"The Devil" wrote in message
news:mls8j010h7trr1giiarm40t3ao4sqvs259@rdmzrnewst xt.nz...
As you know, my amps were designed for ultralinear operation. The
first output valves I tried were Svetlana KT88s. Rectifier valve is
some cheap American 5u4. Driver valves (hush!) were Mullards. Utterly
divine sound. My dealer then gave me some Yugo (EI) KT90s to try.
They're type IIIs. Good grief! Even better! Massive, controlled bass
slams, plenty of air and soundstage, beguiling strings, and all served
up with oodles of power. Then he gave me some Chinese KT100s, which I
accepted with some reluctance - I didn't want them exploding and
ruining a bunch of expensive and difficult-to-obtain Black Gate
capacitors. My (long-suffering, he might say) dealer sourced my BGs
for me and didn't fancy the same task again (although I paid the
miserable **** for his trouble - no more of my Scotch for him).

The Chinese KT100s turned out to be very nicely made valves and
sounded even better than the KT90s. The KT90s were always more fun to
listen to than the KT88s, yet despite their numerous sound-quality
advantages, I thought they might be a little lacking in some areas
compared to the KT88s. But the KT100s seemed to be the jack of all
trades. Phenomenal sound quality. I could happily (and did) live with
either the KT90s or KT100s.

During these first few months, I tried various driver valves -
Mullards, EIs, Telefunkens (with the diamond mark :-)), Siemens (no
diamond mark :-)), military spec. Mullards, and another pair I can't
recall.

Anyway, the results were not what I was expecting. I was expecting the
Siemens and Telefunken valves to really sing, but they didn't. In
fact, the Siemens in particular didn't sound too good at all. So I
went back to the original (and best-sounding) Mullards.

Then you mentioned about trying the output valves in triode mode. So I
strapped the G2s with resistors to the plates and settled into my
chair for what I expected to be a minor improvement in the sound
quality. I was stunned.

The amps had astonished me the very first time I turned them on. I'm
by no means a design genius, and I did nothing clever with these amps.
There are a hundred circuits similar to mine on the net. I attributed
the amps' ability to sound so lifelike to the extremely high quality
components I had used - all Black Gate capacitors and just two
coupling capacitors: copper foil Jensen paper-in-oils to get the
antiphase signals from the driver plates to the output valves' grids.

In triode mode, it were as if, until this moment, the music had been
constricted. It's extremely hard to describe *how* it had been
constricted. The sound stage had been huge, and there wasn't the
slightest hint of anything nasty going on. I could listen all day
without any fatigue whatsoever; the sound was fascinating and deeply
communicative, organic and liquid, just existing there in space with
real solidity and presence. I would not have thought a sonic
improvement over the original ultralinear operation was possible. And
I was in no rush to try the triode operation.

I was still using the KT100s when I eventually did the triode mod.
Despite my initial shock at the substantial 'freeing everything up'
improvement, as the weeks passed, I found myself getting less
enjoyment from music. Often I was tired and I wasn't getting any
listening time until the early hours of the morning, and I put down my
lack of enthusiasm to that (and my general preoccupation with work,
those periods being a time when not much else gets a look-in).
Although the soundstage was vast and everything was in its place and
sounding lifelike, I felt there was a certain 'going through the
motions' quality about the reproduction. It began to dawn on me that
although I had gained a lot from the triode mod, I may too have lost
something. Whatever it was, I couldn't put my finger on it, although
it seemed to be very small. But whatever it was, it seemed to be the
thing that was responsible for pushing my buttons when I listen to
music.

It was this Sunday just gone that I decided I would try and figure out
what was going on. I started by swapping out driver valves. The
Siemens actually didn't sound naff now. They had when the amp was
running in ultralinear. But now they seemed to bring an extra
something. But it was very subtle and I still wasn't getting into the
music. More driver valves hopped in and out and there just didn't seem
to be that much to pick between them. So out came the KT100s and in
went the KT90s. The KT100s had outclassed the KT90s in UL operation,
but now the KT90s were rocking. Whatever magical ingredient had been
missing was now back - or at least some of it was. I tried each set of
driver valves with the KT90s and still didn't hear much difference
between them.

And as impressive as the system sounded, it still wasn't grabbing me.
I was beginning to think I needed to get my ears syringed or
something.

Anyway, when the amps were in UL, I had written in email to a friend
something along the lines of 'the KT88s are junk compared to KT90s.
They won't be going back in the amps'.

Well, I decided to plug in the KT88s and see how they sounded.

I had flipped switches and yanked the KT90s half way through REM's
'Lotus' song. It had sounded as fine as I ever remembered it sounding,
but for some reason I just couldn't stand listening to it. All the
instruments were separate from each other and there was good
holography in the reproduction, but it just didn't do anything for me.

I let the KT88s warm up and was back with the Mullard drivers. I
clicked back to the beginning of 'Lotus' and started again.

It might as well have been a different system, in a different room,
playing a different version of the same song. Whatever ingredient of
reproduction pushes my buttons was now pushing all of them at once.

Utterly thrilled, and with the valves barely fully illuminated, I
decided to try those tricky Siemens. Holy ****ing ****. The whole
front of my listening room might well have been some kind of
sound-producing cavity extending to the bottom of my garden.

So it seems I have finally realised the gains of triode operation
without the small but significant loss of a certain, indescribable,
magical 'something'. It seems peculiar that the driver valves never
really made a great deal of difference when the outputs were in
ultralinear, nor did they make much difference with the KT100s or
KT90s in triode, but with the KT88s in triode, they clearly sound
different from one another. It's almost as if the KT100s and KT90s had
such a strong character of their own, they were unresponsive to, or
unable to resolve, differences in the driver stage.

It also hits me as peculiar that the output valves' order of greatness
as I perceived it has completely reversed with triode operation.

Anyway, I hope others find this useful. For me, KT88s in triode are
the supreme reproducers of music. And man, just *how* great they sound
in my amps is something to behold.

Very glad - and relieved - to be back in musical heaven! :-)

--
td


Two of my ultralinear Citaiton I's were modified for triode, as well
as having some cap replcements/upgrades and are run with KT88's.
I too like the way it opened up in triode mode. One of these might
be just the thing for Scott, and I am very willing to part with one of them.

I also have a third one that was guted and completely rewired
as a Williamson, with 4 12U7 instead of the 6 12By7
(If I rememeber correctly) adn is also in triode with KT88's
This is even better. But its a keeper.

I also have a stock Citation I, if Scott wants that ,so he can do
his own mods form scratch. Too much stuff!!!

"The Devil" wrote in message
news:14baj0tr9nblfcfieeepnaa87i21ooe4a0@rdmzrnewst xt.nz...
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:26:38 -0400, "Clyde Slick"
wrote:

his own mods form scratch. Too much stuff!!!

I so wish you hadn't begged for my hand in marriage. I might have
listened to you then.

--
td

"At least" you have steel boobs.

"Clyde Slick" wrote in message
...


Two of my ultralinear Citaiton I's were modified for triode, as well
as having some cap replcements/upgrades and are run with KT88's.
I too like the way it opened up in triode mode. One of these might
be just the thing for Scott, and I am very willing to part with one of
them.

I also have a third one that was guted and completely rewired
as a Williamson, with 4 12U7 instead of the 6 12By7
(If I rememeber correctly) adn is also in triode with KT88's
This is even better. But its a keeper.

I also have a stock Citation I, if Scott wants that ,so he can do
his own mods form scratch. Too much stuff!!!

We definitely gotta talk. Give me a call when you get in town.

ScottW

"Clyde Slick" said:

Two of my ultralinear Citaiton I's were modified for triode, as well
as having some cap replcements/upgrades and are run with KT88's.
I too like the way it opened up in triode mode. One of these might
be just the thing for Scott, and I am very willing to part with one of them.

Did you suddenly realize both output tubes are of the same gender?
Does that bother you so much that you want to part with them? :-)

--
Sander deWaal
"SOA of a KT88? Sufficient."

"Sander deWaal" wrote in message
...
"Clyde Slick" said:

Two of my ultralinear Citaiton I's were modified for triode, as well
as having some cap replcements/upgrades and are run with KT88's.
I too like the way it opened up in triode mode. One of these might
be just the thing for Scott, and I am very willing to part with one of
them.

Did you suddenly realize both output tubes are of the same gender?
Does that bother you so much that you want to part with them? :-)


My tubes happily coexist in a civil unon.

"Clyde Slick" said:

Did you suddenly realize both output tubes are of the same gender?
Does that bother you so much that you want to part with them? :-)

My tubes happily coexist in a civil unon.

They sound best married.
Scott, take note, take that HK to the city council first thing!

--
Sander deWaal
"SOA of a KT88? Sufficient."

"George M. Middius" wrote in message
...


ScottW said to Sacky:

We definitely gotta talk. Give me a call when you get in town.

Invite him to see a show, but surprise! it's a gay wedding.


Which one do I kiss?

George M. Middius wrote in message . ..
ScottW said to Sacky:

We definitely gotta talk. Give me a call when you get in town.

Invite him to see a show, but surprise! it's a gay wedding.

Most gay weddings I've heard about were a show.

ScottW

"George M. Middius" wrote in message
...


Clyde Slick said:

We definitely gotta talk. Give me a call when you get in town.

Invite him to see a show, but surprise! it's a gay wedding.

Which one do I kiss?

The left cheek.


Which left cheek?