Tube Amp question:TUBE replacements: explain MATCHED?


I don’t get the mystery behind it all.  I have a Cary CAD- 808…( I’m buying early before I need to replace)… so far, I have bought SOVTEK, in the EL 84, ( new)… I have bought 12AX7WC SOVTEK TESTED STRONG MATCHED PAIR (difference = 0%) TUBES=ECC83, and now I’m looking at (4) Lightly Used SOVTEK KT88’s… I…but I’d rather buy NEW KT88’s… does MATCHED mean I cannot buy another brand/make of a KT88? I believe this would fulfill needs to properly replace what I’m running now…I bought the amp with tubes installed… I am a novice… amp sounds great… however I need the plug-in to check the Bias, and I guess a meter? 

Does matched mean I have to stay with the same brand? I need (4) more KT88 tubes. Do they need to be (4) matched tubes?

SOVTEK only?

Thanks 

Dave
 

128x128moose89

Your amp uses 4 kt88s.   You should install 4 of the same brand.  You can buy 4 more of any brand you want.  

Matching refers to tubes within the set of 4.  Since tubes have inherent variability in their responses, people test a large lot and pick out groups of 2 or groups of 4 with very similar responses.   Nice to have but not required.

Now isn't a great time to buy tubes.  But it is good to have a spare.  Your KT88s probably have a log expected life so it isn't urgent to get a spare set.  I would buy a single tube of the same brand you have installed to use as an emergency spare and wait for prices to go down.

Jerry

groups of 4 with very similar responses.   Nice to have but not required.

The Rocket 88 requires (per manual) electrically and brand matched tubes. Some amps require this and some amps don't. 

In the case of your amp, all four KT88's are biased at the same time. If they are not matched for current draw, you may have one or two drawing more current than the others. While the total may be correct,  the individual tubes will be running at different levels. Depending on how far out they are, it could be audible.

The EL84's don't need to be matched, and for equal gain, the 6922's should be matched. That said, I've never seen preamp tubes so far out to make much of a difference unless one was defective.