Can an EL34 tube be replaced with a KT88 or 6550?

Smurfmand70, One of the nice things about EL34's is they are relatively cheap and 'just getting them all' is not a bad idea. However there are other things to consider in selecting power tubes, one of which is thier ruggedness and how your amp will deal with a shorting power tube.

For example if your tube is fused in a manner that protects its circutry when power tubes short out you simply have to replace the tube and a fuse, however many amps are not made that way and a shorted power tube will take out a resistor and unless you know how to repair it (a small thing really) you're going to have to haul your amp to the audio store for repairs. In that case your priority might be or include ruggedness.

Also, each brand of power tube, as much as different types, have a generic sonic signature. You can discover this signature by doing a lot of reasearch on the 'net. Having done that, AND having assessed the tonal needs you have in mind, you might not need to try them all to find a good one.

Two last comments. 1) Include SED EL34's on your list of maybe's. They are rugged and they sound great in many systems. 2)Unless you are really anal and have a lot of money, you can really do well with new production power tubes. I can think of few reasons why one needs NOS power tubes to get great sounds with most amps.

Have fun............

Even if your amp will not allow you to negatively bias a 6550 or KT88, you can significantly improve the sound through tube rolling the EL34 tube family. For NOS tubes, Mullard EL34's and Amperex Double-D getter EL34's are terrific, as are GEC KT77's and GE 6CA7 fatbottles. For new tubes I thought the JJ E34L tubes were close to the better NOS tubes in my AES Superamp. Another tube family you might want to ask the amp manufacturer about is the 6L6 family, which includes the 6L6G, 6L6GC, 5881, KT66, 350B, and EL37. There are lots of tubes to try if you like doing such a thing.

Thanks for the advice. I think i'll just get a quad of either fat body Electro Harmonix EL34, Mullard EL34 or JJ Telsa...heck maybe i should just get em all and see what characteristics they have. My amp does have auto bias, as I took it to a repair shop to get some knobs fixed, and the guy said it was auto bias. Plus there are no bias holes anywhere on the top or back of it. Woo hoo for auto bias!

All EL34's don't sound alike, not by a long shot, so even if you can't use 6550's and KT88's, you can get some tubes which will sound significantly different. You will still need an auto bias curcuit or the ability to re-bias the amp with the new tubes. Ditto small tubes except you don't need to re-bias for them. Good luck......

Depends on the topology/design of the amp.

Thanks for the info, Arthur. I tried looking up info, but all i found was the site www.audiofi.com. It has a contact link, but there is no email or phone listed. I thought maybe the KT88 amps were more expensive mainly due to the higher cost in the tubes. It appeared like the input sockets all looked the same, so I was hoping I could do some tube rolling with various tube types. Alas, it is not possible.

Thanks,
Clinton

Generally no. There are some autobias amps that have a large enough range to handle it but they aren't common. I would not assume that your amp can do it.

The counterpart of the EL34 would be the KT77. The 6CA7 can also be used. But check with the amp manufacturer first to be sure it is autobias and that these substitutions will be fine.

Arthur