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Re: Anyone using GT/Sino KT66

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6/24/2000 3:32 AM

Re: Anyone using GT/Sino KT66

I have no expierience with the Chinese KT-66's, but I did have a bad expierience about two years ago with the Sovtek's and is the reason I won't use a Sovetek tube in anything.

I bought a "Matched Pair" from one of the tube vendors that we all know. When I received the tubes both of the bottles were tilted in the basses. One was listing about 10deg east, and the other was not only listing about 15 deg south but the bottle was not all the way down in the base and was a noticable 3/8" taller than the other. They were a "matched pair" alright.

The guy I bought them from was appologetic, and truely bent over backwards to make things right. He said he got them in from his supplier and saw no reason to open the boxes and sent them out as the matched pair.

But for crying out loud are the people at Sovtek or the supplier BLIND? This is all I will ever need to know about Sovtek "Quality Control", it is bad enough that they could leave the assembly line, but somebody had to match them up.

I realize that lots of guys have had good luck with Sovtek and good for them... but never again for me.

Casey4s

6/24/2000 5:30 AM
Peter S	Casey, I'm with you 110% on Sovtek quality control.....it's incredibly poor, and so is the tone of most of their tubes IMHO. For Russian made, it's got to be Svetlana.....I sure wish they would start making some 12A_7's. NOS supplies arent gonna last forever. Peter S

6/24/2000 4:41 PM

Peter,

I havn't tried any Svetlana yet, but I am looking forward to trying their new 12AX7 to come out in a couple of months. I have used EI preamp tubes and found them to be OK, and Tesla seem like hi quality but the tone in Fender gear just dosn't suit me, but that's just me. I have enough NOS stockpiled to last my lifetime.

I tried some Sovtek 12ax7wxt's a couple of years ago too and found 2 of the four I had to be microphonic, and one amp I tried them in caused it to feedback/squeal. I have heard that the LPS is better, but I have had my fill of Sovtek.

Casey4s

6/24/2000 10:14 PM

Casey,
HA HA......I have enough Mullard, Telefunken, RCA, Sylvania, G.E., Tung Sol and some odds and ends like Philco and Westinghouse to last my lifetime and probably my son's too for personal use,and I have enough stashed away for amplifier building and warranty replacement for the next 25 years, but for repair customers ...... probably only several more years, maybe a few more. I used to sell NOS tubes to people who wanted to put them in any kind of amp, but now I have them reserved for Vintage amp repairs and high quality newer ones only. I feel bad about it, but I have to allocate my resources responsibly. A few weeks ago I had a request from someone to sell some Mullard EL-34's but I had to turn him down, because I need them for my amp line.

Peter S
Kimerik Amplifiers

6/26/2000 10:55 PM

Since we're on the subject of KT66's, I just thought I'd let you all know that Watford Valves sell the same KT66 as Groove Tubes do (the one made by Reflecter) and sell it as their 'Harma KT66'.

They do all that testing/matching/etc... like GT do and sell their's for Ł65 inc VAT and P&P (per pair). Don't know how much the GT one's are, but I bet they're a fair bit more than that!

I'll be getting mine on Wednesday and using them in my Bluesbreaker at a gig this weekend. We'll see how those work out.

Anyone got any info on any special biasing these might need, or should the bias pot on the PCB have enough range there to get the KT66's in the correct range?

How are you lot biasing them?

Cheers... Ian

6/27/2000 2:17 PM
Ted Breaux	Following the above post, we've just learned from Ian that Watford Valves indeed sells the Sovtek 'KT66' (not the GT KT66), so be forewarned. I don't know of anyone who sells the GT KT66 other than GT. The appear to have a worldwide exclusive on that one.

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