KT-88 Tubes

Faustin · July 2015

Looking for 4) KT-88 tubes for a Yaqin amp. Currently using the stock tubes and would like to upgrade to Black Treasures or something on that level.

Mikey081057 · July 2015

There are lots of treasures on the bay $250 for a matched quad.

Faustin · July 2015

I will take a look

voltz · July 2015

heinney9 has been talking about those C wings for awhile and it has me wondering how this would sound?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matched-Quad-4x-NOS-Svetlana-SED-Winged-C-6550-KT88-tubes-/181370828458?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3a8b36aa

Faustin · July 2015

heinney9 has been talking about those C wings for awhile and it has me wondering how this would sound?

^^^^^^^Hmm. Might be worth a try

Dawgfish · July 2015

Nearly every amp that will run a KT88 will run a 6550 and vice versa. For all practical purposes they are equivalent. The Wing C 6550s are a great power tube, but beware of some of them sold on the web. Apparently some poor quality ones managed to get out into the market. The Tube Maze store which is listed in the link above is a good, reputable seller. I've bought several tubes from them with no issues whatsoever. Them and Upscale Audio are your two best sources for Wing C 6550s.

FYI the Black Treasures have given me some reliability issues in the past. They sound great, but my Rogue 88 Magnum and Treasures just don't seem to get along. Gold Lion reissue KT88s sound really good and are relatively reasonable. They are a very warm, smooth sounding tube. The only negative I've found with them is though they have good low end extension, they lack mid-bass slam compared to some of the others. They are great tubes for jazz and vocals.

The Wing C 6550s have more slam and are better suited for rock and high energy classical. My very favorite of the KT88/6550 types are the NOS GE 6550s followed by NOS Tung Sol 6550s. Both can be prohibitively expensive however. The Wing C 6550s or Gold Lion's are your next best answer provided the type of sound you are looking for and that you get the Wing Cs from a reputable source.

Faustin · July 2015

Thanks DF for the input. Yes, with the cost of some of these tubes it makes it expensive to experiment and roll. I did see a quad of RCA nos 6550's listed on the Bay for $350.00. Intriguing, but again for that kind of money they better be the right choice.

marvda1 · July 2015

I am getting good sound with the eh kt-90.

doctor r · July 2015

I will offer something different to consider. I have been using the KT88SC tubes in my VAC amp. Originally these were only avaliable sourced through VAC or from Penta Labs. They are Shuggies with solid plates (no holes). Rumor has it they were designed off the original Genelex KT88 tubes which were also solid plates. Originally avaliable only during limited runs they are now avaliable at The Tube Store as their "preferred series". I am presently running a quad for The Tube Store. These are a sweet deal to research and consider at this price.

http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/KT88-Tube-Types/Preferred-Series-KT88

Faustin · July 2015

Thanks for all the input from all. Now I am really torn as to which way to go!

voltz · July 2015

LOL yeah me too

and I don't need anymore (or so we tell ourselves)

doctor r · July 2015

voltz wrote: »

LOL yeah me too and I don't need anymore (or so we tell ourselves)

There's always a need for ...... more.

dragon1952 · July 2015

Just try the EH KT88 first and maybe save some cash in the long run. I always seem to go back to these. I did like the Treasures a lot but they didn't last long enough in my amp and I had one blow prematurely also.

Faustin · July 2015

Thanks dragon for the suggestion. They are much cheaper than most other KT88's.Are there more than one EH Kt88 versions? Any suggestions on reputable sellers?

thsmith · July 2015

xcapri79 wrote: »

On the high end of the cost spectrum at thetubestore, I note the EAT KT88 Diamonds are going for $450 each! Fair price/performance? Now who has tried those?

http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/KT88-Tube-Types/EAT-KT88-Diamond

I have a quad of the EAT KT88s I won on FB from Prima Luna over 2 years ago.

I have used NOS Tung Sol 6550, Treasure KT88, EAT KT88s and TS KT120s. Seems I am missing one but cant remember the name off the top of my head, anyway the EATs are the best in the bunch in my Wright Sound Company amp.

Personally I would like to try the ones Doctor R suggested. The treasures were second in my system if that helps.

dragon1952 · July 2015

Faustin wrote: »

Thanks dragon for the suggestion. They are much cheaper than most other KT88's.Are there more than one EH Kt88 versions? Any suggestions on reputable sellers?

I like Tube Depot but you can also find these pretty cheap on Ebay. Just go by the seller's feedback rating.

george daniel · July 2015

Jim McShane,,,,good pricing,,and he stands behind his tubes. My last purchase was a quad of KT 88's from him.

KT-88 Tubes

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