audio Research REF 110 and KT 120 tubes

Wow I guess my last post never made it on here. Cmalak, the reason I saw the KT-120's is I had to service in warranty a pair of Ref210's and they came with KT-120's. Understand that I can get KT-120's but they would not be ARC KT-120s. ARC runs all their tubes at hard labor for 24 hours to cull out the bad ones and then categorizes them based on their current gain etc. That way when I order tubes from ARC I have to give them the model of the product I'm repairing. Also, if any damage is caused by the ARC tubes within the warranty period, i.e. a screen or plate load resistor failure, it's covered under warranty. This tube represents the current state of the art in Russia tube design. You can email me gary.mf1@gmail.com and I can keep you updated as to when they will be available. Please be patient. Both myself and ARC know that people are chomping at the bit to get these tubes in their amps. This tube is so new they don't even know which amps these tubes will fit in. I just found out today that the KT-120's will not fit in the VT-200 as there's just not enough space. I can tell you that after just working on a Ref 110 the KT-120's will fit, and the factory tells me they work great! Additionally, any ARC amp that uses a 6550 regulator, that tube is not replaced with a KT-120.

Will the KT-120 tube fit in a VT100 Mk II ?

Mabonn.....I believe so.

hi
did someone try KT120 tubes on REF 110 ?
how does it sounds ?

patrice

For what it's worth, I dropped ARC supplied KT 120s in my Ref 110 and can say with assurance that they provide noticeably more power, dimensionality and transparency. The caveat is that I did this bit of listening with a temporary pre (in place since I sold my Ref 5) as I await Ref 40 to be delivered next week. The pre is by a small manufacturer who I would rather not name until I have concluded my listening with the Ref 40. I am confident that not more than a handful of Agoners own this pre.
In any event, there is a stridency in the lower treble upper mids that I did not hear before, possibly because my 6550s , with less transparency, did not reveal as a preamp or source (cd) problem.I suspect it is not the fault of the new tubes. I will report back after Ref 40 break-in which may take some time.
If it works out as I believe it will, I will be able to wholeheartedly recommend the kt 120s.