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

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.

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

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.

@rshak I found that too. Midband sweetness wasn’t there and they were a little tight. After 20 or so hours, they opened up. I’ve easily 1000 hours on these in my monos (2 tubes each) and they sound sublime.

I would highly recommend Philips ECG JAN 7581A circa late 70’s production … Unfortunately prices have escalated of late.