[Deleeh]

It's not that little, actually. The KT8Cs I have here are nearly as tall as my EL38s and they are wider.

FWIW, I've used them in both the Aegis (DIY and ZMF production version) as well as the Cayin HA-6A in the EL34/KT66 bias position without issue.

Yes, I've had a little look at the KT8C, I'll pass.
Some prices are a bit exaggerated, I only went through the cramp with the KT63 Gec.
But that's a different story because I bought a few where there were 2 that didn't quite work anymore.
I probably have 3 good pairs in total now, enough for a long time if I dice them together, but I have to look and listen a lot to match them.
Currently these are with an Ez81 Sylvania and 5751 Sylvania.

I will also look again for some EL38 and small rarities, but my needs are mostly covered at the moment.
I've really bought a lot since Ultimate.
But I've also been able to make good deals.
Yesterday I won an auction for new Rca EL84 nibs here in Germany for less than 20€.
I don't miss out on deals like that, even if it's already a steal.
A good pair of Rca EL84s normally cost quite a bit.

 

[mordy]

The ones with adapters, I believe, were made by Tungsram. They both sound very similar. I am waiting for extra adapters to try the Sakuma style. I have not listened to both types of the Telefunken EL3N. They have become rare and expensive.

I my old amp I always found the older Hungarian made Tungsram EL3N to sound dull and unpleasant.
However, I found the small Tungsram signal tubes to sound very good.

 

[Deleeh]

Here are some photos of the EZ81 Sylvania, not easy to find and get hold of:

5751 Sylvania is the 2 Mica version, actually wanted the GB version which unfortunately was no longer available.
But they are not wrong either.

KT63 Gec :
performs quite well actually,am finally happy with it.
Very strong for slow music, the decay of the notes is a real pleasure.

 

[UntilThen]

GEC KT63 is a 6F6 equivalent. When testing the U-Amp sometime ago, I was sampling these tubes from Eric.





Russian 6F6






NOS Genelax KT88


Chinese 350B

 

[VanHai]

I my old amp I always found the older Hungarian made Tungsram EL3N to sound dull and unpleasant.
However, I found the small Tungsram signal tubes to sound very good.

I am not sure my EL3N made by Tungstam. Just my guess, bought from France. It sounds very clear and full with the UltimatE.

 

[Deleeh]

GEC KT63 is a 6F6 equivalent. When testing the U-Amp sometime ago, I was sampling these tubes from Eric.





Russian 6F6






NOS Genelax KT88


Chinese 350B

Yes Matt you are right Kt63 is more likely to be a British designation.
In fact it runs under 6F6,there are some good ones to explore there too.Like the Russian one you suggested.
However the Gec's and Brimar are the best you can find.
I have both in stock.

Here's the Kt63 in action with Haltron 6BQ7A and Ez81 Sylvania.
I like this little 6BQ7A, in combination it is musical, rich bass, medium vocals that remain intimate, and the treble range is extended enough.
The instruments play very well in place and come across very well.

 

[crakers7]

Yes Matt you are right Kt63 is more likely to be a British designation.
In fact it runs under 6F6,there are some good ones to explore there too.Like the Russian one you suggested.
However the Gec's and Brimar are the best you can find.
I have both in stock.

Here's the Kt63 in action with Haltron 6BQ7A and Ez81 Sylvania.
I like this little 6BQ7A, in combination it is musical, rich bass, medium vocals that remain intimate, and the treble range is extended enough.
The instruments play very well in place and come across very well.

Very nice . It seems we may have caused a tiny bit of unintentional drama over on the Aegis amp thread

 

[Deleeh]

Very nice . It seems we may have caused a tiny bit of unintentional drama over on the Aegis amp thread

Well, a bit of stable odour doesn't hurt hehe.
Purely in terms of design, the fact that you can only use 6SL7 doesn't suit me on the Aegis.
But it's okay, it should satisfy the audience.
The Ultimate simply takes a different approach that offers more and is much more flexible than the Aegis.

 

[crakers7]

Well, a bit of stable odour doesn't hurt hehe.
Purely in terms of design, the fact that you can only use 6SL7 doesn't suit me on the Aegis.
But it's okay, it should satisfy the audience.
The Ultimate simply takes a different approach that offers more and is much more flexible than the Aegis.

Yes , but what intrigues me is how the Aegis would sound with my ZMF Atriums. I don’t think anyone has compared them side by side . It sounds like Jonathan C had sold his McChanson I absolutely love my UltimatE, it is end game for me but that audiophile curiosity is hard to tame

 

[crakers7]

Scored 5 of these GEC KT 66 , 3 grey glass , 2 clear glass , can’t wait to hear them

 

[AnyDave]

Scored 5 of these GEC KT 66 , 3 grey glass , 2 clear glass , can’t wait to hear them

Those are some of my favorite tubes. Just wonderful.

 

[Deleeh]

Scored 5 of these GEC KT 66 , 3 grey glass , 2 clear glass , can’t wait to hear them

I once read that the Gec with clear glass is supposed to be somewhat more neutral and less warm than the smoked glass.
I have the clear glass and I like it, I think that it will be more subtle.
Congratulations on your find, they certainly look good.
Don't let the Aegis influence you too much.
Curiosity is certainly there, but that's normal.
Both certainly play at a high level, but I think Ultimate wins the race in the end due to its powerful variety, there is something where it pushes Aegis to its limits.
Matt and Eric have given us a very good gift with their ideas for Ultimate that we can be happy about.
I'm a bit surprised that Jonathan sold his, it wasn't quite his personal taste and ambition.

 

[UntilThen]

Scored 5 of these GEC KT 66 , 3 grey glass , 2 clear glass , can’t wait to hear them

KT66 were the first pair of beam tetrodes that I bought once I knew I was going to get Tomas to custom build Odyssey for me. I was also the first to get Tomas build an old school amp for Ultrasonic Studio. He was mainly into building amps using Mr Cuwen's design ideas - new school.

This pair was brand new when I bought it from Tony, my private seller. They are identical in construction but one of the GEC label is an old type. I think the date codes suggest they were created 2 years apart. 7303 Z and 7551 Z.

I'm not sure why I didn't use KT66 as much as I should. Perhaps it's because there are now so many other power tubes in my collection that sound just as brilliant. I do know that after I talk about them in Ultimate a year ago, several others bought them. @Leicachamp loves KT66.

 

[Deleeh]

KT66 were the first pair of beam tetrodes that I bought once I knew I was going to get Tomas to custom build Odyssey for me. I was also the first to get Tomas build an old school amp for Ultrasonic Studio. He was mainly into building amps using Mr Cuwen's design ideas - new school.

This pair was brand new when I bought it from Tony, my private seller. They are identical in construction but one of the GEC label is an old type. I think the date codes suggest they were created 2 years apart. 7303 Z and 7551 Z.

I'm not sure why I didn't use KT66 as much as I should. Perhaps it's because there are now so many other power tubes in my collection that sound just as brilliant. I do know that after I talk about them in Ultimate a year ago, several others bought them. @Leicachamp loves KT66.

I feel the same way.
Because you have so much choice, it never gets boring and you also save the treasures you have.
I very often listen to one combination and change it at some point according to my mood.
It's also been a while since I listened to the Gec Kt66.
But that will soon change when I compare the KT63 with the KT66.

 

[UntilThen]

Matt and Eric have given us a very good gift with their ideas for Ultimate that we can be happy about.

Eric is the one building the amp. I find it incredible that he has built more than 30 Ultimates in a little over a year - all by himself. A true custom amp builder. You choose your parts, ideas and he will build it. Ultimate is not the only design he creates. He was building speaker amps way before any of you know him.

There were 2 criterias I gave Eric. I told him that the original Mini 6Y6G amp sound good as a headphone amp but it must be as quiet as possible with no music playing on my Grados. Interesting that Ultimate came into being because I bought 3 Grados in 2 months. The other criteria I gave Eric was that the amp must be spotless - no scratches or bonus holes drilled and he did just that. Now every Ultimate that comes off the press are spotless. Some even ask him to measure the distance of the xlr and 1/4 headphones from the centre of the volume knob and he did it without fuss. Some even want the xlr input to be orientated in a certain way. I'm sure if we ask Eric to include 4.4 balanced output, he can do it.

My Super Ultimate sound lovely now. Before I got into Ultimate, if you told me that it will come close to Odyssey, I will tell you that's impossible but now I use Ultimate all the time. Like 90% of the time and Odyssey and Oblivion get's 10% of my time.