I am a big fan of the Gold Lion KT88's, no question, but I have retubed all my gear with Shuguang Treasure KT88-Z tubes for power amps and the 6SN7 tubes for my preamp. I have tons of NOS 6NS7 tubes for my Don Sachs preamp, but the Treasures offer more clarity and detail than any NOS tubes I have had, although admitted I have not tried the best of the best NOS tubes as they are out of my budget. I also have EL84 Treasure tubes in my Dennis Had SET amp and they are clearly preferable to JJ's, Mullards, and other new tubes I have tried. It is wonderful that such fine and affordable new tubes are available on the market! Cheers, Mark
Sophia Electric KT88-ST impressions
I've had a pair of the SE KT88-ST in my amp for a short time. 75+ hours of play time.
They perform better than everything else I have here. Gold Lion KT66/77/88. PSVane 6CA7-Z'S black bottles. Wide open mids. More linear performance from top to bottom. Great extension at both extremes. Balanced and musical. And, I'm using them in an ampsandsound Mogwai. 3 single-ended watts into 8 ohms. Time will tell re: reliability and longevity.
Any else tried these?
They perform better than everything else I have here. Gold Lion KT66/77/88. PSVane 6CA7-Z'S black bottles. Wide open mids. More linear performance from top to bottom. Great extension at both extremes. Balanced and musical. And, I'm using them in an ampsandsound Mogwai. 3 single-ended watts into 8 ohms. Time will tell re: reliability and longevity.
Any else tried these?