Are the better $$$ 845 tubes worth it sonically??

Hi Sutts- I haven't tried the KR845's, but the US NOS 845s were a huge improvement over the stock Sino tube. Yes, they are expensive. However, considering their longevity and the level of sonic improvement, I believe they are a worthwhile investment. Enjoy.

Jcb- longetivity??!! I had heard that this is where the 845's are NOT as good as some other tubes- i.e. KR themselves just this afternoon quoted me ~ 3,000 hours max for the 845 tube... That is a big concern as the system is used for HT & 2-ch, and I often have the amps on like 6-7 hours per day.

Remember the KR 845 tubes use an oxide-coated filament, not thoriated tungsten, which is what vintage 845s and chinese ones use. (Bright emitter vs. dull emitter)...

personally, yes - I think the vintage ones are worth the $. Let us know your impression of the KR ones if you get a chance,
-Ed

Hi Sutts. I have both the ASL-1009dt and the 1006dt and have the amperex 845's,rca 845's,centron 845's,and the chineese valve art 845's.My overall preference was the amperex copper based 845... however I did not find them significantly better than the valve art. The chineese 845 is a very good sounding valve by comparison and an extrordinary value when you take the cost into consideration.Regarding their life expectancy...I am not sure? However the NOS 845's should last you a life time....I can tell you that I have over 1000 hours on a pair of chineese valve arts without a single hiccup.Perhaps the other contributer was using them in a different 845 based amp.In the ASL 1009 amps...just stick with the chineese 845's and enjoy, as they are simply "fabulous" sounding amps with most speakers. Further more:the driver tubes have a way bigger influence on the overall performance! Cheers David

Ecclectique- thanks for the response- the biggest influence I have found so far is the input/phase split tube upgrade- went with a quad matched pair of Mullard 12au7's- fantastic! OK, I will stick with the stock 845's- my guru buddy (Israel Blume at Coincident) concurs, saying that the 845 upgrade will not prove all that substantial of a change, and is cost prohibitive...