| Musica Amantem |
03-24-2016 07:41 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by robert_kc
(Post 769029)
I don't have any KT66 in my inventory, so I had to temporarily pull a pair from a working Pilot HF-56 amp. These are generic Chinese KT66. If I were buying KT66 I’d be inclined to buy the new production Gold Lion. According to my notes, my brief listening impressions were that the KT66 sounded slightly brighter than the 6L6GC. (If I had a spare pair I’d try them again – but it’s a pain to pull the amp and unbolt the “bear trap” holders.)
I see that The Tube Store carries the “Preferred Series 274B / 5U4G”. Have you tried this one? I’m not sure if this is any different from my Shu Guang 5U4 (which has no markings on the tube, and only Chinese markings on the box). The “Preferred Series 274B / 5U4G” appears to have a slightly wider bottle, but otherwise looks identical to the Shu Guang 5U4.
Does the Sophia Electric Princess mesh-plate 274B make a significant difference sonically?
I think that tube preference is completely dependent on the speakers. For example, I found no tube combination in my Inspire amp that worked for my Klipsch Palladium (too “thin” sounding) – perhaps because they are 4 ohm. OTOH, with my RF-7’s – the sound quality can be excellent.
P.S. When looking through my listening notes I realized that I hadn’t tried EL34s with my new 6N2P-EV. The EL34’s have noticeably attenuated high frequencies (i.e., a “laid back” sound), with the most gain that I’ve realized from any tube combo in my amp. Generally not enough on the top end, but very easy to listen to. Bottom line - as of today - my favorite tube combination is the 6N2P-EV, 5AR4 rectifier, and Groove Tube Gold Series GT6L6 GE. Compared with the GT6L6 GE, the Gold Lion KT88 is a little brighter, the EL34 is noticeably less bright, and the 7581A’s sound a little “thin” (i.e., not as “rich” sounding). (Of course this based on my RF-7 speakers, my room, my ears, etc … and your mileage will vary …)
P.P.S. FWIW, IMO an excellent $5k system is an Oppo BDP-105, Inspire HO amp equipped as indicated above, and Klipsch RF-7 II (available for significant discount on-line).
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In my humble opinion, there's no telling whether what sounds good in my setting will do the same for other people's. Therefore, my comments on how I appreciate an output tube or rectifier, etc., are exclusively dependent on my subjective context. In general, though, one can assume and extend some general characteristics in a given tube, and this is how I try to go about choosing the new additions. Master tube-roller and expert, my buddy FloridaBoy, has been instrumental in filtering many alternatives that would have probably not make any improvements in my setup.
I've never used a Preferred Series tube from The Tube Store, and I believe these may well be the same production units but selected from the top echelon of quality control ratings (best breed), as these products are very labor-intensive and results are quite variable.
The Sophia Electric Mesh Plate 274-B is just great, but I have only compared it with 5Z4, 5Z3 (5U4G), 5AR4 and 80 (5Y3), and to me, given the rest of the tube complement in place, it is the best one so far. Curious how I disliked it for a while, in the beginning. I think these need some significant/effective burn-in time to offer their best.
Thanks for the pointers on the GL KT66, as I've already asked FloridaBoy to kindly add these to his next stash coming down here. I'm trying another input tube also, as we both believe that role is quite important in tuning the end sound. That would be my first Psvane tube, a UK 6SN7, that I'll be trying with the new KT66's. |
