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Does anyone have any first hand experience with this tube?
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EAT KT88 Diamond
- Thread starter Mike
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octadyndude
New member
They are the most linear tube I ever heard. Extremely balanced and quiet from top to bottom. It was unfortunate that I lost 3 out of 6 in 1 month. I did buy mine pre owned back when I had the Octave V70SE. One tube guy mentioned they were designed to be run with a plate voltage of 450V and the V70 plate was 540V. Doesn't make sense because the tube is rated for 650V. The serial #'s of mine began with either D or E. That was about 7 yrs ago.
SED 6550 sounded somewhat similar but not as quiet.
SED 6550 sounded somewhat similar but not as quiet.
I've been tempted in the past but I have heard from several sources that reliability and longevity is variable. I have Gold Lion reissues that have lasted >8000hrs and still going strong.
These are also more expensive than the GL premium matched quads.
These are also more expensive than the GL premium matched quads.
KeithR
Active member
i'd love to hear them vs Black Treasures, Valve Arts, etc.
best KT88 tube I've heard was from KR - but I'm not sure they are made anymore.
best KT88 tube I've heard was from KR - but I'm not sure they are made anymore.
jdandy
New member
Mike.......The comments above with respect to reliability are exactly why I have not been tempted to purchase EAT tubes. Their prices are steep by comparison to any number of other excellent tubes, both small tubes and power tubes, but that alone would not stop me from trying them if I felt comfortable with their reliability. The EAT KT88 Diamond tubes cost $1800.00 for a quad. My two McIntosh MC2301 power amps take a total of 16 KT88's. That's $7200.00 to put EAT's in my amps. I don't see that ever happening. The Gold Lion KT88's I am using now sound absolutely sublime, have been completely reliable with nearly 1800 hours on them at this time, and 16 Gold Lion KT88 tubes cost just over $900.00. Even if reliability wasn't an issue with the EAT tubes, I would question the price to performance value when compared to the Gold Lion tubes. I seriously doubt I would hear a $6300.00 difference in performance between EAT's and Gold Lion's.
octadyndude
New member
If you look closely at the KR Enterprise the internal construction is identical to the EAT KT88 (minus the serial number). Glass is much thicker on the KR. Now I'll go a step farther and say both of those tubes are the same as the original Tesla KT88's. So I'm guessing after Tesla went out of production KR took over and after they stopped production the equipment was sold to Euro Audio Team. I never did a side by side comparison between the EAT and KR but I did like the KR's a bit more. Like the Eat the KR didn't last that long either for me. As I remember the KR had a little more 'meat' in the mids and were not as analytical sounding.
Have you heard the Ei KT90's type 2 or 3? To me that is the sleeper tube of all times. They are known to last almost forever. Jim McShane turned me on to those and he had his 1st tube failure after 12 years. If you look hard you can still find some NOS for about $110 each. I liked them so much I bought 5 quads of used ones and never had a failure. After I traded the Octave V70se for a V110 I ran them in High power 620V plate voltage and they sounded even better than the 540V.
Now all that said a lot will depend on your speakers. When I had the Dyn C1 Sigs the best sounding tube was the original Tung Sol 6550 solid black plate followed by the solid grey plates. EAT KT88's did not sound good with the Dyn's. Ei KT90's were second best. But then I traded the Dyn's for Raidho D1's. Well the TS did not sound that good at all. Original GEC/Gold Lion/Marconi KT88's and Ei KT90's were a lot better with the edge going to Ei. To me the Gold Lion reissues were drier sounding and not as quiet but still a good tube for the money. Never put the Eat's back in because by that time I was down to 3.
octadyndude
New member
Ah -- the point of diminishing returns. Gold Lion re issues are very good for the money spent but like I mentioned in the above post they are not as quiet as others (if that's even all that important to you). To me they reminded me of a cross between SED 6550's and KT88's. Honestly I liked the SED KT88 better (with Dynaudio) but those too are out of production. But just like speaker/amp/cables everyone has a preference of sound quality. With 16 tubes you are talking some very serious cash. I only had 4 so no where near as expensive. The only way you would know if something is better is try them yourself and not take any ones word for it.
jdandy
New member
octadyndude.......No, quiet means absolutely nothing to me. :roflmao:What a silly comment.
I have had the opportunity to use a number of different tubes in my amps starting with the McIntosh stock KT88's (Electro Harmonix), Gold Lion, Svetlana Winged-C, and Penta. The Svetlana's were loaned to me for a week by a friend trying to convince me they were better than the Gold Lion's. All of these tubes sounded good to me but for my taste the Gold Lion KT88's sound the best in my MC2301 amps. As for silent, well silent is silent, otherwise it wouldn't be silent, right? That is exactly what I get from my amplifiers, dead silence in a sound treated recording studio room that has been measured for an ambient noise level at 28dB with the sound system energized. There is a lot more to an amplifier's signal to noise than just what may or may not be inherent in a particular set of tubes. Rolling tubes in amplifiers is a lot like adding spices to a recipe. You pick your favorite flavors by your own taste. It is the same with tubes. I made my choice based on my personal experience with my amps and other people's amps. The best part, I only have to make myself happy.
octadyndude
New member
Dan - my bad.... When I referred to quiet I did not mean the tubes are noisy with no music playing because they were dead silent for me too that way. What I meant was there is a some 'grunge' between the instruments and vocals. Or just a hair less clarity with music playing compared to other tubes.
octadyndude
New member
I guess that's the price you pay for more clarity. Is it worth it? That's up to you or me. With me it depends very much with the speakers I had/have.
jdandy
New member
octadyndude.......It has been my experience that this "grunge" you speak of is often more apparent in source components than amplifiers. Through the years as my source components become better and better I found the separation of voices and instruments to improve far more than any tube rolling has ever produced for me in multiple tube amplifiers, not just the MC2301's. With the improved sources micro and macro details became clearer, appearing from a deeper black background. Subtle ambient cues in a recording that helps build a well focused and holographic sound stage come from these ultra quiet backgrounds that the best source components are able to reproduce. My years of experience with solid state and tube audio gear has helped me develop a keen ear for such things. No doubt there can be a certain advantage one tube may offer over another but the better tubes in production today have narrowed the margin considerably between manufacturers. From my point of view, improved sources are more potent at delivering improved sound than tubes. That's not to say tubes don't have plenty to offer in their various iterations because we know they do. The variables seem endless. That's why I still find myself as excited about audio today as I was 48 years ago when I purchase my first pair of McIntosh MC30 mono tube amps. Love this hobby.
Bobolaclune
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Stop goofing around Mike , you know there's only one answer - GEC KT88's or TT21's . I use them in all my amps - 24 in total . Bullet-proof, will run for thousands of hours without a hitch. Sonically superior to SED's & Gold Lions I have compared them to. Nothing comes close. Be A Man !
- Thread Author
- #13
Ha! I've looked and asked around. Hard to find 8 NOS GEC. Now, if you're offering to share, I'm in! Rick has a bunch, but he won't part with them for nothing.
I have a couple of guys I know hoarding them. Otherwise, I'm in.
Bobolaclune
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Gotta know where to look . Actually I use TT21's , they're easier to get , identical to KT88's except the anode is stuck on top so you need a modified tube adaptor. Patience my Grasshopper and you will find enlightenment at the end of the path.
I made this enquiry some time ago, I believe it was with you and it amounted to a dead-end.
If you have or know where there is original Genalex KZt88s new old stock or TT21 NOS with the correct anode tube adapters that reconfigures them to KT88 spec, by all means, please enlighten us. Pics would be nice!
But if it's gonna turn out to be a Sothebeys auction for 16 or 24 KT88s then I'm not playing in that sandpit.
Looking forward to seeing your FS listing if you are a genuine seller willing to share some love with the other boys.
Bobolaclune
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Whoa , steady on horsie......I can see you got your exercise this morning jumping furiously from conclusion to conclusion......
Inquiry with me for KT88's ? I think you're mistaken.
I am not a dealer , I have no tubes to sell, I am aware of responsible sellers who don't auction then off Ebay and I have no skin in this game. Glad to get the disclaimers out of the way. I am simply suggesting that as in most things in life , a little diligence and friendly assistance will get you to an end target. TT21's are easier to get a hold of for various reasons , including the fact that the additional height added by the adaptor, makes fitment into many amps problematic. Cosmetics may be an issue as well for some.
Bobolaclune...OK, the horses are off the track! No fury intended. Thanks for your clarification.
I must have you mistaken with someone else then who at the time was gearing up to run TT21s in McIntosh MC2301s. Never heard back from him so am unsure whether or not he was successful with his mission. This guy also had a Genalex stash (less than a set) and was fishing around for interest. It was awhile ago and I decided not to keep records of his specifics.
McIntosh Mc2301s with the grills off ( which is how I run them) have all the room in the world for topside anode adapters. I would contemplate trying this but would need to be confident with spec compatibility first.
I must have you mistaken with someone else then who at the time was gearing up to run TT21s in McIntosh MC2301s. Never heard back from him so am unsure whether or not he was successful with his mission. This guy also had a Genalex stash (less than a set) and was fishing around for interest. It was awhile ago and I decided not to keep records of his specifics.
McIntosh Mc2301s with the grills off ( which is how I run them) have all the room in the world for topside anode adapters. I would contemplate trying this but would need to be confident with spec compatibility first.
- Thread Author
- #18
Well, I bought two NOS GoldLion KT88's this morning. Might take me a while to get to 8...
Mike...Congrats on the find. I have never seen more than a pair and buying the real deal is difficult.
JAC Music is a great resource for all that is real with tips on how to spot a fake. http://www.jacmusic.com/KT88/kt88.htm
To think about finding 16 plus a spare or two to run MC2301s could take forever or never.