invictus005...did you just get upset at your computer and forget you were typing? Your phone just burst into flames? Noticed your own shirt? The dumpster from the Chinese restaurant next door? |
Gold Lion KT77s are fabulous tubes. I'll have a pair of 7581As in a day or two (coming from Viva/Only Glass in Easthampton MA about an hour from my house) and will pop them into my little Dennis Had SE amp (only takes 2 power tubes) to see if they can compete with the GL KT77s that I currently prefer. I've used KT150s, KT120s, a couple of KT88 variations, JJ KT77s which sucked (surprisingly), and have stuck with the GL 77s only because they sound astonishingly good relative to all those I just mentioned. If the 7581s don't cut it, jbhiller will be held personally responsible and I will require a heart felt sincere apology from him. It's only fair. |
New KT77s at VIVA are 287 bucks for an octet...matched, free shipping, 90 day guarantee return policy, and that’s where my recent pair came from. |
The new 5581As arrived and they sound pretty damn good already. Giving the 77s some competition around here. Nice friggin' tube....the sound seems slightly Spanish with a hint of "Jet Age" Old European potato farmer. They imply but don't overstate an extended 2nd harmonic enhancement with flamboyantly reticent outer detail that could possibly inhibit mold growth. |
I meant 7581As in my last post, lest anyone be reading this stuff. The Gold Lion KT77s really are a great tube and until now have been my reference (meaning I left them in my amp as they sounded better than other options) for a year or so...beautiful looking tube, and I recently bought a new set as one tube stopped working...hmm...now that the 7581As are breaking-in (as far as that goes with tubes), they’re already a seriously great sounding tube...wide ranging effortless tone monsters with a cool looking blue glow at the plates...I like that...they’re gonna be around for a while as I bask in the damn things, and at 50 bucks a pair new and tested, there’s simply nothing not to like.
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I've used KT120s and like them...had a quad last for 2 years or so in another amp, and have a pair for this amp. Great tube, doesn't sound as good as the GL KT77s or the 7581s in this particular amp. |
Maybe some artistically applied gold meanderings on the 7581As whoud make them seem more welcome around the 77s. |
The 120s sounded great in a Jolida 502p push-pull amp that I used them in primarily, and only swapped 'em out when they got weak....wound up using Gold Lion KT88s mostly. In the amp I now use (Dennis Had Inspire Firebottle HO 12wpc...4 tubes total in this thing) I can put pretty much any power tube in there (with a rectifier tube change when needed for "sag" avoidance or encouragement...or something) and the amp itself seems simply more revealing of tube differences. I might put the 120s back in sometime just for some tonal mischief, and because I feel bad for all of the lonely tubes that dwell in the darkness of my tube drawer. |
I misspelled "would" although otherwise my last comment is accurate...I still like the 7581As in my "Had HO" amp...just somehow more revealing of musical detail maybe...something... |
This tube is becoming wildly popular. How ironic. And I agree they sound great right out of the box...in the box, not so much. |
Yeah...that can ruin what is a nicely made cardboard box. |
The blue glow actually got a little bluer after a few days, so there's that, and after however many weeks I've had 'em I've become even fonder (is that a word?) of these things. A classy tube. |
My Dennis Had "Inspire Fire Bottle HO" single ended amp (12wpc supposedly) will accommodate everything from KT150s, 120s, 88s, 77s to 6l6s and their ilk, and, other than 6L6s, I've tried all of the above. Swapping out the rectifier tube can help things, but I generally keep a 274B in there...before the 7581As the Gold Lion KT77s sounded best by far, and I raved about them like an unhinged maniac. Now I'm so impressed by the 7581A's tone palette and seemingly effortless tight power grip from top to bottom, they're staying put. Besides, the blue phosphorescence is so appealing, and clearly I need to get out more. |
JJ KT77s are so inexpensive that I bought a pair a while back, and they sounded (surprisingly) so much worse in my Had SE amp that I simply shrugged and considered it a lesson learned. Maybe some amp synergy with the JJs was off, and I even tried different rectifier tubes to no avail...When I looked at Gold Lion KT77s and noted obvious build differences I finally got over my KT77 issues and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were, and kept them in the amp until the 7581As bumped them from the top spot.
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