Svetlana KT-88


Hello to all,

i´mlooking to change my KT-88. A german dealer is offering me Svetlana Winged C but old production from the 70´s. Does this exist? I can´t found no information about old Svetlanas KT88, inclusive if i search without writing Winged C.
Does anyone heard about this tubes?

Thank you to all,

Agustin
agucela

Showing 1 response by jjss49

op

https://www.stereophile.com/news/022304svetlana/index.html

this will help you understand the svetlana/winged c story

svetlana’s winged c tubes were not labeled as such in the 1970’s - that specific branding did not even exist until more than a decade later - so if that is what your tube dealer is telling you he is either misinformed or dishonest

sed winged c tubes were marketed from 1992-2007, and made in svetlana's st. peterburg russia plant, that burned down in 2006 - current production is from a totally different plant owned by new sensor corp in x-pol (also in russia, but made on different equipment different designs different processes) - new sensor has been quite clever to buy up many ’gloried' names of great past (now defunct) tube companies -- tungsol, mullard, gold lion/genalex, and even ’svetlana winged-c’ -- not to say they make bad tubes (their tubes are actually quite good) but they are NOT the same tubes that those companies built their reputations and folklore on...

last point - real svetlana winged c kt88’s have silver lettering on the glass envelopes, and have a 4 digit production date on the last line...  be very careful chasing currently remaining real winged c tubes being sold - after the plant burned down a lot of factory seconds and rejects came onto the market and have been offered by shady sellers on ebay and elsewhere -- if there are still a few real winged c kt88’s on sale from reputed vendors they will be very expensive - some good ones remain in the hands of long time tube amp lovers like myself who bought them as spares for our audio research and other top line tube amps 😁

new stuff new sensor is making under the svetlana name uses black print on the glass with no date of mfg - i believe they are labeled svetlana without the winged c

good luck