Tung-sol KT-120 Power Tubes
Mike Reeter
Posts: 4,315
I recently broke down and purchased a quad of the Tung-sol KT-120 tubes for my Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum. I've had EL-34 and KT-90's in the mix.
These 120's have to be the DD's of power tubes, these things are huge! They are also kicking the 90's to the curb, the presentation from top to bottom is exceptional, the highs have mellowed a bit (the EH 90's were a little bright) but, the clarity is there in spades, the mid and upper mid have a mellowed tone such as the EL-34 brings to the party, and the low end is fabulous, the control and dynamics are knocking me over.
This tube upgrade is akin to acquiring a new amp, the improvements are not subtle. If anybody has an amp that will except these tubes, and you haven't tried them out yet, you owe it to yourself to give them a whirl.
These 120's have to be the DD's of power tubes, these things are huge! They are also kicking the 90's to the curb, the presentation from top to bottom is exceptional, the highs have mellowed a bit (the EH 90's were a little bright) but, the clarity is there in spades, the mid and upper mid have a mellowed tone such as the EL-34 brings to the party, and the low end is fabulous, the control and dynamics are knocking me over.
This tube upgrade is akin to acquiring a new amp, the improvements are not subtle. If anybody has an amp that will except these tubes, and you haven't tried them out yet, you owe it to yourself to give them a whirl.
Post edited by Mike Reeter on
Comments
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I guess you have not seen the new KT150's yet.
I have been running the 120's in my Carver Statements since their completion, and have been very happy with them. I am going to go to the 150's soon however, as they are supposed to be even better.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I guess you have not seen the new KT150's yet.
I have been running the 120's in my Carver Statements since their completion, and have been very happy with them. I am going to go to the 150's soon however, as they are supposed to be even better.
It's confirmed, the 150's are the DDD's of power tubes:biggrin: -
I'm also another happy user of the KT-120s. Great tubes!
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I'm also another happy user of the KT-120s. Great tubes!
That they are, I waited for quite a while before acquiring a set, I also had to purchase a new top cover for the amp. to accommodate the larger base if the 120's.
Well worth the wait and extra expense. I was a little concerned that the Cronus might be a little lean when driving a pair of 2.3TL's, I don't think that will be a problem now, with the 120's on board.
