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6550s vs kt88s for a mac 275 amp

i will be receiving a mac 275 mark 5 from a dealer in about 10 days. i expect the amp to be equipped with 4 kt88s.
while not my favorite output tube, it has its strengths.

i am wondering about purchasing 4 nos 6550s. i have no idea what to expect with this tube.

are there any reasonably priced which are more mellow in the treble, perhaps also a bit richer in the lower mids and slightly rolled in the treble ?

thanks
mrtennis

Showing 2 responses by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,815 posts
 
Mrtennis:

I am not sure if you would consider these old enough to be NOS. I have been using these 6550's in my Prima Luna Prologue 2 integrated and Prologue 5 power amplifiers. Prefer these to KT88's and EL34's.

SED Winged C 6550 tubes.

Regards, Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,815 posts
 
Hi Newbee:

My apologies as I know that this started out as a Mac thread. My exeriences are with two tube amps, the Prima Luna Prologue 2 &5. I was very disappointed with the EL34's in the Prologue 2. I felt that the stock KT88's just sounded better ... more alive and 3D, if you will. I tried the 6550's (I think on your recommendation) and was impressed with the way they "smoothed out" some of the harshness that I was hearing. I use only digital sources. There were CD's like Placido Domingo's "Verdi Aria and Duets" (EMI) that could get downright annoying when the orchestral fanfare kicked in. The 6550's smoothed things out, without muddying up the detail. Rest of the system: Rega Apollo CD player and Acoustic Research 302 speakers.

System synergy ... absolutely.

One additional note. I added the 6550's almost a year ago and then switched components between two of my systems and sold off what I wasn't using anymore. Since then I am feeling a sense of satisfaction, better said calm, with my systems, for the first time in a long time. To do much better, I would have to drop a lot more cash.

Go figure.

Regards, Rich
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