Questions on KT150 tubes

Congrats on the Primaluna as I'm hearing more and more great things about them. So much so in fact that a newbie friend of mine about to take the audiophile plunge has requested my help in putting together his first system and I'm probably going to get him going that direction. As for the KT 150's they are a phenomenal tube and generally I am highly recommending them, especially if you are using any other KT series such as 88's/6550's or even the 120's. Your case is a little different though as you are loving the EL 34's ( as I also do) and I can tell you right now the 150's are pretty much nothing like the 34's. IMHO you simply won't find the 34 mids in any push pull tube design I know of. It's not out there. Some say a KT 66 or evena 90 may have some similar mids but I haven't personally ventured that way to know. I can tell you the 150 is a better overall tube than the 34 when you consider the entire presentation: even balance, grain free, remarkable extension both top and bottom as well as ruthless, effortless power.. Just to name a few. But, as nice as the mids beautifully blend and sound fine they do not do the 34 thing..... If I were you I might try a set of EH KT88's first and you'll get a very good feel of the KT family sans the omnipotent power of the much pricier 150's... Then live with them awhile and think about the 150's down the line.

Thanks. I have heard that the KT150 has a gentle midrange. From my research I won't go from an EL34 to a KT88 or KT120. They sound more technical is the word I get.

I'm so glad I got the PrimaLuna. As time goes on I'm more and more enamored. FYI most of the PrimaLuna owner's I interfaced with here and on other forums were not newbies. Almost all of the ones I spoke to directly had owned a lot of tube gear and finally found something satisfying and not difficult to live with.

So I might drop some coin on KT150's. My understanding is that in a PrimaLuna they might go 10 years because they are run so easy. We'll see. I like what I have now.

I appreciate your note!

Any followup on the KT 150s? I also have a Primaluna HP Integrated and am curious about this tube. I have the stock EL34s which are nice, but am thinking of venturing into a more powerful tube. I don't want to get too clean and want some body to the sound. Any first hand experience or tube comparisons?

KT150s are amazing sounding tubes, and after replacing my nearly 3 year old KT120s (they served with distinction as I work 'em fairly hard) about 12 months ago I have to say they don't make me want to ever use anything else in this amp (I have KT88s and 6550s that patiently stand by and also sound fine, but the 150s just work))…big sound, more effortless power (seemingly)…I bias at the amp's recommended 500mv point and they just stay there…large glass power pickles.

Ditto with what the "Wolfman" says. I have KT-150s in my ARC Ref 150 SE. When listening to music selections that I hadn't heard in a while (pre-KT-150), I am amazed by the difference.

Yes ... they are expensive, but ARC tells me that the KT-150s should last 50% longer than the KT-120s (3000+ hours as compared to 2000 hours).