KT88s...the final chapter


Ok, Ive posted before, ive read the prior threads, ive read the David99 vs Marchman debacle, I done my homework on NOS, Valve Art, Svetlanas, out there. Id love to use Gold Lions and other NOS out there, but most are sold on ebay 1 pair or quad at a time for around $100 a piece. I need 16 tubes. Svetlanas run about $40 a piece. Sovteks are about $24 each. My question, are the Sovteks such a step down in quality to my stcok Svetlana 6550's? I am talking about the price to value ratio here. If my amps used a quad or even an octet, id have no problem with forking out the $$ for Gold Lions. Has anyone given the Sovtek kt88s a shot and if so, were they put back in the box bad? Anyone have suggestions on a lo cost source for kt88 types?

thanks
128x128justlisten

Showing 1 response by audiophobe

Jvr, I find it amusing how dealers will often say the most expensive tube is the best sounding.

Based on my very extensive experimentation, I can only conclude that different types of tubes sound different in different amps. I have come to regard tubes as a separate component in my system that needs to be matched carefully to everything else, just like you would match any other component in your system.

You may or may not like Tungsols. In most of the amps I have tried, they sounded pretty dry. Personally I prefer GE 6550's from the old stocks (yes, even over the Gold Lions). But then again, this will depend on your particular configuration.

A small note about the Svets: I have not tried KT88's, but in the case of 6550's I have found that they are hard to bias properly in a lot of amps. At 'normal' biasing points they might sound poor, but unexpectedly can really SING at some weird bias setting.