Retube ideas for ref110

[joeling]

Ok I think I don't like the Tung Sol KT120 I bought off ebay. Even after 100+hrs of run in, I am not warming up to them. Put back the old tired original 6550's & I'm much happier.

So, besides ARC, where to purchase 2 sets of matched 8's ( for 2 ref 110's) ? Are factory 6550 Tung Sol's ?

Help.

Regards,
Joe Ling

[Dafos]

Joe, just wondering, what is it about the sound of the kt 120 that you don't like? I believe factory 6550's are svetlana's.

[TMcD]

I do wonder if it is the K120 tubes you have. I bought a set from ARC and really like them. Nice upgrade over the 6550Cs the amp came with.

[karsajid]

Originally Posted by joeling

Ok I think I don't like the Tung Sol KT120 I bought off ebay. Even after 100+hrs of run in, I am not warming up to them. Put back the old tired original 6550's & I'm much happier.

So, besides ARC, where to purchase 2 sets of matched 8's ( for 2 ref 110's) ? Are factory 6550 Tung Sol's ?

Help.

Regards,
Joe Ling

Buy it directly from ARC. I have also had bad experiences buying from ebay etc.

[ronenash]

You can try the Tung-Sol 6550. They are reported to be very good and are not expensive.
I really like the KT120 in my CJ LP125. I wonder if the set you got is faulty.

[markmck79]

I've had good look with several sets of tubes that I've purchased from Upscale Audio.

[cmalak]

Mark...have you switched your 6550s to KT-120s in your VS-115?

[joeling]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. I feel that after 100+ hrs the kt120 still sounded shrill & sibilance prone on some material. I guess it's a personal bias thing. Had similar issues with the ref210 with 6550's. Put back the originals with about 1600hrs on them & the sound became ecceptable again. The other set of 6550's with more than 2000hrs were worn out. Shrill sounding & unpleasant.

[Dafos]

That's strange Joe. I've tried a ref 150, ref 250 and a kt 120'd ref 610 in my system and if any, I find the kt 120 equipped ARC Amps to be a touch warm and very meaty in the mids. Certainly I would not characterize these amps as bright or shrill. Thing is, it's kinda pricy to buy kt 120 tubes from ARC so I wouldn't blame you if you opt to retube with something your familiar with, the factory 6550's, which, as I mentioned, are Svetlanas. Replacement svetlana matched 6550's are widely available from places like Tube Depot and the Tube Store. I'd stay away from eBay for any kind of tube replacement.

[joeling]

Hi Dafos,

I'm puzzled myself & was hoping that the KT120 will be an upgrade. However, it was not to be. Anyway, the Svetlanas that u mentioned are the tubes branded by Svetlana but no the ones made by the original Svetlana factory as opposed to winged C ones right ?

Regards,
Joe Ling