Kt88 vs. EL34 in the Bogner Überschall

[Lasse Lammert]

both with the same settings, both biased between 50 and 55% plate dissipation

=C= KT88
=C= EL34

 

[Ashgarth]

Voted KT88.

Sounds more balanced to me, really liking it!

 

[Empathy]

For me, the KT88's have a noticeable advantage in note definition, as well as a more pleasing upper mid-range.

 

[~BURNY~]

El34 are flubbier which isn't really working for this type of riffing.

 

[korbiar]

I don't hear much of a difference to be honest... I've got el34's in mine but I would like to hear the difference with the amp in the room myself.

 

[Empathy]

I don't hear much of a difference to be honest... I've got el34's in mine but I would like to hear the difference with the amp in the room myself.

You'll really have to crank up the volume on the clips to start to hear it - it'll be even more difficult to tell with the amp in person. To compare audio properly, you need to be able to switch between the two in less than a second before the brain loses the fine details of the particular sound - can't A/B between the same amp with different tubes!

 

[Trevoire520]

EL34's seem to be a big brighter so they sound a bit more forward. But I prefer the smoothness of the KT88's.

 

[yakko]

Funny but my vote is el34 for this test. Very close clips but I hear a little more definition.

 

[kvoid]

Difference is minimal. I usually prefer el34s for their edgy sound but for this kind of riffing KT88s work better IMO. I'd also pick KT88s cause they're bigger hehe.

 

[Jevil]

KT88 but I voted EL34 by mistake.

 

[Red Phoenix]

very little difference...in my opinion it would be negligible but we are all into perfection that we would want to hear the difference between different electrons in the tubes ;D ...i votet for KT88 because it seemd not as fizzy/bright but could also be imagination.

 

[akbeda]

I don't hear much of a difference to be honest...

same here

 

[greyskull]

For this amp/style... Kt88's, much tighter and cleaner sounding.

 

[Rob Logic]

Man, for some reason when I listened first, I thought it was a night and day difference and voted EL34 because it was a bit soggier which is definitely true. I liked it on the first part of the riff. Turned it up louder and listened again. The KT88 has what the 34 was missing which is just a little bit more tightness when the riff goes the the 16ths part. Not a huge difference but KT88 wins even though I voted the other way. sorry for the jaded results Lasse.

 

[Mago]

^ similar thing here, for the first riff it didn't really made a lot of a difference, but it was really noticable on the palmmute part, were I prefered the KT88 clip a lot.
More definition and less unpleasantness in the high mids, but very subtle.
so I went KT88

 

[acalaf]

el34's have more mids. They get a bit annoying after a while. The kt88s are more scooped but also more pleasant during sustained listening.