Gold Lion KT77's in a VH4

[steve_k]

I started a similar thread on the main board and don't want to come off here like a fat girl scout......but these Gold Lion KT77's are probably one of the best EL34 drop in replacement tubes on the market right now. I have carried the flag on SED's for the past several years and they are good. But, the GLKT77 is in another realm. Expensive as hell, compared to most known suspects, but not by much since SED had the price hiking gouge a couple months back. They work great in Marshall circuits, which is what started this whole thing. I am going to be dropping the quad out of one of my amps and try them in the VH4 today and I think the results are going to be over the top. If you find the SED's compress or saturate a little too much in high gain amps and don't articulate as well as you would like, you might be very surprised at what a quad of the GL's would do for you.

Anyway, anybody tried them for Diezel power yet? Will let you know what I think. The 77, while being a drop in replacement will pull about 5 more volts than a 34 at the plates. Which will usually require a little rebias, depending on the rating of the 77 as compared to the 34's you pulled.

Steve

 

[Gsxrbusa]

Fat girl scout.

Anyway, I am right there with you Steve. I feel like a Gold Lion KT77 poster boy. They work great in so many amps.

I tried them in my Herbert and was not as impressed as I was with other amps. The SED still reigns supreme in that amp IMO. YMMV.

Would love to hear them in a VH4. Let us know what you think.

Everyone that I have personally convinced to try the GL77 has told me that it was there first or second favorite power tube......so proof is in the pudding.

I just lost a GL77 in one of my amps... FUCK!!!!! I hate using other tubes, so I had to revert to another shit ass brand. I can't get another quad fast enough. Too bad I'm broke. Not the GL's fault it failed, they were old and probably were in around 5 amps.

 

[steve_k]

Fat girl scout.

Anyway, I am right there with you Steve. I feel like a Gold Lion KT77 poster boy. They work great in so many amps.

I tried them in my Herbert and was not as impressed as I was with other amps. The SED still reigns supreme in that amp IMO. YMMV.

Would love to hear them in a VH4. Let us know what you think.

Everyone that I have personally convinced to try the GL77 has told me that it was there first or second favorite power tube......so proof is in the pudding.

I just lost a GL77 in one of my amps... FUCK!!!!! I hate using other tubes, so I had to revert to another shit ass brand. I can't get another quad fast enough. Too bad I'm broke. Not the GL's fault it failed, they were old and probably were in around 5 amps.

Yeah, I can see where they may not be the tube for a Herbie or very high gainers with lots of shared EQ. I think (here I go thinking again), that the GL77 will work wonders in an amp that needs power tube saturation to drive gain levels and some spare head room for amps with higher plate voltages. The VH4 has to have the headroom or it will saturate on you, which is why a lot of folks like the 6550. It is a little too stiff for me and the GL77 is an intermediate tube between a good 34 and 6550's. The 6550 will pull about 10V difference in the bias circuit over a 34. The 77 is about half that.

Its 5:30 in the morning and I am going to step out to the cave and swap these tubes over. If they are a go in the VH4, I am definitely springing for another quad.

Steve

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

my Herbert is a pair of Tung-sol for lowend, SED pair for mids, and Gold Lion for the top end!


i've got a quad i could try in Blue this weekend if i'm not too lazy.

 

[Ventura]

Just bought a matched quad for my 20thA XTC, if your testimony with these in the V is anything like it's been for the Bognerites, I'm in!! I'll definitely give 'em a try so make sure to give us the full 20 hours in rundown when you can.

And hey, what's wrong with fat girl scouts? They're like mopeds... Fun to ride so long as yer friends don't catch ya on one

V.

PS - Gold Lion's also put out what's considered to be the primo ECC83/B759 reissue (12AX7) preamp tube. I picked some up for the Mak4 to up its 'tonal charisma', not that it's lacking...just because it's a keeper. Just sayin', GL is making some excellent glass

 

[glip22]

I started a similar thread on the main board and don't want to come off here like a fat girl scout......but these Gold Lion KT77's are probably one of the best EL34 drop in replacement tubes on the market right now. I have carried the flag on SED's for the past several years and they are good. But, the GLKT77 is in another realm. Expensive as hell, compared to most known suspects, but not by much since SED had the price hiking gouge a couple months back. They work great in Marshall circuits, which is what started this whole thing. I am going to be dropping the quad out of one of my amps and try them in the VH4 today and I think the results are going to be over the top. If you find the SED's compress or saturate a little too much in high gain amps and don't articulate as well as you would like, you might be very surprised at what a quad of the GL's would do for you.

Anyway, anybody tried them for Diezel power yet? Will let you know what I think. The 77, while being a drop in replacement will pull about 5 more volts than a 34 at the plates. Which will usually require a little rebias, depending on the rating of the 77 as compared to the 34's you pulled.

Steve

Finally one I steer you onto.

 

[steve_k]

I started a similar thread on the main board and don't want to come off here like a fat girl scout......but these Gold Lion KT77's are probably one of the best EL34 drop in replacement tubes on the market right now. I have carried the flag on SED's for the past several years and they are good. But, the GLKT77 is in another realm. Expensive as hell, compared to most known suspects, but not by much since SED had the price hiking gouge a couple months back. They work great in Marshall circuits, which is what started this whole thing. I am going to be dropping the quad out of one of my amps and try them in the VH4 today and I think the results are going to be over the top. If you find the SED's compress or saturate a little too much in high gain amps and don't articulate as well as you would like, you might be very surprised at what a quad of the GL's would do for you.

Anyway, anybody tried them for Diezel power yet? Will let you know what I think. The 77, while being a drop in replacement will pull about 5 more volts than a 34 at the plates. Which will usually require a little rebias, depending on the rating of the 77 as compared to the 34's you pulled.

Steve

Finally one I steer you onto.

Was that the first?

Never made it to the VH4 yet. They made an intermediate stop to the Marshall Aldrich mod. Very nice and really lets the bottom end and lower mids blossom. Ordered more.......

Steve

 

[glip22]

I started a similar thread on the main board and don't want to come off here like a fat girl scout......but these Gold Lion KT77's are probably one of the best EL34 drop in replacement tubes on the market right now. I have carried the flag on SED's for the past several years and they are good. But, the GLKT77 is in another realm. Expensive as hell, compared to most known suspects, but not by much since SED had the price hiking gouge a couple months back. They work great in Marshall circuits, which is what started this whole thing. I am going to be dropping the quad out of one of my amps and try them in the VH4 today and I think the results are going to be over the top. If you find the SED's compress or saturate a little too much in high gain amps and don't articulate as well as you would like, you might be very surprised at what a quad of the GL's would do for you.

Anyway, anybody tried them for Diezel power yet? Will let you know what I think. The 77, while being a drop in replacement will pull about 5 more volts than a 34 at the plates. Which will usually require a little rebias, depending on the rating of the 77 as compared to the 34's you pulled.

Steve

Finally one I steer you onto.

Was that the first?

Never made it to the VH4 yet. They made an intermediate stop to the Marshall Aldrich mod. Very nice and really lets the bottom end and lower mids blossom. Ordered more.......

Steve

Yep! You have or have had everything else.

 

[steve_k]

I started a similar thread on the main board and don't want to come off here like a fat girl scout......but these Gold Lion KT77's are probably one of the best EL34 drop in replacement tubes on the market right now. I have carried the flag on SED's for the past several years and they are good. But, the GLKT77 is in another realm. Expensive as hell, compared to most known suspects, but not by much since SED had the price hiking gouge a couple months back. They work great in Marshall circuits, which is what started this whole thing. I am going to be dropping the quad out of one of my amps and try them in the VH4 today and I think the results are going to be over the top. If you find the SED's compress or saturate a little too much in high gain amps and don't articulate as well as you would like, you might be very surprised at what a quad of the GL's would do for you.

Anyway, anybody tried them for Diezel power yet? Will let you know what I think. The 77, while being a drop in replacement will pull about 5 more volts than a 34 at the plates. Which will usually require a little rebias, depending on the rating of the 77 as compared to the 34's you pulled.

Steve

Finally one I steer you onto.

Was that the first?

Never made it to the VH4 yet. They made an intermediate stop to the Marshall Aldrich mod. Very nice and really lets the bottom end and lower mids blossom. Ordered more.......

Steve

Yep! You have or have had everything else.

As one whore to another...you aren't doing to bad yourself

 

[Ventura]

Boar-Whore Bromancing...

"The Shiva Pimp" and the "Saudi Tone Slut" - available in paperback this Spring!!

(it's just jealousy and flattery mixed together )
Mo/V.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

i done gone and did it last!

pretty cool i'd say! bottom end is pretty much a toss up with the Rubys, with the GL's having a nicer juicier top end.

the Rubys are pretty damned good tubes, and after doing the swap, i'm pretty sure the Rubys were running a little cold.


so if the Rubys were cold and could be juiced up, i'd say the GLs would still have a nicer top end, but not be heads and tails better overall.

 

[Ventura]

i done gone and did it last!

pretty cool i'd say! bottom end is pretty much a toss up with the Rubys, with the GL's having a nicer juicier top end.

the Rubys are pretty damned good tubes, and after doing the swap, i'm pretty sure the Rubys were running a little cold.


so if the Rubys were cold and could be juiced up, i'd say the GLs would still have a nicer top end, but not be heads and tails better overall.

So you're saying with perfectly biased install, the Ruby's would be comparable to the GL's?? The only difference being a bit more mid and high from the GL's??

Interesting... And here's a guy who has yet to "conform" to the Ruby recommendation a la Poppa. I'm still stuck on 6550's

But I am a mega-fanboi of all things Gold Lion...

V.

 

[glip22]

i done gone and did it last!

pretty cool i'd say! bottom end is pretty much a toss up with the Rubys, with the GL's having a nicer juicier top end.

the Rubys are pretty damned good tubes, and after doing the swap, i'm pretty sure the Rubys were running a little cold.


so if the Rubys were cold and could be juiced up, i'd say the GLs would still have a nicer top end, but not be heads and tails better overall.

But better nonetheless. And better is better. What is the measurement between the head and the tail? I liked the Ruby's but they never lasted long and they always cracked allot when warming up or down. The GL's are more stable imo and do sound better. The bass may be a little comparable but I prefer the punchy mids of the GL. More presence and dimensionality in the GL KT77's. It really does depend on the amp. I have a more vintage voiced handwired amp that doesn't like the 77's. It's much happier with NOS EL34 glass. A modern voiced amp seems to like the GL 77's for a different flavor.

 

[Ventura]

i done gone and did it last!

pretty cool i'd say! bottom end is pretty much a toss up with the Rubys, with the GL's having a nicer juicier top end.

the Rubys are pretty damned good tubes, and after doing the swap, i'm pretty sure the Rubys were running a little cold.


so if the Rubys were cold and could be juiced up, i'd say the GLs would still have a nicer top end, but not be heads and tails better overall.

But better nonetheless. And better is better. What is the measurement between the head and the tail? I liked the Ruby's but they never lasted long and they always cracked allot when warming up or down. The GL's are more stable imo and do sound better. The bass may be a little comparable but I prefer the punchy mids of the GL. More presence and dimensionality in the GL KT77's. It really does depend on the amp. I have a more vintage voiced handwired amp that doesn't like the 77's. It's much happier with NOS EL34 glass. A modern voiced amp seems to like the GL 77's for a different flavor.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've been told by several tube dealers and research that I've done has verified the same - aren't Ruby's and Groove Tubes and the like just rebrands of other manufacturers' tubes?? I know in the case of 12AX7s, the Ruby's are just Chinese/Sino with a RT label on them?

This is what's made me veer away from Ruby's and Groove's and even JJ's and several others...

I dunno, Gary - first and foremost, we'll see what your recommendation sounds like in my Bogner. From there we may need to explore the VH4S. I have used Gold Lion EL84s and 12AX7/ECC83s and they're brilliant. I bought some top notch glass including the GL 12AX7/ECC83 for the Mak4, should be installed by the weekend, I'm pumped

Peace,
V.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

yea, i hate the re-labelers.

i'm calling them Ruby's, but guess they're some kind of Shuagung.

hell there's Ruby labeled SED's!

but yea, whatever Chinese power tubes Papa is using are pretty good tubes.


i allways seem to like how the Chinese tubes feel to play, and they ofter have good low end. they just lack the wow factor of the better Russian stuff and don't seem to last as long.

sure as hell can't argue with Chinese preamp tubes though!

 

[steve_k]

Finally got the 77's loaded in the VH4. Yes, they do make a difference in terms of a little more headroom and less compression across the mids and highs. Can't tell any difference in the VH4 with the bottom end, as compared to the 34's. The GLKT's are smaller bottled than the other KT's on the market and are the same sized bottle as SED's. I am just not a fan of Ruby power tubes. They all sound thin to me but they hold up well. When everyone got on the 6550 kick, I didn't like them too much in the VH4 because the amp immediately got tighter than tree bark and stiffer than a priest's pecker with almost no natural compression or sag. The 77's seem to be a compromise between the big bottom end and crunch of the 34's and the headroom with 6550's. The GL's seem to be of very high quality, so I am going to err to the side of recommending these tubes for others like me who are never content. You will be able to tell an immediate difference across all 4 channels. I suspect they would really shine in a Herbie too.

Steve

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

got mine warming up for the first time with bias-rite unhooked, gonna let them rip!

 

[steve_k]

got mine warming up for the first time with bias-rite unhooked, gonna let them rip!

Had mine idling for about 4 hours. Gonna give mine anther go here in about 4 more hours. The short test was good though. I think I am going to like it. Let us know what you think.

Steve

 

[Ventura]

Nice post Steve, thanks man!! What did you end up biasing your quad at?? What kind of mA per tube (or pair)??

I'm installing the GLKT77's in the 20thA XTC this weekend to see what all this talk is about. I'm still a hooooge fan of the 6550's in my VH4S, so doubt those are going anywhere - guess that means I dig priests dicks, ahem. HOWEVER, the 6550's are a different breed, but seeing as I have a set, I may just pop 'em in and test drive 'em in the V for shitz'n'giggles...

Peace,
Mo

 

[Ventura]

sure as hell can't argue with Chinese preamp tubes though!

Got that straight!! In the right amps - ALMOST all high gainers - HG Chinese/Shuguangs are simply the bees knees. Huge gain, great overtones, responsive, cheap, consistent, and reliable. Win win, even Charlie Sheen would approve.

Mo