Genelex Gold Lion KT-88 reissued tubes

sound-wise they were great but my matched quad from Jim McShane went south on me in 4 mos. (wouldn't hold bias in both channels) normally i get about a year out of a quad of EH's before they lose their sparkle. i won't buy the gold lions again. i think i'll try the shuggie's from Mr. Deal next...the cheap ones...350 is out of my league

Pehare,

What is a "shuggie" from Mr. Deal?

So the GL KT-88 just didn't hold up for you as you would have expected - 4 mos is crazy. Jim McShane is purportedly one of the "good guys" in tube audio. Did you communicate back to him?

Brent

shuggie's are from upscale audio...the shuguang (sp?)kt88's. the gold lions i got from jim were well out of warranty & they are tubes so it can be expected occasionally. both mcshane & deal have always been top knotch

I'm considering replacing my Winged "C" 6550's in my MFA 200D monoblocks with the Gold Lion KT88 reissues. I need a total of 12 tubes so it is an expensive purchase.
I've been seeing a lot of reliability issues on this thread and was hoping to get more input from users of this tube.
I'm also curious about the sonic differences between the Winged "C" 6550 and GL KT88's. Another possibility would be the TUNGSOL 6550's.
The MFA 200D's are pretty powerful amps. 120 watts triode/220 ultra linear. The speakers I'm using are Harbeth M40.
I appreciate your input and hope to hear some helpful responses on the subject.

Frank, I haven't heard the Gold Lion re-issues, but I have and use both the SED 6550's and the Tungsol reissue 6550's. In my amps the 6550's are neutral, linear, rugged, and clear toned tube which are not overly extended. They don't favor any part of the frequency response. The Tungsols have more bass and are perhaps a bit soft in the highs. Mid-range is quite nice. A great tube if you are looking for more warmth from a cool amp or speakers. I haven't had a Tungsol fail yet either so from my POV they must be rugged.

My impression from what I have heard is that the GL's are SED's on steriods. If you decide to try them be sure to get them from someone who will thoroughly test and stand behind them like Jim Mcshane.