Svetlana KT-88

well I am sure the NOS <<most liklely are superior>> to the new stock,, but  considering out options, the new stock is perhaps best sound 6550 in production. 
Thats all that matters to me. One guy made a  comment on his ebay purchse, <<These new svet 6550s, are just as good as my GE NOS>> so there you go.
I'd rather upgrade all caps/resistors  and put the cash there, than chasing after NOS over priced tubes.
The shootout in the 6550/88's 
are 
Tungsol
EH
GL
Svet
I've only heard GL and Svet's. 
The Svets beat out the GL's. 
Tried to locate a  comment on audiokarama concerning the GL 6550, not standing up to its repitation, which right off, i found the GL losing to the Svet 6550 in the ref test cd shootout. 
But I can not loacte that particular comment, ONly comments  in high praise of the GL 6550's.
Oh well each will have to pick his own. 
I  KNOW what what i am hearing in the Svet 6550, and have no interest  to  consider other contenders. 
This tube presents music as high fidelity. . 
That is  to say, with a  sublime  realism. 

No argument!    When it comes to what will sound best, with what gear, in which room and to whose ears/tastes; the variables are incalculable.                  When it came to the audio business; I was all about, "The customer always thinks he's right"   and catered to (whatever) their tastes.

op

https://www.stereophile.com/news/022304svetlana/index.html

this will help you understand the svetlana/winged c story

svetlana’s winged c tubes were not labeled as such in the 1970’s - that specific branding did not even exist until more than a decade later - so if that is what your tube dealer is telling you he is either misinformed or dishonest

sed winged c tubes were marketed from 1992-2007, and made in svetlana's st. peterburg russia plant, that burned down in 2006 - current production is from a totally different plant owned by new sensor corp in x-pol (also in russia, but made on different equipment different designs different processes) - new sensor has been quite clever to buy up many ’gloried' names of great past (now defunct) tube companies -- tungsol, mullard, gold lion/genalex, and even ’svetlana winged-c’ -- not to say they make bad tubes (their tubes are actually quite good) but they are NOT the same tubes that those companies built their reputations and folklore on...

last point - real svetlana winged c kt88’s have silver lettering on the glass envelopes, and have a 4 digit production date on the last line...  be very careful chasing currently remaining real winged c tubes being sold - after the plant burned down a lot of factory seconds and rejects came onto the market and have been offered by shady sellers on ebay and elsewhere -- if there are still a few real winged c kt88’s on sale from reputed vendors they will be very expensive - some good ones remain in the hands of long time tube amp lovers like myself who bought them as spares for our audio research and other top line tube amps 😁

new stuff new sensor is making under the svetlana name uses black print on the glass with no date of mfg - i believe they are labeled svetlana without the winged c

good luck