For new production try Svetlana's (C logo's). Rugged and dependable. I've yet to have one fail prematurely.
How to pick which brand of 6550 tubes to purchase
I have a pair of Ray Lumley M-100 amps. Have used two complete sets GE 6550 for close to twenty years. Need new tubes. Which tubes would you recommend to purchase? Any knowledge of the sound character of the different models. I like the accurate/neutral type of sound versus the too valve sound.
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Those GE's are going to be hard to beat!!! However, if you haven't already done so, check out the Audioasylum (www.audioasylum.com). Look in the tubes section and do a search for 6550. You'll get lots of information and lots of opinions. If you don't mind spending the money, it will be very difficult to find anything better sounding or more reliable than NOS Tung-sol or GE. |
Issue #19 of the Vacuum Tube Valley Journal has a review of 6550/KT88/KT90 tubes. http://www.vacuumtube.com/ They ranked the sound from each variant in an Air Tight Amp. Unfortunately, I can't find my copy to give you all the results, but this was a very informative article. There were a couple of current production models that rated very well. One of these is the JJ KT88 for about $50 each. I am still using NOS GE 6550A's so I can't give you comparison form my own experience, but I will try the JJ's when the time comes to retube. Try to get a copy of the Journal...or maybe someone remembers the complete results and can relay them here. |
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