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Post by mward on Feb 15, 2007 11:28:41 GMT -7
Anyone have any thoughts on these? The guys who sell them say nice things about them but of course they would. You can't ask a barber if you need a haircut.
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Post by iggs on Feb 15, 2007 11:53:00 GMT -7
Same tubes as GT KT66C. Brighter and less compressed sounding then Russian Saratov KT66 (GT KT66HP).
Right now I have a Saratov pair in my Route 66 and waiting for a replacement pair of the GT KT66C from GT, the ones I had started to rattle. I do prefer the Chinese over the Russian ones, strictly judging by sound in my Route 66.
Pretty slim pickings these days when it comes to KT66 tubes ... I'm waiting for someone to try those JJ KT66 in a Route 66 and report on findings. If we are (really) lucky, they may be a better choice then the current Chinese and Russian offerings. Hopefully they are a "real" KT66 unlike the Tung-Sol ones.
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Post by mward on Feb 15, 2007 12:22:40 GMT -7
Who is selling the JJ KT66s? I haven't seen them around although I remember someone mentioning them here.
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Post by iggs on Feb 15, 2007 12:28:57 GMT -7
I don't think they are out yet. With my disastrous Tung-Sol experience I'm not trying any new KT66 in my Route 66 until someone says it's OK. Would be cool if Myles snagged a few of those and ran some tests on them ...
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Post by myles on Feb 15, 2007 19:38:51 GMT -7
I don't think they are out yet. With my disastrous Tung-Sol experience I'm not trying any new KT66 in my Route 66 until someone says it's OK. Would be cool if Myles snagged a few of those and ran some tests on them ... Tungsol .... Tests will be continued this month..... so far it does not trace or look like a "KT" (kinkless tetrode). It behaves sort of like a regular 6L6. But ... in the end if you like how it sounds it is an option. But then again ... if you like a 6L6 in the amp then that is a lot of additional options. The KT66C .... some people preferred them tonally to the HP ... Steve Carr for one in his Mercury amp. I think that amp now ships with an EL-34. They are different but both nice sounding tubes.
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Post by iggs on Feb 16, 2007 7:24:21 GMT -7
Hey Myles, just re-read my post and (in my head) I was referring to you testing the JJ KT66 not the Tung Sol ... sorry, it was "lost in translation".
Do you plan on testing the JJ KT66 any time soon?
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Post by myles on Feb 16, 2007 11:14:27 GMT -7
Hey Myles, just re-read my post and (in my head) I was referring to you testing the JJ KT66 not the Tung Sol ... sorry, it was "lost in translation". Do you plan on testing the JJ KT66 any time soon? Yes ... testing is planned on any KT66 that we learn about from our vendors. As a side note .... the JJ KT77 is a KILLER tube. Last Saturday we put them in both of Carl Verheyen's SRZ-65s in a #8 rating and it was spectacular. I also specified those last night to Brent at the Z factory to go into the SRZ-65 that is on it's way to Michael Burks to try out.
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Post by iggs on Feb 16, 2007 11:22:40 GMT -7
Yes ... testing is planned on any KT66 that we learn about from our vendors. Sweet! Please report on findings as soon as you do. THANKS!!!
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Post by beej on Feb 20, 2007 18:24:37 GMT -7
any more info on the the JJ KT66s? Looking to put some new ones in the 66. thx
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Feb 21, 2007 11:14:26 GMT -7
Tungsol .... Tests will be continued this month..... so far it does not trace or look like a "KT" (kinkless tetrode). It behaves sort of like a regular 6L6. But ... in the end if you like how it sounds it is an option. But then again ... if you like a 6L6 in the amp then that is a lot of additional options. Myles... sorry if maybe you've answered this before ( and if there IS another thread already I'll look for it), but... 1. Are you saying you can use a regular 6L6 in a route 66?? 2. and if you can where would you bias it at with the 6L6?? THAT would be neat if it didn't harm the amp to do so... and what difference would it make to the sound? I thought about atrying a Route 66 and I think Shannon would LOVE one but the lack of availability of tubes is kind of a concern? being able to use 6L6's would make it an interesting option.... Thanks, Jason
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Post by myles on Feb 21, 2007 12:09:41 GMT -7
Tungsol .... Tests will be continued this month..... so far it does not trace or look like a "KT" (kinkless tetrode). It behaves sort of like a regular 6L6. But ... in the end if you like how it sounds it is an option. But then again ... if you like a 6L6 in the amp then that is a lot of additional options. Myles... sorry if maybe you've answered this before ( and if there IS another thread already I'll look for it), but... 1. Are you saying you can use a regular 6L6 in a route 66?? 2. and if you can where would you bias it at with the 6L6?? THAT would be neat if it didn't harm the amp to do so... and what difference would it make to the sound? I thought about atrying a Route 66 and I think Shannon would LOVE one but the lack of availability of tubes is kind of a concern? being able to use 6L6's would make it an interesting option.... Thanks, Jason Jason, Maybe I did answer it somewhere but where it might be would be anybodies guess so ... You can use a 6L6 in a Route 66 but you loose a TON of the magic of the amp and it will sound thin. The ultralinear output of the Route 66 is just spectacular with KT (kinkless tetrode) construction tubes. You would bias at the same mA point but you will find that the bias voltage on pin 5 will be quite different to acheive the same milliamp number. A KT66 HP in a #5 as an example will draw up to 10 more milliamps at idle than a 6L6 in a #5 rating. The KT66C is really equal to the HP in terms of output and also stronger than a normal 6L6. A KT66 also has a heater current of 1.27 amps vs 0.9 amps of a 6L6. Bigger cathode in the KT66 ... bigger heater, more electron flow. It is a bigger sounding tube. Listen to the Marshall Bluesbreaker amps of the past with the original KT66 vs the later production with the 6L6. Very different. There are more KT66s around than ever before and the KT66C is a great tube. The Route 66 is also an amp that is not hard on tubes at all so they have a very nice long life.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Feb 23, 2007 14:24:00 GMT -7
Thanks Myles, that makes perfect sense that you could use 6L6's but that it would alter the "magic"... and knowing that theres plenty of em and that the KT-66C's are good-uns ease's my mind about encouraging Shannon to get one... I think that amp is just HIS sound, right down his alley.
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herf
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by herf on Mar 25, 2007 15:20:49 GMT -7
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Post by iggs on Mar 26, 2007 7:31:54 GMT -7
No, those are KT77 ... I don't think they are selling the KT66 yet, I read somewhere on their site that they are taking pre-orders though.
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Post by nitehawk55 on May 31, 2007 10:07:02 GMT -7
Why were the Saratov KT66's discontinued ?
I read in one audiophile artical that they felt the construction of the Saratov was far better than the Shauguang . I guess some prefer the sound of the Saratov as well but probably several factors could effect that including personal taste .
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Post by kcraig on Jun 1, 2007 4:26:03 GMT -7
I got my Rt. 66 in about a month ago and it came with the new JJ KT66 tubes installed. I had been using a loaner 66 that had the GT 66 tubes. I was pleasantly surprised with the JJ's. They really sounded alot stronger and just kicked up the whole 66 range of sound and tone to me.I posted about them the day I first tried them out on the Rt.66 forum page. I believe they are available and can be ordered from Eurotubes. If the Doc's installing them in the new 66's he must believe they are great tubes and I agree with the good DR.
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Post by LeftyLang on Jun 2, 2007 22:02:45 GMT -7
I did not know the doc was using the JJ's now???
I will have to try them out.
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Post by gz34nut on Jun 3, 2007 7:42:53 GMT -7
I did not know the doc was using the JJ's now??? I will have to try them out. Tube store is supposed to have JJ's this month sometime . Jon said he would let me know .
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Post by myles on Jun 21, 2007 14:26:45 GMT -7
Why were the Saratov KT66's discontinued ? I read in one audiophile artical that they felt the construction of the Saratov was far better than the Shauguang . I guess some prefer the sound of the Saratov as well but probably several factors could effect that including personal taste . They were not discontinued on purpose .... GT was the owner and developer of the tooling in the plant to produce the tubes to GT only. A year or two ago when all that funny business started over there (remember the problems Mike Matthews had) ... the GT tooling was "lost" according to the reps over there. Then a few months after that the Sovtek problems started for Mike Matthews. Thankfully these issues are over and Sovtek is up and running again even better than before. But ... at GT we still have no idea of where our tooling is! GT did not want to stop production ... the Russians stopped it.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 21, 2007 14:43:55 GMT -7
Interesting story Myles ,thanks . I wonder if the tooling ever re surfaces in the right hands would production resume ? Iwould have to guess when you say "tooling" we are talking a fair bit of machinery , not something you could carry away in a suitcase ?
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Post by myles on Jun 22, 2007 10:15:16 GMT -7
Interesting story Myles ,thanks . I wonder if the tooling ever re surfaces in the right hands would production resume ? Iwould have to guess when you say "tooling" we are talking a fair bit of machinery , not something you could carry away in a suitcase ? If it was a large suitcase I suppose. If the tooling shows up you bet it will go back into production. As far as the tooling size .... as an example, here is a grid winding machine. You need TWO of these per tube (screen and control grid). There is also tooling for the plates and other things but JUST a grid winding machine weighs about a ton and you'd need a heck of a decent pickup to move it. This is one of the grid machines for the GT-6L6GE. There is a second one for the other grid. There are two more for the GT-6CA7: These machines above are older than I am. They were made by RCA. Above - hydrogen furnace for heat treating certain tube materials. These go above 4000F Above - pump down station - you see some 6L6GEs in process. This is just some of the tooling.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 22, 2007 13:40:13 GMT -7
Very cool Myles , thanks for the pics and tour , I didn't realise the machinery would be that large ( or that old ;D ). Beings that machinery that went missing is so specialized one would have to think it would resurface someday or else it has been melted down for scrap . What a shame production of a good tube ended in theft of equipment like that
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