intensity as it climaxes. Always smooth and Musical on these loud and complex passages – with the tubes pushed to their seeming limit - the image never flattens, the sound stage never shrinks. They present the music as whole cloth – without holes or seams – one grand unified place.  On the HD800's that slight center focus is helpful to create the effect of a live performance, as their very wide staging can sometimes be too wide - dissecting the sound field into left, right and center. This center forwardness brings the center into spotlight like it should be.

 

On Seether's 'Gasoline' they have grip and bite on Morgan and Callahan's ripping power guitar chords. As someone said to me recently, they capture the 'crunch/bite' of overdrive guitars. On Josh Freese's power drums – awesome! Cavernous deep and tight – cymbal work crisp and real. Great stuff! Morgan's intense vocal screams never harsh or overloaded - again these tubes supply the power and then some. And everything in holographic clarity - crisp and decisive. What I a call my 'HG' or 'Holy Grail' tube. For me they are the tubes to measure all the others against.

 

On Benson's White Rabbit they did the vibraphone thing perfect. The one criticism and the reason they only finished #3 overall on Bass ( a very close #1, #2 and #3) – at minute 2:53 there are some kit drums that come in from the extreme right channel – with the center focus on Benson's guitar - they were just a notch less noticeable with these tubes. That was the only flaw I found in the whole week of reviewing them.

 

George Winston's piano solo – on the opening he strikes a few piano notes and on the last one he let's it trail off for seconds. On the HG's it seems the overtones trail longer and deeper into an ink black background then the other tubes.

 

Finally, the last area they truly excelled at – Flow. They had the ability to just stop time, as one track flowed by and sometimes spilled into the next. It was hard to stop listening and go to the next tube. I just wanted to sit there and let the rest of the album keep going. Believe it or not, after 6 hour rolling sessions, I would put the HG's back in and finish the album with a cold one. What else can you say...completely addictive.

 

Sources are various Ebay dealers – I have sold some pairs I've managed to assemble. Mainly for feedback from others – to see if they sound as good in their systems and to their tastes as mine. Not unanimous but for nearly everyone they've hit the mark. Including more then a few folks with Siemens Cca's and other great tubes! For those who found them forward they tend to love the Holland sound – so another path for some to explore.

 

The particular pair I used for this review was not some special pair – but my only spare backups. No month matching, but output matched.

 

Value for the money? Well when compared to tubes cost well north of $400/pr – and for me beating them. What's their value??

 

So how did the other tubes fair? On to number two.

 

Tie for #2 Siemens CCa's – '65 Gray Shield (printed plate codes), '63 (and '62) Gray Shield (etch glass codes) - 117.8 & 117.5 Ave Points

Well these tubes deserve their legendary reputation. They are simply incredible. The early '60s were just a hint warmer but less incisive. Or that could just be tube variances. The '63/'62 combination ended with 117.8 ave point score and the '65s 117.5 – a dead heat in my view. And they share the same characteristics. Excellent tone, superb detail, deep controlled bass (ranking slightly above the #1 HG's). They do every thing right – why not number one then? Well as I said, the things that the HG's do are so extraordinary that they are a notch above (see #1 review), especially in the Transience and Flow departments. The CCa's are just a tad less Musical – but very Musical in their own right. I never heard a hardness or glassiness in all the recordings. But the HG's were closer to the even warmer Amperex D Getter PW's and Philips MiniWatt E188CC's. That said, the CCa's are very neutral in overall presentation and balance. Excellent holographic Sound Stage. They just did not deliver the level of excitement or realism of the #1 tubes, for me.

 

#3 Telefunken E188CC 60's Ulm, Germany – 117.3 Ave Points

Man these are some sweet tubes – finishing just a hair below the CCa's with 117.3 (really a three way tie for #2). A bit sweeter then the CCa's, with a Musicality and Euphonics actually greater then the HG's. Sort of between the best Holland tubes and the HG's in the Euphonics department, finishing at #3 in that category. Excellent Clarity, Detail and transparency – just less then the HG's and CCa's – finishing #4 and #5 respectively. They just seem to get it right in a very nice way – I could listen to them for hours. Bass was deep with excellent definition – ranked at a tie there for #2 with Amperex PW and Philips Miniwatts.

 

#4 Reflektor '74 Silver Shield Single Wire Getter Post – 116.1 Ave Points

Well like it's better brother – it shares many of the same excellent characteristics. Especially the rich natural tone and incisive Transience. Where do they differ? They have just a bit less Clarity, Detail and Scale – finishing at #3, #4 and #3, respectfully. In two main aspects they are not quite to the HG's level as well, the Yang side of the equation Musicality, Euphonics and Naturalness. They seem to lack a bit of the HG's warm natural & rich tone and ultimate smoothness. While never disagreeable in their own right – they were a notch below the very best of the best in these categories. This was very stiff competition, not your ordinary vintage tube lineup – so to finish fourth is quite an accomplishment! I would say they are also a touch less forward then the HG's and so may appeal to some folks – who might find the HG's overpowering.

 

#5 Amperex '60s 6922 D Getter Pinched Waist Holland - 115.2 Ave Points

Well as compared to the tubes above these are a whole other breed. One that some folks may greatly prefer to the German/Russian house sound. They finished #1 in two categories – Musicality and Euphonics. Just as warm and forgiving as any tube I have heard – this tube is just sublimely rich in tone, gorgeous on female vocals. Tonal color beautiful – the Holland sound at it's best. Amazing bass – finishing in a tie for #2. All these better then the #1 HG's. And depending on your sound preferences and system could be your #1, same applies to the Tele E188CC's. It all comes down to your personal tastes (what I'm saying is YMMV!). But for me they were not #1, or #2 or #3, or #4. Why? They lacked that ultimate Transient realism and excitement. Just slightly less forward, more laid back then the others. Polite is a great word – never offending – but never producing goosebumps as well. The more I listen to these tubes, well tubes in general, the more I appreciate what the HG's do – EXCITE! Thrill! Their immediacy, lending a kind sparkle to the music. The HG's produce this inner lit quality that is so elusive, each instrument and singer radiating out into space, so natural and incisively real. The Holland tubes just did not have that precision. The PW's produce delicious sounds on all kinds of music – not the most natural – but a ton of fun.

 

#6 Philips Miniwatt SQ E188CC Halo Getter '64 Herleen, Holland- 114.2 Ave Points

Ok the trip to lovely Herleen Holland continues! Superb tube! Warm and Musical, with a rich Euphonic tone finishing #5 and #2, respectively. Beautiful on vocals. On Winston's piano solo – noted 'Tone! Nice Tone!' They portrayed the piano with a rich color – though the opening overtones did not extend as far into the blackness as some of the other more detailed tubes. But the tone was creamy smooth, really nice. Great Detail and Clarity finishing at #6 and #7 – not at the level of the top German and Russians, but nothing lacking unless measured in comparison. Bass tied for #2 with the best – deep, articulate. Well done. This is just a great tube of the money – and a Best Buy at under $200/pr.

 

#7 Amperex USN-CEP 7308 '65 White Print 'O' Getter USA– 113.7Ave Points

From all the non-Russian tubes I found these to be the closest in personality to the HG's. They finished with excellent scores for Clarity and Detail, #5 and #6. Very good Scale and Transience, at #4 and #5. They have a clean, incisive presentation, a bit forward , but also very good Euphonics and Musicality. Like the HG's they combine all these differing and many times competing attributes together in one neat package. These have always been my favorite Amperex tube. There was no one area they were weak in, Bass was nice and deep, ranking at #4. A couple of comments – I have had these in the past and I have to say the 7308's sound better to me then the 6922 version. But as always YMMV. A definite 'Best Buy' tube under $175/pr.

 

#8 Voskhod 6N23P '75 Gray Shield Single Wire Getter Post – 111.3 Ave Points

The Ruskies that started me on this quest for every 6N23P/6N1P vintage I could find. You can read my original review from nearly two years ago. They were the best 6N23P I could find at the time – until I stumbled onto those rare '75 and '74 Reflektor Silver SWGP's. They are still my #3 6N23P and ran very well in this tube Olympics. Talk about tough competition! Well they held their own and nearly tying the USN 7308's. I still find they have incredible Flow – at times I was just lost in the music, even though these came far down the listening cue. It didn't seem to matter – they had the 'magic'. Bass as well was excellent finishing at #5. They did not have as open of a presentation as the top tubes, nor the deepest level of detail. But a great natural tone and Musicality. Definitely a 'Best Buy' under $100/pr.

 

#9 Amperex 7308 '68 Green Print USA 'O' Getter – 109.1 Ave Points

Very nice tubes. Not as good as it's earlier USN brother - despite what some say – these sounded good but the USN-CEP sounded clearly better during this review. As with the USN's they had a nice balance for an Amperex. Nice rich natural tone with good Detail and Clarity. They beat out the Tele E88CC's and the Siemens E88CC's and that says a lot. They finished #7 in Clarity and #8 in Flow. In the Bass category they finished #6. Very similar in personality to the USN's just not as good, but also less expensive. A 'Best Buy' under $120/pr

 

#10 Tie Siemens '65 E88CC Gray Shields (Stamped Plate Date Codes) – 107.6 Ave Points

Telefunken 60's E88CC Ulm, Germany – 107.5 Ave Points

Well two well know and great examples of the German vintage house sound. In a 'normal' tube shootout, I'm sure these would have scored much higher. But up against a couple of pairs of CCa's, a pair PW's and the Tele 188's – Ugg! But don't let the ranking dissuade you from these awesome tubes. Nice Detail, and Clarity, good Sound Stage and Bass. Not the last word in Euphonics, but Musical enough. I feel the Tele's should have ranked a bit higher – one of the tubes started to develop a slight low level buzz near the end of the review and may be going bad. They still had really nice warmth for their level of Detail. Of the two - the Tele is the warmer, the Siemens is the more detailed. Comparing the Siemens E88CC to the Siemens CCa of the same year – well the CCa's were clearly superior in nearly every respect, and not just subtly better either. I would say both of these tubes are 'Best Buys' under $175/pr.

 

#11 Reflektor 6N23P '65 Dual Straight Wire Getter Posts – 106.8 Ave Points

I found these very, very rare tubes in my hunting for Russian glass. They are not the common dual dimpled plate getter post Reflektors you can easily find. These are way better. At first, I was hoping they would be better then the HG's. So decided to include them in the review. Well they are very nice – smooth and laid back. They lack the Detail and Transience of their much better relatives, the '75 and '74 SWGP Silvers. But not as forward as well. A really pleasant tube to listen to. Their best finish was #8 in Clarity. Oh well – they're not top of the heap glass but way better then stock.

 

#12 Valvo E88CC Herleen '67 Large 'O' Getter White Print – 106.3 Ave Points

Well here we have a nicely Euphonic tube but again against some super star competition. I didn't find them objectionable, nor exceptional. Just good, sweet sounding, warmish tone and Musical. Sound Stage was below average as were the dynamics, but that is below average for this group. Not below average against say an Amperex OG, or PQ orange shield or BB. I would say they are better then those. A truly 'Best Buy' at $80/pr

 

#13 Nevz 6N1P-E '66 Triple Mica, Black Anode – 105.3 Ave Points

Easily the best 6N1P I have heard and I have almost all of them. Very energetic and lively. Fun to listen to. Not bad as far as Musicality – a few times I cringed a bit – but mostly it was smooth sailing. They run very hot and are not compatible with the Lyr 2. A good buy at $70-$50/pr depending on source.

 

#14 Siemens '70s E88CC Silver Shield – 100 Ave Points

Well these were a come down from the greats, but again much better then stock. I ran a stock pair GE 6BZ7's for one song and I would say it would rate in the mid to high 80's for ave points. So these are clearly a step up. The issue with these was a lack of Musicality and warmth. Kind of a cold tonality, just a little thin on the bones. Good detail – not just not hitting the mark for me.

These have been tested on my Sencor TC-162 tester and passed with flying colors for no shorts, gas, and output - and a visual inspection for no missing pins or cracks..

Where 70 = Min and 98 = New: Tube 1: 97/98 Tube 2: 98/98
I reject 10 tubes for each one I sell! These are hand selected from the random deliveries I have received from overseas.  Many of these Russian tubes I buy fail my rigorous testing process.

Buy with confidence - read my feedback - THE TUBES I SELL ARE THE EXACT ONES PICTURED AND DESCRIBED (not the case with many dealers!)


But due to their age they are sold "as is" with absolutely no refunds.

Thanks for looking!