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Sovtek 6550 - Can they really be THIS bad???

Hello.

Just picked up a new Jadis today, and I'm none too pleased with the sound. As I have had blissful sonic experiences with two of the models lower on the Totem Pole from this manufacturer, the only thing I can trace it to is the Sovtek 6550. Can they really be THIS bad???

I already switched out the JAN Philips 12AX7 and Golden Dragon 12AU7 for Mullard Blackburn and Ei respectively. The improvement has been subtle, but it still ain't working for me...

I have used ElectroHarmonix 6550 in the past, and while they didn't float my boat, I'm told that EH represents a signficant step up from the regular old Sovteks. JJ E34L and KT88 just have sounded really splendid to me. So, now I'm looking at picking up 8 new output tubes if I don't wish to live with such uninspired sound.
trelja
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
You're right, Sovteks suck. They didn't always, but they do now. My favorite 6550s are the winged red base Svetlanas (from St. Petersburg), available matched, burned in, and at an excellent price ($54.95 matched pr.) from:

www.conusaudio.com in Canada.

PS: I noted some other folks had another good recommendation for 6550s. I wish I could remember what it was, but it wasn't EH. Maybe if you search these forums you can find it.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Yes and I wouldn't fret over changing them.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
It sounds to me like it may be a problem with the unit. Are you sure it is functioning correctly? If you have liked the sound of this companies equipment in the past I would think that it is odd that you need to start flipping tubes so quickly to get it to sound right.

Chuck
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Chuck, you're right, it could be something else. I'd have to hear it in person to make even an educated guess.

what I do know is that when I swapped (all sisteen!) of the Sovteks in my ARC monoblocks for the Svetlanas, it was like night and day. True, the Sovteks were getting old, but still functioning. In any case, I sure was happy with my decision.
trelja OP
3,223 posts
 
Thanks for the replies. Of course, it is possible that something is wrong. That cannot be really known until I retube.

One thing is for sure, it won't be with 6550. I'll get two quads of JJ Blue Glass E34L. Because of my impatience, I was thinking of trying my quad of JJ KT88 in one channel just to see.
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