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Are the better $$$ 845 tubes worth it sonically??

I have the ASL 1009 monoblocks (a pair of 845's per amp), and have the stock Chinese 845 tubes. Has anyone compared their 845-based amps with ANY other type of 845 tubes?

I am most interested in hearing about the KR 845's, as they are current production, and available from Czech at $430/matched pair . The older GE-type NOS 845's seem way to expensive.

I guess the main question though is WHAT differences sonically did you notice upon using a 'better' 845 tube, and was it worth it??
sutts

Showing 2 responses by ed_sawyer

ed_sawyer
588 posts
 
Remember the KR 845 tubes use an oxide-coated filament, not thoriated tungsten, which is what vintage 845s and chinese ones use. (Bright emitter vs. dull emitter)...

personally, yes - I think the vintage ones are worth the $. Let us know your impression of the KR ones if you get a chance,
-Ed
ed_sawyer
588 posts
 
12au7's will last thousands of hours, and they are cheap - don't worry about it. get the best you can find and enjoy them. life is too short to worry about it otherwise. Vintage 845s can last as long or longer than chinese, I think. I have probably 1000+ hours on a pair of Cetrons right now and they are as strong as day 1. Vintage 845s were guaranteed for military use (read: extreme, at times) at usually 1000 hours. Often times of course they ran far longer than that. several thousand hours would not be unheard of. I have some 1006-845 amps, I think they run @ 900v or so around 85ma - not overly hard on the tubes. if the 1009s' run them similarly, I'd expect quite a long number of hours from a pair of vintage ones.

The difference with vintage 845s, while perhaps subtle (to some), is definitely there. Value/worth depends on every individual's situation. To me, they are worth it. With some work, they can be found for relatively reasonable money. (read: about 1/2 or less than what tubeworld.com wants for them).

thanks
-Ed
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