New JJ KT77

I have JJ El34s, old Svetlana EL34s, really old Mullard EL34s, and Siemens EL34s.

The JJs and Svetlanas sound about the same; they both test good. The Mullards are out of commission as only 1 tests good. The Siemens sound wonderful.

It is interesting because I have read that the JJ KT77s and E34Ls sound better than the EL34s from JJ. I have also read that the Svetlana Winged Cs sound great. And, I have read that the new issue Gold Lion El34s sound great. It seems, from the reviews that Gold Lions are magical.

From my experience, the Siemens take the cake. The Mullards were magic before they died. The Svetlanas were very, very good, but they have aged. The Siemens EL34s are awesome. They have such air, clarity, timbre, and depth of soundstage. I really enjoy listening to my system with these tubes. The JJ EL34s sound reasonably fine, but in comparison to the Siemens, they are flat, lacking in timbre, and totally lacking in depth. The JJs also don't sound as smooth in the highs, nor as deep in the low frequencies.

I truly wonder, could JJ's KT77s sound much better than their EL34s? Also, could their E34Ls sound better than their EL34s?

The Siemens are special, and have the magic. Do JJ's other offerings in the EL34 variety have it, too?

I have the JJ EL34, E34L, and KT77. I find it amazing how so very different these three tubes sound.

Personally, I like the E34L best. It offers an absolutely glorious midrange, as good as any tube I've come across. The problem is the weak low end. The KT77 is my least favorite, though not bad, and sounds closer to a KT88. The EL34 offers an interesting sound, nice from top to bottom, with nothing sticking out in a good or bad way. The surprisingly decent Shuguang EL34B sort of mirror the JJ EL34, and though it's close I'd say I prefer the JJ.

A week ago, I finally broke down and purchased the JJ big bottle 6CA7. I won't get to them in the immediate, but I've long been curious to hear them.

Just dropped a new set of these into my CJ CAV50 and though they haven't really had a chance to run in and settle fully yet, initial impressions are positive. Compared to the EH EL34s I was using, they are extremely quiet, with minimal tube rush, and seem to have a bit more bottom end and a touch of recess in the midrange. Can't quite sort out the highs yet (they sound fine initially) but will listen extensively over the weekend when I will have a chance to crank the volume a bit, and comment again later. They are nicely built and the pins are the correct size; all internals seem to be rugged and all joints and connections look solid and tight. Also, they did bias a bit lower than the EL34s (had to turn the bias pots counterclockwise about an 1/8 of a turn for each tube), but this was expected. Purchased them from Tube Depot as a matched quad, my long time favorite place to purchase new tubes.

I just put a pair of Genelex Golden Lion KT77's in my VAC Avatar integrated. It's been less that 20 hours but my initial impression is very positive. I agree with what Kiteflier said, better extension on both ends.

They may have better clarity than the SED el34's I have been using for the past year. The "may" stems from the fact that they sound more linear, offering a different perspective with less mid lushness, resulting in better clarity IMO, and for my purpose, this is good. If you are seeking more of a mid focus, the SED works well.

Please take into consideration that they are new and I haven't really had time to sit and listen much. I will follow up in a few days but thought I'd chime in with initial thoughts.

Any further thoughts? observations? I have Siemens EL34s and SED EL34s for my Music Reference RM9 SE amps. What does the KT77 bring to the table?

I have just installed the JJ kt77's in my mv 55, going from the JJ el34. I was up in the air about whether to try the e34l or the kt77. I am pleased wth my choice. The highs have become more extended and more defined. The lows also have tightened up nicely. A very noticable improvement over the already good sounding JJ el34.

I like the JJ tubes, especially the E34L. I'm posting to bookmark, would love to read responses.