One quick guess would be a KT88 may have shorted from getting moved, or just its time. |
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what they said. No reason a TAD 60 won't bias KT-88s - I had one and switched between EL34s and KT88s now and then without problems, except for when I had a tube go bad. |
I would get the KT-88s tested. If they are OK, its possible that the bias supply in the amplifier is having problems. |
Thanks all. It would be strange for all 4 KT-88s to go bad at the same time. If the bias supply in the amp is having problems, wouldn't it be having problems also with the EL-34s. This is strange indeed. I'm gonna try to bias the KTs again and see if I have better luck. |
Bdgregory: You had a TAD 60 and ran KTs. Even when I could bias them at 550 each, when I tried to bias two of them lower to run single ended class A, I couldn't get them to go low enough. I'm thinking there is something going on with the TAD. Thanks. |
05-17-11: Gmsasso
Thanks all. It would be strange for all 4 KT-88s to go bad at the same time. No one said all four have gone bad at once. You need to test all four to see if any of them are bad. In most cases, that's the easiest, and cheapest method. If all the tubes are good, then get the amp checked for a bias problem. |
I agree with Gmsasso- it *is* strange for all 4 tubes to be too 'hot' all at the same time. Really seems to point to the amp not having enough bias voltage in its bias supply. |
Atmasphere, if one tube has a short, couldn't it pull the minus bias voltage for the other three down with it? Also, possibly send positive voltage on the bias from one shorted tube? If this is the case, a tube tester may not show the defective tube either. A few years back, I had a new tube glow orange and show good on two testers, a Hickok and Eico 667. They exchanged it and put it back on the shelf. I ordered more, and got that same tube back. I returned it, they put it in an amp they had, and it glowed orange. The testers( theirs and mine) would not give enough voltage to show the defect. |
I guess another thing that would come into play, would be how much current the bias can supply in the amp. It is not something to play with since it can put to much of a load on the transformers too. |
Thanks everyone. I tried the KTs again, one at a time, and it is still a problem. I'm taking the amp in for a check up. |
have you sent an email to Paul describing this problem? Whenever I corresponded with him I received a reply with "probable cause" explanation from him within hours. I ended up sending min in to him once when it was blowing tubes. He fixed it and added some updates to it for a reasonable charge (less than <$100 as I recall including return shipping) |
05-18-11: Gmsasso
Thanks everyone. I tried the KTs again, one at a time, and it is still a problem. I'm taking the amp in for a check up.
Gmsasso (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
Sounds like you have a local shop to make it easy. If something is wrong with the bias, it might keep getting worse even with the EL34 tubes in it. You could be in the other room if the tubes started to overheat and cause damage to the transformers, or something else. It could get expensive, plus the parts might not be available anymore. Please let us know what was wrong. Thanks. |
I re-read (after more coffee) and caught the one at a time. That does sound like a bias problem. |
Hifihvn, just for the record, yes, if a tube had a short then it could mess with the other tubes, depending on the circuit of the amp. Not in this case though- something is wrong with the amp. |
