There are even more similar tubes, like the PCL86/14GW8 (higher filament, used in the current Elekit TU-8100). The Japanese also love to make an elegant SE amp out of it (as in the older Elekit TU-870R and San Ei). ECL82 is also popularly used as a power regulator tube (as in my Shindo Monbrison).
There were many lower-end vintage amps that used this (as well as the similar ECL86/6GW8, like in the iconic Rogers Cadet series). Space saving, as four of these can make an amp, with the 4 Triode sections used as splitter/driver (even simple phono) and the 4 Beams used as 2 push-pull pairs. On the ECL82/6BM8 Tube This tall Noval Tube combines a Beam power tube section with a short Triode section. The related nuvistor 6112 is used in many high-end Musical Fidelity Products (which are decent sounding). Others use them too, like Tim Paravicini in the Quad QC-24 Preamp. They are very durable that after all these years the units are still in function and failures are rare.
ANUK used them widely in the original Zero and One series. On the 6111 These sub-minature double-triodes of military origin have to be directly soldered onto the circuit board but they are cheap, space-saving and sonically OK (no tube rolling!). The amp is similar in design but the DAC of the current Zero is a NOS design that uses the iconic TDA-1543 whereas the older one was a delta-sigma design. The current Zero's obviously are pivoted to a different crowd, the "entry high-end" aspirants rather than the more experienced "bargain hunters and adventurers". The originals were housed in plainer aluminum project boxes and significantly cheaper. It is the current Zero System, which differ in many ways from the original Zero components that I'd go over in the Overview (the AX2 appears to have been d/c'ed by ANUK). Some of our magazines will never say things like that! I must say, very honest review and Kudos to the webzine (which seems to have ceased operation)! Vivek had reservations about the CD Player and called over some of his friends for referencing. This is still top entry if you google ANUK Zero. In 2018, Vivek reviewed the ANUK Level Zero System for India's HiFi Today. This article starts with their Reviews and is followed by my Overview of ANUK - about time.
Full system reviews are rarer and valuable.
Given the hurdles Indian audiophiles face (like the difficulty of sourcing less popular brands, and the prohibitive import duties levied at individuals) it continues to amaze me how the community "gets so much done", a showcase of determination and stamina.Ĭoincidentally, in the not so distant past, Vivek and audiopro had both reviewed full ANUK systems. Review: Two Audio Note Systems (Levels Zero and Two)Īs I got to know them better, I learned that our Indian Trinity Vivek, Prem and audiopro are all prominent members of the Indian audio community.