Alex Bornstein

“Love the KT88s in my integrated Primaluna Prologue Two. Much more dynamic than my Mullard EL34s with my Magnepan LSRs. I wasn’t sure if this tube amp had the oomph for LSRs but it has been a month and I still haven’t rehooked up the solid state amp with tube pre. Sweet KT88s”

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Posted 5 years ago

David Sheaffer

Verified Reviewer

“I bought these to replace a set of 6550s in an old tube amp I inherited. Everything you've read about these tubes is true. They sound fantastic. I'm listening to Buddy Guy right now. I feel like Upscale Audio really takes the time to match them on tubezilla. I have a bias meter on the amp and they are solid as a rock.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“My PL Dialogue Premium HP integrated amp came with the stock EL34 that I absolutely love. I have the wonderful Harbeth 30.1 speakers where the midrange is already glorious but bass shy. After some research, the Gold Lion KT88s seemed to be the output tubes to try. I wasn’t disappointed with regards to the added dynamics and improved bass performance after I tried these KT88s. However, in the context of my system and personal preference, a little further tweak was needed so I won’t miss my beloved EL34s too much. Long story short, the final tweak was installing the NOS Mullards 12AU7s in the front slots, followed by the Cifte 12AU7s and kept the stock PL 12AU7s as is (outermost) on my HP integrated amp. In these context, the Gold Lion KT88s shine and 5 stars for me. Danny E”

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Posted 5 years ago

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Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have a simple set up of a Cary CAD 120s amp, Cary SLP-98P, Cary SACD 303T and a Rega RP8 turntable, Dynavector XX2 MkII cartridge and Totem Forest speakers. I have tried the stock tubes EH KT-88 and Tungsul 6550 to KT-120. I must say i was impressed when I put in the kt-120s into my cary 120s amp. With the bigger dynamics and wide sound stage. Though I felt I lost a lot of the midrange magic and the bass throw of the kt-88s. I was stuck in a hard place looking for a cross between the power of the kt-120 and the midrange of the EH kt-88s keven said that kt-88s don't have a sound Gold lions have there own. He is right i finally found a tube that has big dynamics like the kt120's and even more midrange glory! Playing Bryan Adams or Van Halen on vinyl you can actually hear distinctly what octave the bass player is playing. Over the lead guitar or Eddie's guitar solo, and the sustain on each note he plays sounds more like a real tube amp, like never before. Or Tina Turner's voice in Its only love by Bryan Adams, sounds more sweet in the high notes and real then the kt-120s. And bass from tin pan alley by stivie ray is more fuller like the kt-88s. But goes noticeably almost as low as the kt120s and, room filling. Also playing todays digital music like Ariana Grande's Jason's Song, I have never heard a finger snap so clear, vocals so high and realistic, or In Daft Punk, Lose Yourself to Dance, and Beyond have so much a bass and sustain.. Defiantly a killer tube you must try!”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“At a very early age, I found myself mesmerized by the glow of the vacuum tube as records were being played - in an Motorola "all-in-one" wooden console. Over 45 years later, I searched for that "magical" moment, rebuilding my late father's Sansui receiver. It was certainly great, hearing it again. I still wanted more, and spent an entire weekend watching Kevin's YouTube videos. The following Monday, I pulled the trigger on a PrimaLuna Dialogue Integrated Amp. The EL34's sounded great, but like many of the other reviewers, I wanted additional bass. The Gold Lion KT88 (cryo) were ordered from Premium Audio, and the EL34's were replaced. I started with Billie Holiday (Lady Signs the Blues), and continued with Miles Davis (Kind of Blue). I sat in the dark smiling, and I was a 7 year old again, staring at the glowing, beautiful tubes. My ears finally found what they wanted, and it was way beyond what I ever recalled as a kid.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

“I bought a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium integrated just over a year ago, which can accommodate a wide variety of output tubes, and I've had the pleasure of tube rolling ever since. I've tried el34's from the stock PrimaLuna tubes, to TungSol's to Mullards. I like the PrimaLuna el34's fine, but the Tung-Sol's are even better, with great balance, a bone dry bass, and nice detail. The Mullards are my favorite though, with a beautiful, sweet midrange. Then I tried some kt120's, which sound powerful and authoritative, yet delicate when the music calls for it, with plenty of detail and drive. Finally, a tried GL kt88's. These tubes are absolutely superb! They do everything well. Great drive, timing, and pace, with a top to bottom coherence that is spot on. Crystal clear highs without brightness, a beautifully textured midrange with wonderful clarity, and a tight, tuneful bass range with nice extension. These tubes sound like they were taylor made for my system and listening tastes. My only concern is reliability as some others have noted. However, I haven't encountered any reliability problems as yet. I hope it stays that way. In the meantime, I will enjoy every minute spent with these fantastic sounding tubes.”

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Posted 7 years ago

“I have the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated that were delivered with the stock EL-34's as well as some cryoed KT-120's. I started off with the KT-120's as I just assumed that they were the better tube due to the "size". They did indeed sound wonderful to my ears. But then after over a year of listening I decided to try my stock 34's on a whim which had never even been inserted into my amp sockets by me. Jesus! What a killer tube! I now knew that this amp was a special beast as it sounded fan-tab-u-lous with either one of those tubes. We have this wonderful amplifier that became an entirely new machine just by changing the power tubes - so why stop? I invested in the KT-88's and BLAMMO! I have a serious mind-meld of the beefy 120's and the esoteric midrange love of the 34's. This makes me extremely happy about my initial purchase of this amp. My next tube complement will be the Svetlana SED "Winged C" EL34's or the Gold Lion KT-77's - Just for the fun and love of tube rolling. Anyhow, I highly recommend these 88's as they are incredible as far as I am concerned. Much thanks to Kevin and Jared whom both put up with crazy mo-fo's such as myself!”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Gold Lion KT88 No Cryo Reviews