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Time for a set of tubes for my Don Sachs Kootenay amp. I have Gold lions in it now that sound good. But I know there are some that sound better. I had Shuguangs nature series but one blew. Now I cant find any outside of China. Don recommends the Psvane KT88T mk2. But they are around $375 for a quad. I've heard good things about the JJ blue glass but not sure what their strengths & weaknesses are. So do I need to bite the bullet and but the Psvane's or is there an equal at a better price? Thanks guys
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
Follow Ups:
I don't have GL's to compare with but they've lived quite a while now and sound very good
I see the GL as a decent value among this tube type. I've been looking into the ST120 and this is a logical upgrade tube.
But ONE silly question? Does anyone consider COST PER HOUR or some other metric when purchasing tubes?
Might be different tubes which though sounding 'different' are in no way inferior.....and while costing the same have a 20% shorter life......
Does anyone look at that sort of thing? Does it matter?
Too much is never enough
"Better" is a term only you can define for yourself. I think the GLs are superb - and they are very reliable. It seems your opinion and mine differ...
But it appears you are looking for a tube that has more top end energy - so why don't you try the EH KT-88s? They are a VERY good tube but because they have a bit less deep bass than the GLs they will seem more energetic on top. They might be the tube you want - and they are much lass costly than the other tubes.
Just my $0.02 worth...
there's a friendly family "feud" at VTL between using the GL KT-88 (Bea) and 6550 (Luke) in their amplifiers. They offer the choice so no one is left out.
I'm running my last set of regular production SED 6550Cs (before quality stock disappeared) on the MB-450s. I'm inclined to follow Bea's preference next time around.
Thanks Jim. Before I order something with more top end, I had better consult with wifey. She can hear top end very good but I can't and just remembered that. My lack of hearing may be the culprit.
I will consider that and drop you an email soon. I have a few questions
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
You haven't been wrong yet with any advice you've given me over the last 20 or so years.
Stay well buddy!
Check with Rachel at Grant Fidelity. She gave up on Psvane because of quality control issues and now sells a brand called Linlai. I believe they offer a few levels of the KT88. Nothing wrong with the Gold Lion's to my ear, but maybe Sachs voiced the amp with Psvane's. Good luck.
Thanks Mick. I forgot about Grants & Linlai. Indeed the GL's sound good. But I bought the amp (used) with Shuguang Nature series KT88T which sounded great but blew one. I've had good luck with GL's and like their sound but they do have some roll off on the highs. Plenty of life in the GL's but I like to have a backup set anyway and was hoping for something along the lines of what the Shuguangs had except without the BANG. I have some misgivings with the Chinese tubes because those didn't have that many hours on them and despite the safety features built in, it still blew a power supply. On a good note though, the Psvanes do have a one yr warranty. So they may be alright. I'll give them a call. Thanks again
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
Yes, I was dumb enough to take a shot at those Shuguang's from an eBay seller. One lasted a month and a second one became noisy around the same time. Sexy looking tube that I wouldn't take a chance on again regardless of the seller. A vote of no confidence on my behalf. And FWIW, I never heard anything that sonically captivating anyway.
Yep, those high end Shugies are very pretty They actually came in Don's amp when he built it so I never thought much about it until the tube blew. Thought about buying a pair of the Shuggies to match mine but they are $200+ and have to come from China. Plus I'm a little apprehensive of going back to the dog that drew blood ($).Don says the Psvanes are more hearty and recommends them now. They were more reasonably priced then but I was kinda tapped out.
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
First off, I'm done with Shuguangs in regard to KT88's.(this especially in regard to ebay sellers) The two I have left might be used as drivers in my LM 218ia, but I don't know if I even trust them there. In regard to the Psvane 88T's, they sound superb in my Latino ST70, but sound wimpy in my Erhard Elvis when compared to the Gold Lion 88's. The Elvis looks to be somewhat similar in spec/power to your Sachs amp, but aside from that, no experience with it.
Understood. I haven't used any eBay sellers perse' although Bob Latino recommended a guy who sells on eBay but also has an online store. Its interesting to see that you have a Latino ST70 also. I actually liked the sound so much that I got its big brother which is what Don's amp is, a custom St-120. I still have the ST-70
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
I had an ST120 as well. Sold to a friend whose had it upgraded with fresh PIO caps and a self bias board. A fantastic amp, but I kept the ST70 because I enjoyed the various tube rolling options. Mine's been upgraded as well similar to the above. As I've said, sounds excellent with the Psvane KT88T's. However, the Gold Lion's do win the day in the more powerful Elvis as I've already mentioned.
give EH KT88 a try - they perform contrastively to the GL but you might be surprised. (they are pretty cheap also).
N.
Thanks Nunki
This was Jim's advice also. Yet I am hesitant because I listen to a lot of classic rock and bass is very important to the music and me. I've considered the fact that I have 2 Rel S5 subs. But they can't amplify what isn't there. At the same time, The Don Sachs Kootenay amp is known to have great bass. So with those 2 things going for me, the EH's may work. I'm going to talk to Jim about it.
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
Does it have to be KT88?
Not familiar with your amp, but many KT88 amps can use KT66 if you lower the bias to the tube. Now that is a tube with much better treble in my opinion. Pretty good everything in fact! You would have to check with Don of course, but in my Rogue the GL KT66 smoke the GL KT88. A great rock and roll tube.
If you are stuck with KT88 I do not recommend the Psvanes or Treasure series. They are just too unreliable (unless you feel like buying an octet and culling 4 good ones, if you can even find 4). The EH KT88 mentioned is a brighter tube than the GL, too bright for me but in your amp/system they might work out. Another option is the Preferred Series KT88 from the tube store, which is a Chinese tube that has proven reliable for me and is kind of in between the EH and GL with regards to tone.
My favourite rock and roll tube is the EI KT90 (type 2), not that difficult to find these days, but probably over your budget.
Enjoy the roll!
yeah, if you are keen on bass performance the EH is a MUST!
i have tried many chinese and vintage KT88, Ei KT90 etc. in my rogue atlas magnum and admit that EH performs a bit on the clean and "cool" side but delivers an astonishing precise bass quality - dark, deep and dry.
N.
Nunki wrote about the EH KT-88:
"that EH performs a bit on the clean and "cool" side but delivers an astonishing precise bass quality"
That is exactly how I would describe it as well.
Thx for the tip. I'm always up for inexpensive experiments.
Nt
If I don't want to spend $375, its a sure thing I don't want to spend $1800
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
Maybe you did not read your own post. In audio, the higher price is always the better price, LMAO..
they have a YouTube video showing how they are assembled. ;)
There is a certain amount of truth there.
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You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
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