Output tubes for Twin Jet

  • Thread starter Thread starter moronmountain
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moronmountain

moronmountain

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So what brands of KT88's has anyone/everyone tried with their Twin Jet, and what results have you had? I believe they come stock with Sovtek, but I've read good things about the Chinese KT88-98 tubes believe it or not. I've tried JJ's in my VHT UL, and actually preferred the slightly cheaper Sovtek tubes. The JJ's were a bit too dark and muddy compared to the Sovteks.

I have the TJ coming in next week, and wanted to order new tubes pretty much right off the bat since the amp is used. I am really curious about the Chinese ones I mentioned, but don't wanna toss $$ around just for fun. Should I just stick with Sovtek, or try the Chinese or some other??????? I'm looking for real world results here, and want a tube that will give me tight bass, and clear mids and highs. I'm not necessarily looking to changed the sound of the amp, but I do want the best bang for the buck since KT88's are on the $$$$ side as it is.

I have a few shows booked this month, so I have to decide on a brand pretty quick, and I don't have the $ to get several brands to dork around with. Thanks in advance for any help!

Stimpy
 
SED =C= 6550s

Haven't looked back yet. KILLER sounding.
 
Ventura":1i4gaygg said:
SED =C= 6550s

Haven't looked back yet. KILLER sounding.
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Good also. I really dug the GL KT77 in my Twin Jet
 
Ventura":1n2ptx02 said:
SED =C= 6550s

Haven't looked back yet. KILLER sounding.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've looked at those as well, but man they're pretty expensive hehe! What differences can you hear vs. the stock KT88's as far as tone, tightness, clarity, noise, etc?
 
Yep. Won't work unless the amp's been modded with a toggle to accept both tubes within their independent bias range.

EL34 / KT77
or
KT88 / 6550

Peace
 
moronmountain":1rkm87yy said:
Ventura":1rkm87yy said:
SED =C= 6550s

Haven't looked back yet. KILLER sounding.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've looked at those as well, but man they're pretty expensive hehe! What differences can you hear vs. the stock KT88's as far as tone, tightness, clarity, noise, etc?
Click to expand...
Was a recommendation from Leib... I had the stock bottles in the TwinJet Purple that Heritage sold me. It was good - don't get me wrong. Sounded HUGE. But I played with it for a while and then swapped to the 6550s. The 6550s instantly softened the tone, wasn't as ice picky. Bottom end is huge no matter what - richter scale material. But the tonal range from lows to mids to highs was more balanced sounding, and I could play at the same volume for a longer period of time without constantly having to adjust the treble/mids/presence to get rid of this shrill ear fatiguing component. Now, I am sure that "shrill ear fatiguing component" would be great in a live context for cut, but honestly, the 6550s just refined everything that amp was producing and made it sound "special".

Get the 6550s... Ask for high voltage rated if possible. If you don't like 'em or feel the difference isn't justified, you can sell 'em for $10 less and someone will buy them guaranteed (hell, let me know if you don't like 'em and I'll buy the bottles off of ya).
 
PS: noise is less a function of the powerstage in the TJ than the preamp stage. Ubers and TJs love Chinese bottles in all positions and your bank account will love these too. High grade 12AX7s throughout. That said, I did roll a number of preamp bottles through mine and ended up going with a couple GL-ECC83s, a Jan5751, LPS, and EiYugo in the mix. Be careful of the CF positions too - they don't like fragile tubes. And the loop can be a tocuh dark so go for a brighter, high voltage premap bottle in there too - C9 high grade no sweat. Mine's a Purple Mod, which differs from the stock TJ, but I've had a stock before and going with all Chinese high grade up front and some good powertubes in the back is a great place to start - and probably stop - with the TJs.
 
Ventura said:
PS: noise is less a function of the powerstage in the TJ than the preamp stage.
I understand this, I just wanted to make sure I mentioned it just "in case" hehe. I am thinking I should wait and at least hear the amp with the tubes it has in it, before I decide. I also have had good experiences with Chinese 12ax7's. In my VHT I upgraded v2-v5 (v5 I paid a bit extra for a "balanced" one) with the "premium" Chinese 12's, and swapped the Sovtek in v1 out for a balanced Tungsol, and I was super happy with the results. :rock: I will likely do the same thing with the TJ, but am unsure about the Tungsol. I will prolly just buy an extra Chinese and try both to see which one I like better.

To be honest, I think if I would have ended up with a Herbert, I was seriously thinking about getting the winged C 6550's, but I'm on the fence with the Twin Jet. Thanks for all the info though. ;)
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Ventura":ef5gr8gr said:
Yep. Won't work unless the amp's been modded with a toggle to accept both tubes within their independent bias range.

EL34 / KT77
or
KT88 / 6550

Peace
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm deffinately only interested in the 88's or 6550's at this point.
 
Give the 88s a shot. If you want a facelift, go for the 6550s. Simple.

But in the interim, just rock the shit out of that amp as it's a serious piece of kit man!! Seriously bombastic nuclear sonic doom :yes:
 
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