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Anyone have experience with the Tung Sol 7581a vs. EL34, KT66, KT88, 6L6

I broke down and added another power tube (Tung Sol 7581a) to my collection.  That can get expensive as my Primaluna Dialogue HP Premium integrated has 8 power tubes.   

Why has this tube escaped me thus far?  Why is it not more popular?   Many folks don't sell this reissue tube.  

I think this is a great deal.  I was torn between the lush, thick midrange of the EL34 and the more evenly spread out sound of the KT88.  But the KT88, for all its more correct behavior didn't romance me like an EL34.  

The 7581a from Tung Sol can be had cheap and I really like them.  [I'll spare you all the audiophile terms].  They check the boxes that I was looking for. 

Does anyone have experience, information or knowledge about this splendid tube?  

PS  The next experiment is KT150s but I can't see doing it if I'm gonna lose any of that great EL34 midrange. 
128x128jbhiller
frogman
7,478 posts
 
Thanks!
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,442 posts
 
@frogman , How do you like the 7581as?  I recently sold my Primaluna and now have a Bob Carver Crimson 275, which runs (stock) KT120s.  I finally got around to trying the 7581as in it and they are really fun to listen to.  Great clarity and sweetness. 
rshak
422 posts
 

I bought a quad of the Tung-Sol 7581A's in 2017 when this thread started.  I used them for about a month in my PrimaLuna integrated and thought they were good, but went back to  Gold Lion KT-88s, which I had been running since since PL amp was new.

I've gone through three sets of the KT-88s in the interim, but recently had two tubes fail in as many months.  Tried to order some replacements, but found that new Gold Lions were either out of stock or, if available, had become ridiculously expensive.  So . . . I reinstalled the the 7581As and have been using them for a little over two weeks - - They sound really good - - so much so that I ordered a couple of more from Viva Tubes to serve as back-ups.  Too bad the pair costs more than the original quad  I purchased over 4 years ago, but I don't want to be without replacements if one or more of the original set craps out.

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noromance
9,944 posts
 

@rshak So what changed from when you preferred the GL KT88s?

rshak
422 posts
 

no romance - when I first tried the 7581As I thought they were good - but perhaps a bit "dry" and not as warm as the KT88s.  Mind you, I last used the 7581As some years ago.  They now sound quite fine - generally well rounded and "warm" .

I mentioned earlier that two of the KT88s I had been using failed in quick succession.  They were getting longer in tooth, and I suppose their sound quality may have gradually changed, i.e., degraded, a bit towards the end of their useful life, thus making any good, fresh replacement tubes sound better.

Who can say?  I do know I'm quite happy with the 7581As now, and I may buy another pair (or even a quad) to have for the next rainy day.

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