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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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In Reply to: The new Genelex Gold Lion KT-77 posted by musetap on July 4, 2008 at 11:50:06:
I ordered a quad of the Gen KT-77 reissues from Jim to use as output tubes for my Leben CS600. I'm by no means a tube connoisseur, and was hesitant to get into NOS tube route, as I find so many of the tubes prohibitively expensive. So I wanted to try the best current versions available before stepping up to NOS.
Before, I tried Sovtek 6L6GC, as well as Winged C 6L6GC & EL34s. I didn't like Sovteks much. Despite the good balance, they were overly bright on top. Winged C 6L6GCs had great balance & proportion, as well as pretty good bass, but sounded recessed. The Winged C EL34s had gorgeous midrange, but poor balance along with a bit too-forward presentation of music, and the more I used them, the more I became aware of the tube glare... not good.
So I decided to try KT77s, to see if I can get a compromise between the EL34s' great singing midrange and the proportional balance of attack of the 6L6GCs. There was no way in hell I was going to try the JJ KT-77s, after reading about some tubes blowing up. I don't care if they addressed the build-quality issue. That's not one problem I'm willing to bet on.
So I got the Gen KT-77s. Barely have 10 hrs on them. Been listening to a LOT of music with them. Not broken in yet, but these are by far the best of the tubes I've used. By far. The balance is... magisterial. With great orchestral pieces, like Stravinsky's "Rite" or Mahler, there is tremendous poise & composure. But the music doesn't sound recessed as it did with Winged C 6L6GCs, especially the bass. Soundstaging seems deeper. And the midrange fairly sings with really golden tone, and now the tube glare is completely gone! My Leben sounds like a different, even better amp. (If you're a Leben owner, you must try the Gen KT-77s, especially if you are going to plunk down a hefty wad of bills on NOS tubes.)
The tubes aren't burned in yet, so sometimes on transients, the response seems a bit slower than the EL34s that I've been using. I'm going to see if this changes with time & will report back. I don't find the bass lacking, but there is indication that the bass will open up, too, with time with these Gen KT-77s, which would be the icing on the cake.
All in all, I'm VERY happy with the Genalex reissue KT-77s. I have no idea whether or not I'll get into NOS tubes, but all I know is that I have no desire to. Even with them not broken in, they're hitting the right spots for me.
http://selfdivider.com/
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Follow Ups
- RE: The new Genelex Gold Lion KT-77 - selfdivider 08:20:23 07/27/08 (0)
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