Hello fellow Tube-aholics
Seems I have been negligent is finishing the thread I started. Well, here’s the rest of my experience with Gold Lion KT88 vs. Penta Labs KT88-SC.
I got the Pentas first so obviously they were the ones I listened to first and they were quite a change from the JJs that I got with my VAC PA-160 mono tube amps. Biggest sonic difference was the JJs sparkly top end was gone. But soon I noticed the top end was still there just much more natural sounding. I had always felt the JJs added some splashy emphasis to the treble with cymbals always being more prominent than in real live events. Even compared to multi-miked amplified rock shows, or recordings, it was hot but never harsh. The mids are gorgeous and bass was about the same being fairly taut and only a bit rounded. The midrange on the JJs is also affected by this splashy emphasis as it seems to make vocals more liquid and seductive. I can see why the previous owner felt they were the best sounding tube he had tried in the amps.
A bit about the amps, they are 160 Watt each monoblocks that have three selectable modes of operation, triode, ultralinear and pentode. They also have six levels of feedback from 0 to about 8 dB of feedback (dependant upon tube type and mode of operation) and they can run any tube in the 6L6 family up to the KT88, KT90 and above need not apply. The previous owner ran them in triode and no feedback while I prefer ultralinear and about 6 dB of feedback.
To my ear the Gold Lions are the cat’s meow overall. The GLs are a bit punchier in the bass and a tad more dynamic top to bottom than the Pentas or the JJs. Vocals are not liquid like the JJs but just natural. Once upon a time I got a rare chance to hear a large choir perform with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra during the Bumbershoot Festival. It was spectacular to say the least and I have never heard a reproduction that came even close. Live unamplified choral music does not have this liquid gloss and I feel it’s actually a coloration of the system even if it is a seductive and desirable one.
The Pentas are more refined and slightly more resolving losing out in the dynamics department ever so slightly accompanied by that lowered punch in the bottom. The Pentas do seem to extract just a bit more detail and with it some heightened sense of ambiance. The audio cliché version of that would be ‘due to their ability to convey a bit more detailed information the soundstage is slightly wider and deeper’. That said the difference is fairly negligible and what really stands out is the detail, or possibly the tube itself is quieter allowing one to hear into the recording better. One example I can refer to is my “audiophile” vinyl copy of Friday Night in San Francisco with Al Dimeola, Paco DeLucia, and
John McLaughlin, with the Pentas I can hear more of the fret board finger work and with the GLs this is not as prominent. The GLs give a bit more of the thump of a hard strum or strong (forté) string pluck.
I am amazed at how tonally balanced both tubes are top to bottom is just about perfect, the JJs can’t claim any of this territory. That’s not to say they are terrible but that added glimmer in the upper midrange through the top counts them out of the running for tonal balance.
Onward, today I get to play with Jerry Ramsey’s new cables using liquid polymer conductors. I have been listening to the speaker cables for a few days and my initial impressions are very good. I will say there is a big difference between my current reference Omega Mikro Planar V and these liquid jobbies. The major changes are in veiling, a curtain has been removed, and the top end is more relaxed and natural. Also a slight glare in the upper midrange is gone. The Genesis I have utilizes a titanium cone midrange driver and this beauty must be fed carefully or it will bite. The Omegas were good but the Liquid Illusions are a quantum leap better.
Enjoy your tubes, friends.
