KT 88's....what's the story????

I have had KT88 tubes and I love the sound of them. I have never heard of an amp catching fire because a tube blows but that’s just me. I would hope that if a tube blows you would just replace it. I would suggest asking the salesman how the amp is setup and go from there.

When he says they "blow", that means they go can go dead. Not blow up like a bomb. I some extreme cases, any tube can shatter apart, but it is highly unlikely. Normally they just go dead, when they go bad. This is not something to worry about. However, high failure rates of a KT88 could get expensive. Especially when you are running 8 of them, and you want them to be matched. Welcome to high end tube audio. Even more things to buy.

Agree with all of the above...
Kevin of Upscale recommended a great replacment and longer
lasting tube with slightly more power...
Check out the KT 90 by EI... It is a great tube replacement for the KT88 and I have found it to be much more reliable and provide more slam at any level than the
KT 88. They will run you about 40 per tube or so..
Good luck,
Joe
Custom Audio LLC

I have the McIntosh MC2000 running 8 KT88s. The sound of this gear is just fantastic. One of the 8 tubes "blew" a while ago which resulted in a hard distortion of the channel in question. Unfortunately subsequently one resistor got bad. That meant to take a drive of 800 kilometers in all to see the MAC-doctor and to have the resistor (and the tube) replaced. The price McIntosh charged for the blewn tube was ridiculous. Since then I am running KT88s from a guy offering here on AudiogoN: a matched quad for around $120. The amp is running at least 8 hours a day and everything is just fine! Good luck with this truely wonderful tube......

I think that all power tubes can die of sudden unexpected death (you hear a pop - then no sound - you replace the fuse and the tube, sometimes you find you have also blown a grid resistor and need to get it replaced) as opposed to normal death which is quiet and fixed by simply replacing the tube. Some tubes are more rugged and less subject to the sudden death syndrome. That is one of the main reasons tube amp manufacturers require that you use the tubes they supply to keep they warranty in effect - because they are less prone to sudden failure, not that they necesarily sound better.

Thanks all....Audioman4.......can you substitute a KT90 for a KT88?? Doesn't that void the warranty?

You might want to check out the review of the Hurricane in the latest issue (Feb/Mar) of TAS before trying different tubes -- even though they "lost" a few tubes, they had high praise for the "sound" of the stock Chinese KT-88s (see p93)

Regarding the Warranty...
You know, I never really gave it much thought...
There really isnt too much in an amp that can "break"
Not any moving parts...
I have been running kt 90 tubes in the Sonic Frontiers for
a while and there have been no problems at all..
If you are concerned, contact your manufacturer and get
their warranty information clear.
Good Luck,
Joe
Custom Audio LLC

TUBES CREATE HEAT, HEAT IS ENERGY, ERGO ENERGY IS WITHIN EVERYTHING. LIKE US, FROM DAY ONE WE DIE A LITTLE EACH DAY. TUBE FROM DAY ONE GO DOWN HILL TO A SLOW DEGRADAGTION. SOMETHING HAS TO HAPPEN. SO SOME DIE A NATURAL DEATH & OTHERS HAVE ACCIDENTS OR KILLED OFF BY OUTSIDE MEANS SUCH AS ELECTRICAL SPIKES,Etc. SO WELCOME TO THE NEVERENDING QUEST IN THE AUDIOPHILE-ASLYUM. Note: The term SOLID STATE is exactly what is means. It is solid until it fails. Like the canoe going over the waterfall. TUBES GO DOWN THE SLOPE