Siemens EL 34

@jjss49 "but it is not as warm and rich sounding"

Yup, exactly. That particular sound...I hear ya. Its something I’d like to rotate back in once in a while, maybe with some smaller monos that i dont turn up so much, just for low level listening.

Wow, does this mean I could just tag along with your reports and save a lot of money learning vicariously through you on these other tube amps i’ve not tried yet!!!, hahah, you’ve tried more than a few. Nice!

All joking aside can’t complain with my current setup, and there is value in the added transparency, depth, stage (my EL34s did not have). And, with my KT120s (a little more rolled off on top - which I like) than my robust and transparent KT150s. My current mono amps are bigger transformer/purpose built for the big tubes - runs 600v at the plate and I can’t run KT88, KT77, EL34s or it will burn them up. The new QS KT Mono adds this flexibility, but still knowing you have to run the higher plate voltages to get the most out of KT120, KT150, KT170s now. Tradeoffs I guess. Something to be said about lower power tube amps too :)

Looking ahead, a nice little second pair of custom parallel single ended PSE tube amps, with EL34s would be sweet. Not sure I’ll go with the QS Mid Monos, diggin deeper they are ultralinear, not what I think of as PSE triode imo. I’m starting to lose track of the better custom builders out there, those who have a real handle on this stuff and can discuss different circuits they build on. Hope to chat more via DM or something, if you know of someone. Thx.

@pehare Surprisingly to me, the difference appears in the upper mids and highs and not the bass for the KT170s.

pehare, if I may ask, and since you have one of Will’s amps, and your comments about wanting to try a pair of QS Mid Monos - can you share a little more. How is the listening coming along, and what about the upper mids and highs are your hearing and prefer more or less of at this juncture? Does the KT150 or KT170 have more pronounced midrange in your KT Monos so far?

decooney I don't own the KT88's I was forwarding some comments as per my 1st sentence...sorry for the confusion.

FYI, there is a Quicksilver Audio group on face book and an EE audiophile there who used to work for QS about 30 yrs ago remarked this about his new KT monos:

Now back to my comments - I'm enjoying Will's amp - it's the first EL34 amp I've owned besides an original Rogue Cronus Magnum that was tried and sold pretty quickly.

@pehare gotcha, and a forum member colleague here started that QS Facebook forum, I visit there sometimes.  I noticed your comments earlier about mid monos too.   With Will's amps, did you get the pentode push-pull or triode version?  He tends to use the factory Dynamo transformers in his builds and I've wondered if his amps have enough drive for lower sensitivity speakers in the mid to high eighyt sensitivity range. I've never tried one and we conversed some about different builds. Good fun, enjoy! 

Hi decooney I have his ultralinear version and have Tannoy Stirling GR's which are an easy load and are a great combo (rig posted here).  35wpc seems to be plenty.  I still crave more of a triode sound like the Cary SLI-80 F-1 I had years ago and wondering if the mid-monos would provide that since they are 50% triode driven.