|
Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
|
|
|
Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
|
In Reply to: JJ KT-77 question posted by dandaroy on March 16, 2014 at 18:45:08:
Ahoy hoy!I have experienced tubes from JJ and New Sensor. I abuse the living snot out of my tubes. Reliability is a funny thing... My JJ KT77's have been pretty solid, but I think one of them juuuust went bunk in a HiWatt DR105 :( That said, I had one Gold Lion KT77 which would glow a bunch under load; I don't think it liked the high voltages of a 71 Superlead.
(Tube) - (Failure rate) - (Remarks)
I have had a selection of following go bye-bye on me:
- JJ 6CA7's - 2/6 - flaw in the base of the glass (took in air), and hot glow under load (500+V)
- JJ KT88 - 1 out of 12+ - flaw in the glass but really solid overall - design has changed lately, has anyone noticed? I'll try to get two tubes to compare. These have stood up to the molestations of a Marshall Major and Fender 400 PS which I think is nothing to scoff at.
- JJ KT77 - jury is out to lunch on this - I'll report back another day
- JJ E34L - Not bad, no issues yet, and they're so cheap I don't mind throwing them at people lol
- Sovtek 6550's - all of them! Pieces of garbage! Couldn't even survive a hot-rodded BF Bassman. Tisk tisk. Big glow under load.
- EH KT88 - 1 out of 8 - flaw in the glass, but fantastic value for what you get - great after some breaking-in to get rid of the edginess
- SED 6550 - no problems
- SED 6L6GC - no problems
- Gold Lion KT77 - 1 out of 5 - may have been just a fact of high voltage and needing a cherry-picked tube
- Penta KT88SC - 1 of 4 finally blew out after a year(+) of abuse.JJ CAN be good. But, the issues people have with them are not vaporous. You need guaranteed a load-tested set if you go JJ - CHECK THE GLASS under some light. The only tube that I have had no issues with is their OLDER KT88's. I don't have experience with newer ones. Out of newer JJ's, I have used the KT77's and 6CA7's - not stellar so far for reliability.
Btw, for tone difference, the KT77 has a much more present mid-range and high-end bite, but sounds slightly brittle which can give it a bit a cruddy presentation. 6CA7 sounds a little fatter and level but nice and clear, easier to listen to but not necessarily as lively-sounding as the KT77. AFTER ALL THAT, the Gold Lion KT77 sounds like a mix of the two but with the best of both worlds and none of the bad, you lose the brittleness and you keep the liveliness without getting ear fatigue, and on the side you get this little added "soul". Hmm...
I hear New Sensor's Electro Harmonix is associated with the better half of the old USSR's skill, engineering and tooling. There's a great deal of quality to EH's stuff I find. Their KT88 is a good staple tube. You may find the EH 6CA7 is worth checking.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
May your tubes be lively, warm, and long-lasting. Holy be thy heater.
Edits: 03/17/14 03/17/14
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- RE: JJ KT-77 question - TubeAcolyte 04:39:47 03/17/14 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
