Svetlana KT88 VS EH6550

My Svetlana KT88's have about 1200 hours on them. The were original equipment with the PW3 se's. SF's tech department is though discouraging their use and suggesting 6550's but I am hesitant to change as I really like the sound of the KT88's.

The resistor blew yesterday and I suspect it was a bad tube. I plan to call them tomorrow and see if they will send me some new resistors so that I can intall rather than sending it back to the factory. The tech people had told me that the early Svet KT88's had alot of problems and thus they are now not recommending them. Of course they are no longer selling amps but are still maintaining them. If the 6550 is more reliable then they are probably discouraging the KT88's in order to minimize the repair issues.

I just spoke with Chris Johnson at the Parts Connexion regarding the recommended tubes for the Power 3's. Chris was president of SFI and knows the product better than anyone. He strongly suggested the Svetlana KT88 tube as the best option. He said the 6550 variations do not sound as good on these amps as the KT88's due to the higher plate voltage. He is sending me new tubes and some replacement resistors. I would suggest that anyone looking to retube an SFI product contact him.

Kevin, I value your opinion regarding tubes as I have bought tubes from you in the past for several of my components. I am willing to replace resistors occasionaly in order to deliver the best sound. I went with Chris's recommendation that the Svet KT88 does deliver the best sound on these amps. If I find that these tubes begin to cause me excessive problems then I may reconsider the 6550 options as I am sure you are correct in saying that they are more reliable. The original Svet KT88's that I had in the power 3 SE's lasted around 1200 hours before I had an issue. This is something I can live with. If I had issues with them every several hundred hours then that would be a different story.