I was just wondering if any of you guys that bought the Shuguang WEKT88 Plus tunes tubes a couple of years ago are still around and let me know how reliable they had been. I finally found four of them on AliExpress and bought them as there was no one else that had any except for one seller. I had to pay $493 with shipping and taxes which I thought was a lot but you guys made them sound so good, I decided I better get them while I could as the seller only had 10 of them to sell.
Wig you said the Sophia Electric KT88 and the Shuguang WEKT88 Plus were the best KT88s that you had used in your amplifier.. I just checked the Sophia website and it would have cost me $636 to get four of them so at least the WEKT88s were still cheaper than the Sophia KT88s.
mOreilly, It's probably to late now but I just bought 4 of the Shuguang WE KT88s on AliExpress. They had 10 is stock and I just bought 4 so they still have 6 of them left. Just go to AliExpress and do a search for:
Late to the party here. I had been looking high and low for a quad of the WE KT88 Plus, and after almost two years of 'out of stock', and getting ready to purchase some of the new New Droplet Design Linlai KT88-D , I noticed an old entry in my cart, and I was presented with the option to purchase an in-stock quad of the WE Plus!
I believe this is the second time I have used Aliexpress in the last 5 years, so I am ready for a long wait, though they state I should receive the order by Jan 3/23...fingers crossed...
After swapping out a couple of KT88 brands I broke down and ordered Sophia Electric Blue Bottles. Had doubts about the bass having used them in a previous amp they sounded a bit thin there. Each amp takes 6 of these so mucho dinero laid out. The music has good weight, bass is all there in spades with clarity never experienced previously. They also give added presence to the voices, instruments sound more real. A winner all around. Also have NOS Tung Sol 6550s, Genelex GL, Psvanne T11. The Sophias are very musical.
Hi Wolf,well yes, I was also worried by past reports of Shuguang tubes reliability problems, but read so glowing reviews about the new WEKT88s Plus (and at the same time found a very good offer from a U.S. seller) that just went for them...after two months and 100 hours plus, so far so good.
My Jolida 3502S is a touch on the “warmish” side of neutral in a nice way, and the GLKT88s sound splendid, no doubt, albeit a little bit “dark” on this amp.“All German” neutral drivers (Telefunken, RFT) improved things a lot, but still I was looking for something more lively sounding...and the Shuguang “big bottles” were just the ticket.
Very accurate power tubes: fast, open and nimble with the German drivers, they easily morphed into classic sweetness with, say, Mullard or Brimar drivers, but never falling into excessive warmth nor losing even a bit of tightness or control in the bass: a high point in this tube. Sound layering is another: over a solid, dynamic foundation, mids & highs just flow freely, open, relaxed, with a “classic” flair. This is not your “standard” KT88 and definitely does not sound like one. It belongs to Shuguang family of premium “big bottles” along with the 300Bs, 411s, 274s and the like...and yes, it is relatively expensive but so far worth every penny...if reliable in the long run.
I've had some issues with Shuguang quality control over the years so I'm leaving those off of my list (except for "thetubstore's" preferred 274b as those seem to be vetted) for now, but GL KT77s and KT88s always sound fine, and an old unused pair of Sovtek KT88s recently and surprisingly sounded great in my little SEP amp (and I've got a quad of those)...I tend to stick with 7581As mostly though.
The Shuguang WEKT88 Plus is my favorite KT88 tube. In my Jolida Fusion 3502S a quad of these -once properly burned in for about 50 hours- sound absolutely great, with super tight, deep bass, soaring highs, and an airy, 3-D, almost "dreamy" quality to the sound that is second to none. Very accurate, and in this amp it sounds best (IMHO) with neutral pre and driver tubes: currently a pair of TFK ECC83s smooth plates plus the (cheap but fantastic) RFT ECC81s round getter are doing a great job...
Yes, you will notice a deeper and wider sound stage as you approach the 50 hour mark. These tubes just has the ability to capture the very essence of a live performance; other tubes sounds like you are listening to a recording...
Go to accessories and then tubes, you will see all tubes for sale. Psvaneaudio has both WE 6SN7 and KT88 advertisements available and if not, just send PM and Joe will add listing for tubes.
From what source did you buy these tubes (WE KT88 Plus)?
I have a Sachs Kootenay that I've put up for sale - didn't really seem to offer a great amount sound quality wise above and beyond an Icepower 1200AS when used with my Vinnie Rossi LIO DHT pre. Maybe I should be trying the WE's.
I have owned the Shuguang WE KT88 Plus for nearly a month now and in my Don Sachs Kootenay 120 Amp, the WE Plus take the top spot! As with anything it comes down to preference and for me I lean toward neutrality.
The Sophia Blues are very open and dynamic sounding with a touch of warmth that can tame forward sounding systems but this warmth in my system doesn't allow the sound to detach from the speakers boundaries.
Adding the Shuguang WE KT88 Plus to the mix changes the whole sonic perspective, the speakers disappear and you are left with an expansive sound stage that takes you so much farther into the recording and this is probably due to this tubes astonishingly lower floor noise.
The WE are very neutral and doesn't seem to have a sonic signature, they just capture the essence of the venues acoustics with an uncanny and believable presentation; you feel as if you are physically there...
No doubt that the Shuguang WE Plus and Sophia Blues are the best sounding KT88 I have owned.
I just ordered a quad of Shuguang WEKT88 tubes for my amp. My original quad of Shuguang KT88-Z tubes have a lot of hours on them and I just lost one. I still have a quad of Shuguang KT88-T tubes and they are in the amp now.
I have been so surprised with the SQ of the new Shuguang WE6SN7 Plus that I decided to order their WE KT88 Plus; their 6SN7 is so much cheaper than my Sophia Electric Blue 6SN7 but is very close across the board in performance. The seller on this site, Joe, has been stellar with fast shipping and excellent communication.
Those KR looks like an awesome tube as well but it’s the price...
Out of all of the KT88s I have tried, The Sophia Electric Blue Coke Bottles beats everything handily. I have not tried the WEKT88 Plus but I did buy some WE6SN7 Plus and after 70 hours of use, they spank the CV181; more transparent, deeper/wider sound stage, much lower floor noise and very good sound quality which was a pleasant surprise...
I currently prefer a Had single ended tube amp with a massive 12wpc (efficient speakers) and the thing is very revealing of tube differences, and since there are only 2 power tubes it's relatively inexpensive to mess around with. I've enjoyed KT150s, 120s, 88s (including Gold Lions and others), and 6550s...the Lions were my fave for a while (came with the amp). I then tried a pair of JJ KT77s and they sounded pretty bad and ruined the KT77 experience for me (poor, poor me, but the JJs are cheap)..until I bought a pair of Gold Lion KT77s and raved about those...a great tube...replaced by my current fave new version Tung Sol 7581A tubes...amazingly coherent and "perfect for my tastes with this amp." These tubes aren't expensive and have a nice blue fluorescence I enjoy at night, possibly indicating a low threshold of tube glow enjoyment...in any case the 7581A is currently on the top of the power tube heap around here.
Will your amp support KT-120’s ? I prefer them over the tubes listed above when I’m seeking bass from less efficient speakers . On the NOS side I have GEC Gold Lion KT-88’s and 3 hole Tung Sol 6550’s . The NOS Genelax are sweet , but definitely overpriced . The tube that I appreciate the most regardless of price , is the SED Winged C 6550’s . Ive tried everything mentioned here except the KR’s . All in a SEP amp and all except the Tung Sol KT-120’s in a push pull amp . I usually run NOS Telefunkens in the gain stage . I’ve also run the EL34’s and KT-77’s . If I could only have 2 tubes , it would be the Winged C’s 6550, and the new production KT-120’s. For you EL-34 guys, I’d say NOS Mullard, then SED , then new GL KT-77’s . BTW, the NOS GEC KT-66’s smoked glass are really sweet for fluffy music . Contact Quicksilver before trying the KT-120’s to see if they’re compatible. Cheers , Mike .
A lint short in the Psvane KT88 - version 2 - took down my beloved and very heavy VAC Phi 300. After its return from Sarasota, I retubed it with Sophia Electric blue bottles and haven't looked back.
I just picked up a Sachs Kootenay amp on the used market. It has Shuguang Golden Voice KT-88's which were Don's tube of choice on previous versions. He now recommends and supplies his amp standard with the Shuguang KT-88-T's which he feels are the best current choice. Did your amp come with the T's or did you purchase them separately? If purchased after the fact may I ask from which source?
I went to Genalex Gold Lions on my CJ Premier 11a and a friend went to the same manufacturer's KT77s in his Quicksilver monos. We are both happy with the improvements.
If there are significant additional improvements to be had from original vintage NOS Gold Lions I don't really want to hear about it, given the relatively huge prices asked for those tubes!
I have settled on the Shuguang KT88-T tubes in my KT88 tube amp (Don Sachs ~74 watts). I also like the Shuguang Treasure KT88-Z tubes but they are a bit muddled on the top end compared to the -T tubes. These are noticeably better than any PSVANE or Gold Lion tubes I tried. I am using a tube preamp as well.
I gathered the info on the psvane 1 and 2: they are incomplete valves, they go towards the middle high sacrificing the low zone .. they are out of my choice. I'm looking the tubes for my QS Silver mono KT88 (90 watt).
atisvt99: i had around 150 hours on the original EL34s when i switched to the KT90s.It's not like the EL34s sound bad it's just that the KT90s sound that much better in both triode and ultralinear mode.
Alucard, how many hours did you have on your factory PL EL34s? I have the new EVO 400 Integrated and love the sound... but there's always that lingering question about 'better, more, yes?' :)
Forget the KT88's and go with
Electro Harmonix KT90 these are great tubes with plenty of bass at the bottom and have a very strong midrange punch, also they do not grate on your nerves at the top end.I took out my EL34 tubes that came in my PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP Integrated and everything just opened up, it now sounds like I wish it did when it came from PrimaLuna.
I use Golden Gate. The quality of bass depends to size of output transformer, quality of power, interstage and cathode shunt caps, dumping factors, and the last - quality of speakers.
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