KT88 Power Tubes

I spent the last hour before bed last night searching out the type of tubes I want to use my home amplifier. Generally you need at least three variants – one for the power supply rectification, one set for the pre-amps, and one set for the power amplifier prior to the speakers. There are lots of different ones to choose from, each with its own unique set of pros and cons.

One of the most well known power tubes for home audio is the KT88. Not only does it produce a really great tone, but it has a cool shape which I think would look really nice on the chassis. The KT88 pictured above is a reissue of a popular Gold Lion variant. While I’m sure it doesn’t have the exact sound as its vintage counterpart, the reviews on it are quite excellent. Unfortunately it’s not very cheap, running approximately $100 USD for a matched pair, or around $200 for a matched quad. How many I will ultimately need will be decided by the type of amplifier I build and how much power I’d like it to be able to output, neither of which I know at this point.