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SSE EL34 vs. KT-88 Power

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cogitech

cogitech

Member
Joined 2011
Paid Member
I'm confused about something and hope someone can offer an explanation.

Over and over again I hear/read about the KT-88's superior power output over that of the EL34.

However, in George's SSE simulations, the EL34 appears to consistently provide more output power than the KT-88, all else being equal (B+, Load Z, etc.). In fact, the EL34 at 450v B+ can match or outperform the KT-88 at 500v B+ in some cases (?)

See attached for the sorted, relevant data from George's simulations.

(Note: Yes, I do see that the KT-88 distortion figures are significantly better at comparable output power)
 

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W

w5jag

Member
Joined 2007
Those are simulations, the real world is far from ideal.

IIRC, those simulations are for triode mode only. Most folks run KT-88 in ultra linear (UL) or pentode. KT-88 can do in excess of 12 watts in UL. Not sure what EL-34 can do in UL.

The big difference between EL-34 and KT-88 is not the plate dissipation or the power output, but that one ( EL-34 ) is a true power pentode, and the other is a beam tetrode.

Some folks say they sound different.
 
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