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NOS KT 88s or GE 6550s

I am currently running a quad of Gold Lion KT 88s in my Conrad Johnson LPS 70 power amp. At considerable expense I can switch to NOS KT 88s or GE 6550s. Would this be a sideways move or a real improvement over the current production Gold Lions ? Would appreciate the advice/comments of CJ or ARC power amp owners who have made the switch. Unfortunately a demo in my system is not possible.
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers
Pradeep
128x128sunnyboy1956
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
I have heard them in an Audio Research D-76A as well as a D-79. They sound great but the newer versions of that tube are just not very reliable.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,978 posts
 
Hifigeek1, what newer versions are you talking about? The GE 6550 tubes that I have used and heard were all very good sounding and quite reliable. If you are talking about another brand, well that's a different situation.
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
For a few years Richardson was making 6550's using GE's tube machines that they had purchased. Tube looked the same but that's where the comparison ended. They were miserable.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,978 posts
 
Hifigeek1, I trust the Richardson 6550's weren't GE branded, or??
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
They were not branded GE. They looked identical but they obviously got the recipe wrong. I think they scrapped the idea. I think the reason no one is making tubes in the U.S. is more about osha and the nasty chemicals that are used in the process of making a tube than anything else.
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